Daintree Rainforest, Tropical rainforest in Far North Queensland, Australia.
This ancient tropical rainforest covers approximately 463 square miles (1,200 square kilometers) and contains dense vegetation, towering trees, rushing rivers, and waterfalls throughout its mountainous terrain.
Estimated to be over 135 million years old, the rainforest predates the Amazon by nearly 100 million years and preserves plant lineages dating back to the Jurassic era.
The Kuku Yalanji people gained formal ownership of approximately 247,000 acres (100,000 hectares) of the rainforest in 2021, recognizing their cultural connection to the land spanning thousands of years.
Visitors access the rainforest by crossing the Daintree River via cable ferry, which operates daily and brings more than 400,000 people into the area each year for exploration.
The region hosts approximately 3,000 plant species including primitive flowering plants, and provides habitat for the endangered southern cassowary, whose population has grown from 54 to over 500 birds.
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