The Rain Forest of Cairns

It came as a bit of shock to me that there were rain forests in Australia which is sometimes portrayed as a dry dusty place with out of control bush fires. To find that they were the oldest rain forests in the world, millions of years old, was astonishing. So I booked into the 4-wheel drive tour of the Wooroonoonan National Park.Its only 30 minutes outside Cairns and started with a “proceed at our own peril” style warning.

As the vehicle proceeded its shoogley progress over the Morris Dam and into the unmade roads it was clear that this was primeval forest. The noise of the cicadas rose and died down in bizarre waves, but when they were at their loudest it was deafening. Didn’t see any animals, although it was rumoured that there were cassawary  about. No monkeys, tigers, cats of any sort, not even tree climbing kangaroos. Well in such an ancient forest I wanted something really unusual.

The intense humidity punctuated by frequent and heavy rain made real the whole primeval scene.

The King Fern was impressive

especially when told that there are fossils of this fern 300 million years old showing that it has changed little.

Hours later when exiting the forest I was exhausted from the humidity (even with the interior of the cab being air-conned) and the bumpy ride. I can well understand how important such an environment is for survivors in the Darwinian struggle to exist.

Certainly worth a visit.

A worthwhile trip, recommended