Daintree Rainforest | Places We Visit in Northern Australia

The Daintree Rainforest is one of the oldest rainforests in the world and holds a living record of evolution. As Australia moved away from Gondwana beginning around 100 million years ago, it drifted into a Goldilocks zone away from glaciation or major climate shifts that affected many of the other continents. Without any major disturbances, this forest has been intact for the last 135 million years, from the time when Australia was still part of Gondwana and the forest stretched across what is now Antarctica and South America as well. Dinosaurs once roamed in this forest, and flowering plants didn’t even exist for the first 40 million years of this forest’s life.

This long history has allowed plant and animal diversity to explode. There are over 3,000 species of plants, almost 400 of which are rare or endangered. Thirteen of the world’s most primitive flowering plant families are represented here, as are pre-flowering species such as cycads, mosses and ferns. In fact, 80% of the world’s ferns can be found here. It is possible to see the entire evolution of plants in this one forest.

The Daintree River is also home to 30 species of mangroves, nearly half of the world’s 72 species. In recent years much attention has been given to the critical role mangroves play in storing carbon, stabilizing banks along waterways and on coasts, and acting as critical fish nurseries.

Know Before You Go