What countries do you think of when you hear of a rainforest? For me, it’s the tropical ones in the Caribbean and central or South America. But there are amazing rainforests in Australia, too!
The rainforests in Australia cover various parts of the country and a number of different climates. Below are the various states and some of their beautiful rainforests.
Queensland
Within Queensland there are several types of rainforest you can visit, including Springbrook and Lamington National Parks within the hinterland of the Gold Coast. These have cool and sub tropical temperate rainforests that can be explored on daily hiking exhibitions including covering the Great Gold Coast Hinterland Walk.
In the north part of Queensland there are the wet tropics including Kuranda Rainforest and the world’s oldest tropical rainforest known as the Daintree Rainforest. The Daintree can be reached from the likes of Cooktown and Cairns and is well worth a visit as it has a huge number of different types of wildlife and plants. You may like to spend a few days in an eco-lodge in a treetop or enjoy a cruise on the Daintree River or perhaps learn about the terrain from an Aboriginal guide. There are lots of things to do in nearby Palm Cove, too, including ballooning and sailing.
New South Wales
The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia include 50 separate reserves that total 3,665 square km around the New South Wales and Queensland borders. They make up the largest area of subtropical rainforest in the world together with cool and warm temperate types of rainforest.
You can bushwalk in the forest at the likes of Border Ranges or Nightcap National Parks or even take a drive through the scenic rainforest. You can also find rainforest in places like the Blue Mountains near Sydney and the Myall Lakes National Park that is north of Port Stephens.
Western Australia
There are in excess of one thousand pockets of dry rainforest in WA supporting about 300 plant species, many of which cannot be seen anywhere else. Rainforest and relict vine thicket can be seen in northern Kimberley around pools by the Gibb River Road. Some areas of rainforest are also located in the Mitchell River National Park that contains some plant life that is unique.
Tasmania
Tasmania contains the biggest area of cool temperate rainforest in Australia that support a variety of life forms some of which can only be found in Tasmania. In Wild Rivers National Park you could capture a glimpse of Huon pines that are particularly rare whilst on the Franklin River Nature Trail or you could investigate the rainforest at Liffey Falls. The Overland Track will take you through King Billy Pine forests within Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, where you can find beautiful wildlife like wombats and wallabies!
Northern Territory
The Kakadu National Park in NT has monsoon rainforest that can be explored whilst walking to Jim Jim Falls that has a drop of 250 meters to plunge pools below. You can follow the Gu-ngarre or Gubarra Pools walks through woodland to arrive at a billabong’s edge.
Victoria
Small areas of cool temperate rainforest can be found across the Otway, Yarra and the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria. In Yarra Ranges National Park, only a one-hour’s drive from Melbourne, you can explore an area including mountain ash trees. You can also enjoy walks through rainforest in Morwell National Park and Tarra Bulga National Park.
Rainforests in Australia in Conclusion
As you can see, there are a lot of different rainforests to choose from. And they’re located in many different parts of the country. So, why not explore the spectacular flora and fauna found in the rainforests in Australia on your next trip?
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