Daintree
National
Park
      
A large
rainforest
park with
rivers
gorges
and waterfalls.
Walking
tracks
which
start
at Mossman
Gorge,
pass through
rainforest
and and
some excellent
swimming
holes.
Cruises
are available
up the
Daintree
River
and are
a great
way to
spot many
birds
and animals,
and even
crocodiles.
Cape
Tribulation
   
At Cape
Tribulation
spectacular
beaches
are
surrounded
by dense
rainforest
on one
side
and
spectacular
coral
reef
on the
other.
Mount
Hypipamee
National
Park
(The
Crater)
Located
high
on the
southern
Evelyn
Tableland
in the
Hugh
Nelson
Range,
this
park
is centred
around
a volcanic
pipe
which
has
crater
approximately
70m
across,
sheer
granite
walls
and
a lake
82m
deep,
fifty-eight
metres
below
the
rim.
This
park
consists
of high
altitude
rainforest
with
flora
closely
related
to the
sub-tropical
rainforests
of southern
Queensland
and
New
South
Wales.
Being
at a
higher
altitude
than
other
parks
on the
Tablelands,
climatic
conditions
are
wet
and
cool.
Seven
species
of possum
can
be found
in the
park
and
the
Crater
is home
to many
rainforest
birds
such
as the
golden
bowerbird
and
spotted
and
toothbilled
catbirds.
Scrub
turkeys
as well
as Lewin's
and
bridled
honeyeaters
are
common
around
the
picnic
area
and
Victoria's
riflebird,
a bird
of paradise,
may
be seen
performing
his
spectacular
mating
dance
in the
spring.
Lake
Eacham
National
Park
 
Lake
Eacham
is a
maar
(a volcanic
crater
formed
by explosions
from
overheating
groundwater)
surrounded
by rainforest.
Different
soil
types
and
drainage
patterns
can
result
in a
wide
variety
of forest
types.
A 4.5km
track
around
the
lake
passes
many
different
rainforest
communities.
At the
start
of the
track
there
is evidence
of rainforest
clearing
during
World
War
II with
dominant
grey-green
wattles
in the
canopy
and
a large
number
of young
rainforest
species
underneath.
There
are
approximately
100
species
of birds
in the
rainforest
here
as well
as one
of the
few
species
of marsupial
active
during
daytime,
the
small,
dark,
musky
rat-kangaroo.
Lake
Barrine
National
Park
Lake
Barrine,
a clear,
blue
lake
65m
deep
surrounded
by lush
rainforest
is also
a maar.
The
vegetation
consists
of mainly
tall
trees
(35-40m),
many
large
fig
trees,
and
an understory
with
long-leaved
ginger
plants
and
aeroids.
A 6.5km
circuit
track
begins
at the
lake's
edge
below
the
car
park
and
passes
two
exceptionally
large
kauri
pines,
a tree
which
dominated
Tableland
forests
for
thousands
of years.
Wildlife
around
the
lake
includes
the
common
saw-shelled
turtle,
water
dragons,
amethystine
pythons
and
the
colourful
Boyd's
forest
dragon,
a lizard
that
grows
to 45cm.
Lake
Barrine
is an
ideal
location
for
scientific
studies
of pollen
found
in sediments
on the
lake
floor.
These
layers
which
go back
millennia,
are
used
to record
past
changes
in vegetation
and
therefore
climatic
changes
Study
of these
sediments
and
those
of other
maars
nearby
have
provided
evidence
for
a theory
proposing
expansion
and
contraction
of Tableland
rainforests.
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