Gondwana Rainforests and More: Australia Rainforests

The rainforests also support plant and animal biodiversity, and preservation of these forests plays a crucial role in conserving nature, global temperatures and rainfall patterns and providing for fresh air which has been depleted with rapid industrialization and growth of concrete buildings. The various regions of the rainforests support native fungi, lichens, moss, frogs, butterflies, marsupials and more. The forests of northern Australia’s northern Queensland regions can be distinctly different from the southern Australia rainforest of Tasmania. Today, we are going to discover the best of the rainforests in Australia and what makes them so unique and desirable as vacation spots of discovery. So off we go to the various Australian Rainforest!

The Gondwana Australia rainforest or the Central Eastern Australian Rainforest Reserves are extensive areas of subtropical climate-dependent rainforests. Australian Gondwana rainforests made the list of being declared a world heritage spot in 1994 and are among the world’s largest reserves containing native animals and plants which are unchanged since early fossilized records. The warm temperate areas and the cool ones along the Antarctic beaches are both a part of the Gondwana rainforests.

Gondwana and its rainforests once formed the supercontinent, and hence they provide an important and alive link to the past and evolution of mankind, flora and fauna. The ferns, lichens, moss species, conifers and native flora and fauna of this region can be carbon dated and have remained unchanged through the evolutionary cycles. It is also fascinating to see how the mosaic of nature and landscapes has evolved. Waterfalls, steep gorges, river flows are all signs of erosion and evolution. The best examples here are the Great Escarpment created by the coastal rivers, the Tweed Valley steep-edged caldera and Mount Warning once the plug of an ancient volcano underground.

Amazing is it not that the vast mountain was carved by nature and that it is only her call where these rainforests thrive? Many species evolved due to the climatic changes and soil conditions adapting to newer places forming a strange pattern of evolution and history that are best learnt here by visiting the rainforests of Gondwana. Gondwana rainforests are spread over fifty of the most visited national reserve parks like the Tamborine Mountain National Park, the Lamington National Park, Springbrook National Park, Queensland’s Border Ranges National Park, Dorrigo National Park and New South Wales’ Mount Warning National Park. Activities like camping, hiking, climbing the Tweed Volcano, exploring landmarks, walking trails, nature watching and more are very popular.

The Gondwana rainforests are home to over 200 threatened and rare animal and plant species that have thrived due to the natural isolation of the rainforest landscapes. Along the Border Group you can study the native species of and mountain tree frog, the rare wompoo dove, marsupials, lyrebird, frogs, marbled frogmouth, birds, spotted-tailed quoll, snakes, Hastings river mouse, diverse plants and animals that inhabit the rainforests in perhaps the largest concentrations in comparison to anywhere else in the world.

Barron Gorge National Park in Kuranda of Queensland is an Australian rainforest that is free of entry fees and has plenty to see and enjoy. The park extends from the Atherton Tableland to the lower coastal Lake Placid lowlands and is also demarcated as a World Heritage Area. The Baron River obviously stands at the heart of evolution. Right from where its source lies on Mount Hypipamee and its surrounding rainforests River Baron flows over 60 km across the Atherton Tablelands and then enters the steep gorge at Baron Falls where it enthrals people with a 250m fall before flowing to the coastal lowland regions and into the Coral Sea. Being wet and tropical in nature the Barron Gorge offers breathtaking views of the flooded Baron River as it falls downwards from the Din Din Lookout of Barron Falls near Kuranda.

The Barron River dominates the park. Rising from the rainforests of, the river winds 60 kilometres across the and enters the deeply-incised Barron Gorge, and falls 250 metres onto the coastal lowlands before flowing into the Coral Sea. During the rainy season, the runoff waters cause the river to swell and leap below at Barron Falls. The sight of the falls is best viewed from the Kuranda lookout called the Din Din Barron Falls lookout point near Kuranda. The natives of these traditional lands are the Aboriginal spiritual Djabugandji tribe people. It is their trails that are still in extensive use at the Barron Gorge National Park. Enjoy the elevated walkway through the rainforest as you delve into the rainforest treasures in half-day or full-day tours through the park. Among the facilities at the park are car parking, wheel-chair accessibility, family-friendly tours and an excellent system of transportation to and fro from the Barron Gorge National Park. Close by accommodation, transportation and food is plentiful at the nearby Kuranda town.The park is located at the junction of Wrights Lookout Road and Barron Falls Road of Kuranda in Queensland.

The Rainforestation Nature Park is located at #1030 on Kennedy Highway in Kuranda of Queensland. They are normally open from 9 in the morning and situated just a few minutes away from Kuranda where all facilities of food, accommodation, facilities and such are available. The shuttle buses also pass Kuranda Village while on the way to Cairns. The award-winning Australia rainforest of Rainforestation Nature Park is close to Kuranda Village, and just 30-minutes from Cairns.

