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Half the world's rainforest has been destroyed. It now covers less than 10 percent of the earth's land surface. Similarly, in Australia half of the rainforest has been destroyed, the remaining rainforests cover about 1% of Australia's land.
Australia has every type of rainforest, which are grouped broadly by climate into five major rainforest types - tropical, subtropical, dry, warm temperate, and cool temperate. Most rainforests remaining in Australia are tropical.
Tropical rainforest is either evergreen or semi-deciduous. It can be found in coastal areas and Queensland in patches from north of Mackay to Cape York Peninsula. The latter is called the 'Wet Tropics' and this area contains a large proportion of Australia's biodiversity within in it's boundaries. The Daintree rainforest in the 'Wet Tropics' area is the oldest rainforest on earth, approximately 10 times older than the Amazon.
Subtropical rainforest is found in Queensland. Like tropical rainforest, these forests are lush and attractive, containing palms, strangler figs, buttressed trees, large vines and epiphytes.
Dry rainforest seems like an oxymoron, but it is called this because these forests have a wet and dry season. Wet season conditions provide enough rainfall for a rainforest to exist, but species that grow here can and must handle a dry season and even periods of drought. Remnants of these forests are scattered across northern Australia and throughout eastern Queensland. These forests lack the lush quality normally associated with rainforest and grow where soils are poorer and rainfall less reliable.
Warm temperate rainforests are found on coastal ranges in south-east Queensland and in New South Wales. They usually grow at higher altitudes on less fertile soils, above areas where subtropical rainforests grow in lower altitudes.
Cool temperate rainforests are found on cool mountain tops along the McPherson Range in South Queensland through New South Wales coastal and mountain areas into Victoria and through Tasmania. Tasmania's west coast is home to the Tasmanian temperate rain forests ecoregion, the biggest tract of temperate rainforest in the world. It contains mixed forests, with broadleaf southern beech (Nothofagus) and conifers, including Huon Pine (Lagarostrobos franklinii), and King Billy Pine (Athrotaxis selaginoides). Substantial temperate rainforest areas also occur in Victoria's Otway Ranges, the Strzelecki Ranges, Dandenong Ranges, East Gippsland, and south-east New South Wales. Many smaller pockets of temperate rainforest can be found within larger Eucalyptus forests.
Original versions of our photos can be purchased & web versions can be shared subject to conditions.