The story of this place
The Daintree is the oldest continuously surviving tropical rainforest on Earth — scientists estimate it has existed for at least 180 million years, predating the Amazon by 100 million years. It stretches from the mountains to the Great Barrier Reef in a collision of two World Heritage ecosystems. Over 40% of Australia's bird species live here. Rare creatures like the cassowary, Boyd's forest dragon and the Daintree River ringtail possum exist nowhere else.
The Kuku Yalanji people have lived in and managed this rainforest for at least 50,000 years, and their knowledge of its plants and pathways remains unparalleled. When a road was pushed through in 1983, triggering fears of tourist development, the Queensland government's decision to list it as a World Heritage area in 1988 saved it. But the road remains controversial — conservationists argue it splits the ecosystem and allows invasive species to penetrate the ancient forest.