At the nature park, you are taken around by experienced guides aboard an amphibious Army Duck vehicle popularly used during WW II times. Besides getting to identify and learn about the various animals and plants native to the park you also get to visit their Tropical Fruits Orchard which has over 40 fruit-bearing exotically tropical fruit-laden trees and tree species. Later interact with the native Pamagirri tribes and learn all about their aboriginal ways, means and experiences through local interactions, traditional dance performances, competitions meant to draw attention to traditional weapons like spears, boomerangs, didgeridoo and such. The rainforest amphitheatre and the Dreamtime Walk are truly exceptional experiences that leave you feeling enriched and in awe of the might of nature.

The Rainforestation Nature Park is famous as a Koala Preserve and has many indigenous species like the wallabies, dingoes, kangaroos that are handfed and reared in situ, crocodiles, snakes, wombats, the cassowary and lots of lizards. Enjoy the typical barbecued foods at the licensed and colonial outback restaurants. Cuddling koalas, enjoying the food and transportation may be charged extras. The Pamagirri shows are up thrice a day at 10.30 mornings, 12 noon and 2 in the afternoon. The tour at the amphitheatre takes approximately 2-3 hours. So, plan ahead! The pickup shuttles from the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary depart at half-hour frequencies from 10.45 I the morning to 2.25 in the noon. The tickets cost 51 AUD for adults, 25.50 AUD for children between 4 and 14 and family passes can be obtained for 127.50 AUD for 2 adults with 2 children.

Daintree Rainforest is located at #2333 of Cape Tribulation Road of Cape Tribulation in Queensland. You can call them on 61*137468. The Australia rainforest of Daintree is best known for being a tropical rainforest and a World Heritage site that provides scenic landscapes, tranquil beaches and a quick look into the biodiversity of plants and animals preserved and consciously conserved in the Daintree rainforest areas. The Kuranda and Daintree rain forests are sustained by the Daintree River that flows and winds through it allowing for plenty of undergrowth, salt-water crocs and thick forests that sustain nearly two-thirds of the butterflies species of Australia, about a third of the reptile species and more.

Spread over 1,200 sq km it is a protected area established in 1988 that offers a wide variety of activities from which you can choose to learn and experience the rain forests while having maximum fun on an adventurous vacation. You are just 100km from Cairns, and 1757 km from Brisbane. Among the many fun things to do is zip-lining over the forests, watching crocodiles in the Daintree River, staying at a luxury eco-lodge at Silky Oaks, discovering the Mossman Gorge and the visiting the Kuku Yalanji tribes, Cape Tribulation and the junction of the Great Barrier Reef of corals and marine life.

The Barron Falls located at the Barron Gorge National Park, Kuranda, Queensland, Australia is a steep 125m tiered cascade of the total 250m fall of the Barron River at the gorge as it flows from the Atherton Tablelands to the lower coastal plains of Cairns and then on to the Coral Sea. Its postal address is Centenary Park on Coondoo Street at Kuranda in Queensland-4881. You can call the park on 61*7*4093*9311. Entry to the spot is free, and it is open daily through 24 hours a day. Among the many wonderful activities and Australia rainforest places to see are the Kuranda scenic railway connecting Cairns to Kuranda, the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway from Smithfield, the Din Din Barron Falls lookouts and boardwalk, the Speewah Conservation Park, Stoney Creek, Lake Placid, the lower Barron Gorge, hiking tracks and trails for walking like the Smith track trailhead, the Douglas track trailhead and the Garndal Garndal Stoney Creek walk.

The Barron Falls and its park features a scenic mist-shrouded, tropical lush rainforest and is a World Heritage site. Camping is another favourite activity at the Speeway Conservation Park on the western boundary of the park as is the walking and interaction with the Djabugandji Bama tribes of local Aborigines. Holiday accommodation, transportation and food options are to be found at Cairns, Kuranda and Mareeba. The most noted lookouts are at the Din Din Barron Falls and the Wright lookout spots which are about 1.2 to 3 km walking tours taking 40 minutes to an hour of walking along the trails. The Surprise Creek walk is a little more difficult to ascend and takes 1.5 hours. The lower section Stoney Creek walk covers 2 km and is an easy walk taking about 30 minutes. Take a picnic, boating tour, wildlife tour or a visit to the Barron Gorge hydro-power station which was built in 1935.

The little Millaa Millaa Falls located at Millaa Falls Road in Millaa Millaa of Queensland-4886 is actually a circuit of waterfalls with the Millaa Millaa falls being a heritage-listed waterfall that plunges 18m at Theresa Creek Road in the Atherton Tablelands region. If you did not know this already the Atherton Tablelands form a part of the Queensland Australia rainforest and was added to the heritage list in 2005. Visiting the falls is free for all, and it is open 24 hours a day every day.

