Far North Qld Tourism

AUSTRALIA’S BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES: WET TROPICS OF QUEENSLAND

Russell Boswell, Manager of Australia’s Savannah Guides organisation, reminds us that the oldest continuously surviving rainforest on our planet has many stories to tell, from the evolution of the world’s land plants, songbirds and marsupials to the Indigenous technology developed to survive in a potentially deadly landscape.

Today the Wet Tropics of Queensland hugs the coast and mountains from Townsville to Cooktown and is a playground for locals and visitors with immersive and adventurous activities, mesmerising artistic interpretation and tangy local produce.

Underpinning this modern appreciation is an ancient landscape, one of the eight formerly designated Australian National Landscapes that enjoy World Heritage Area status. Over the course of geological time, underlying rocks were gradually exposed to form mountain sentinels through the relentless erosion of coastal rain, creating landmarks including the Whitfield Range and Walsh’s Pyramid near Cairns, Fitzroy, Hinchinbrook and Magnetic Islands, the Paluma Range and Castle Rock in Townsville.

The resulting run off formed a coastal plain, partly occupied by the Great Barrier Reef, which was often dry land as sea levels fluctuated over the last two million years. From about seven million years ago, vast amounts of lava flowed from several shield volcanoes, spreading over the landscape and forming a layer of nurturing basalt which now supports rich agriculture in the Atherton Tablelands.

The climate in the Wet Tropics has remained unchanged for 180 million years, allowing species to persist without the drying that has forced adaptation in many areas of Australia. Many early inhabitants, plants, birds, invertebrates, mammals and more survive, living alongside some more recent arrivals from Asia.

This rich geological and biological heritage provided a palette for the first peoples of Australia. A diverse and highly seasonal landscape supported the development of niche cultures, married to their environment. After more than 2,000 generations we now have 20 tribal groups and eight distinct Indigenous languages in this World Heritage Area. Despite the tragedies of recent history, their stories survive.

As a geotourims icon, the Wet Tropics is a must see for those looking to understand Australia’s natural and cultural heritage and a beacon for active conservation. Many community groups and Indigenous Rangers care for this country, and Port Douglas and the Daintree recently became Australia’s first EcoCertified Destination. This is a tropical haven to contemplate the past, present, and future.