The Wet Tropics World Heritage Area contains the oldest, continuously surviving rainforests on earth. They have been around for more the 100 million years.

White Settlement

While sailing up the coast in 1873 to survey rivers and inlets for their navigability, George Elphinstone Dalrymple wrote of the mountain grandeur and local beauty. He named the river Daintree after his fellow pioneer Richard Daintree, a geologist, at that time Agent General for Queensland. Due to his report of red cedar in the area, there followed ten years of logging until few of these great rainforest trees remain.

The early settlers established market gardens, dairying, cattle breeding, but sugar cane was to become the major industry. There are however both a coffee and tea plantation and breeding of Brahman and Drought Master cattle within the area. Recent additions are a banana plantation, the planting of rainforest timber for commercial use and heliconia farms.

The small township of Daintree is in existence as it was originally at this point that the river crossing was located.

Today

Through scientific research, only now is the importance of the rainforest, mangroves and fine balance of plant and animal life being understood. Unknown plants are still being discovered and medical researchers are finding rare properties within many rainforest plants.

Thirteen of the nineteen families of primitive flowering plant are found in north Queensland, the highest concentration in the world.

Covering just 0.1 per cent of Australia's land surface, the World Heritage Area contains: 30% of Australia's marsupial species, 60% of bat species, 30% of frogs, 23% of reptiles, 62% of butterflies, 18% of bird species. Among them is the largest moth in the world, the Hercules Moth with a 25cm wing span, and Australia's smallest bat, the 60mm Little Pipestrelle. As well, there are two kangaroo "oddities". The Lumholtz and Bennett's Tree Kangaroo, kangaroos that can not only climb trees but travel backwards.

Return To About Port Douglas