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The Conversation
The Conversation
Environment
Seamus Doherty, PhD student, Flinders University

Idiotfruit and tree kangaroos: here’s why the ancient rainforests of Queensland’s Wet Tropics are so distinctive

Martin Valigursky/Shutterstock

In Queensland’s northern reaches lie the Wet Tropics, spanning about 450 kilometres between Townsville and Cooktown. These mountainous rainforests are a relic of the ancient continent of Gondwana, dating back million of years when Australia and parts of Antarctica were covered in rainforest.

While much of the rest of Australia has dried out, the Wet Tropics have stayed wet. It’s here you find green-eyed treefrogs, wompoo fruit-doves and striped possums with elongated fourth digits, for digging out grubs. It’s a particular hotspot of endemic and unique plant species too, including the colourfully named idiotfruit tree.

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