BACKYARD GONDWANA
PEOPLE have ‘discovered’ that their backyards often have the best attractions − camping, four-wheel driving, swimming, birdwatching and more. So it is not surprising that weekend escapes, mostly due to COVID-19 restrictions, are all the rage now, with national parks, forest reserves, waterways, impoundments and beaches more popular than ever before.
On such a place is the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area (WTWHA) which ranges north of Townville’s Paluma Range to the Black Mountain Range south of Cooktown − an unbroken 450km long corridor that contains rainforest, woodlands, mangroves, streams and wetlands. It contains the highest mountain range in Queensland and the largest tract of tropical rainforest in Australia, which supports the highest biodiversity of life in Australia. The area has more than 3000 species of plants, including 700 endemic plants, 700 species of vertebrate animals, and 88 species that occur nowhere else on the planet. Think about it for a moment and find yourself in a wonderland of unbridled wilderness like nowhere else.
The Wet Tropics has the oldest continual rainforests in the world, its Gondwana heritage well-proven in the evolution of plants and animals. It also housed Aboriginal people who lived in the forests for thousands of years. The tribal groups comprise 120 clans and eight language groups that include 20,000 people who have cultural connections to the region. Many are directly involved in the management of the WTWHA.
Interspersed in the Wet Tropics are several national parks and reserves that are managed by
