Daintree National Park

Daintree is a national park in Far North Queensland (Australia), 1,502 km (933 mi) northwest of Brisbane and 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Cairns. It was founded in 1981. In 1988 it was granted listing as a World Heritage List. The park consists of two sections, with a settled agricultural area between them which includes the towns of Mossman and Daintree Village. It contains significant habitat for rare species and prolific birdlife. Much of the n... more

Daintree is a national park in Far North Queensland (Australia), 1,502 km (933 mi) northwest of Brisbane and 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Cairns. It was founded in 1981. In 1988 it was granted listing as a World Heritage List. The park consists of two sections, with a settled agricultural area between them which includes the towns of Mossman and Daintree Village. It contains significant habitat for rare species and prolific birdlife. Much of the national park is covered by rainforest. The Greater Daintree Rainforest has existed continuously for more than 110 million years, making it possibly the oldest existing rainforest. The persistence of this rainforest is believed to be a product of a fortuitous continental drift; after the breakup of its parent supercontinent a portion drifted toward the pole to become Antarctica, disturbing ocean currents and so becoming quite cold, while other portions were moved to hotter and drier locations. Of the vast rainforest of the parent continent only... less