The circuit of falls comprises the Zillie Falls about 7.5 km from Millaa Millaa Falls, and the Ellinjaa Falls about 3 km from Zillie Falls, the Pepina Falls about 10 km from Millaa Millaa and the Mungalli Falls 13 km from the Millaa Millaa Falls. Once atop the volcano, the hard basalt lava flow solidified in the valleys below to form the drainage valleys. Over time the water eroded the softer rocks and created this circuit of waterfalls.

Cairns Botanic Gardens located at #64 on Collins Avenue of Cairns in Queensland-4870 is an excellent vacation spot right in the heart of the Australia rainforest that is a break from the hot summer days at Cairns. The grounds are well-maintained and preserve the natural fauna and flora well while providing picnickers with the needed shade. The on-site restaurant and cafe also provides food for an impromptu picnic.

The five different sections at the garden are rainforest-themed and have the Gondwana Heritage Garden, the Zhanjiang Friendship Gardens and the Freshwater and Saltwater Lakes zones with over 4,000 plants and tropical species from across the globe on display. The gardens also provide for interactive learning sessions on loaned rental iPods, walking trails, touch-screens, tour signboards and more. Home to an incredible variety of butterflies, birds and insects the rainforest mimicking botanical gardens is all yours to explore for free.

Get onto the Kuranda Scenic Railway from Cairns to Kuranda to get a good look at the scenic spots of Queensland’s Australia rainforest which is a listed World Heritage rainforest known for it's being the oldest Wet Tropics rainforests on earth and home to some of the most bountiful arrays of native plants, animals, flowers and insects. Just imagine this forest and its diversity. 800 tree species, 1200 flowering plant species, orchids of various hues, exotic palm trees, strangler fig trees, and an equally incredible array of wildlife sustained therein.

This famed and scenic railway route acquaints you with the freshwater lakes, mountains feeding the streams and Barron River, the spectacular Barron Waterfalls, the steep and mighty Barron Gorge and many more special sights along its 328m ascent from Cairns to little Kuranda village and its quaint aboriginal tribes and people. The journey is a must-do and has commentary in English, a map of Kuranda, the trip map, and some stunning views of the rain forests. The scenic railway is located at #126-#144 of Bunda Street in Cairns City of Queensland-4870.

Paronella Park is located at #1671 on Japoonvale Road of Mena Creek in Queensland-4871 and is a beautiful example of the Australia rainforest. Founded in 1929 on his own property by Jose Paronella, the Paronella Park to be enjoyed by all was the work of Jose who came to the area in 1913 as a humble sugarcane cutter and fell in love with his workplace converting his property into this park. It has a reception area, restaurant, toilets and refreshment rooms, a home, museum, a theatre, a playground for children and a castle on its grounds.

Located very close to the Mena Creek Falls most guests enjoy the swimming, tea garden strolls, play tennis, or take walks along the many trails of the park. The Paronella Park also had a replica of the waterfalls at Mena Creek built especially by Paronella for his daughter Teresa. Over time it saw many hardships and was even sold in 1993 to the present owners Judy and Mark Evans who have put in a lot of money and effort to rejuvenate the park. The day tours of the property are free and in keeping with the original aims of Jose Paronella. They even have free music concerts by the famed String Family quartet at the Paronella Park Castle during the night tour. Visiting the neighbouring Barron hydroelectric plant is also a possibility worth exploring. Day tours are held at half-hour frequencies from 9.30 in the morning to 4.30 in the evenings while the night tours start around 6.15 pm to 8 pm taking 40-45 minutes per tour. The only day off is on Christmas day and costs you 47 AUD for entry to the park for the whole day and a free entry within the next two years. Accommodation at the park costs 98 AUD/ night for two people each of the six cabins on the grounds. Why wait?

Australia rainforest areas are very important for the biodiversity and conservation of habitats for many the dependant and dwelling species of animals and plants that are native to these forests. We have just visited the main rainforest areas of Australia in a bid to understand and learn more about them so we can preserve and conserve them better. How is that possible on vacation? By heightened learning, awareness and respecting these forests you are contributing to their preservation and all the very many animals and plants that they hold and support. And here is the fact that we would love to leave you with as we end this article. The 3% of Australia rainforests are home to about 60 % of butterfly and native plant species, 40% of birds native to Australia, 35% of the mammalian types of animals and a large percentage of the many nearly extinct and endangered species of insects, plants and animals. We hope that for your next trip to Australia you will consider any of the above Australian rainforests during your next vacation. Happy spotting and discovering to you!