Wet Tropics of Queensland
Overview
The Wet Tropics of Queensland is a region of spectacular scenery and rugged topography with rivers, gorges, waterfalls, and mountains. One of the largest rainforest wilderness areas in Australia is located in the Daintree River valley, and the combination of fringe coral reefs and rainforest coastline in the Cape Tribulation region is rare in the world. The Wet Tropics rainforests contain an almost complete record of the major stages in the evolution of plant life on earth. Many species within the World Heritage area originated when Australia was still part of Gondwana.
The Wet Tropics of Queensland was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1988.
The Wet Tropics of Queensland was one of 15 World Heritage places included in the National Heritage List on 21 May 2007.
Indigenous heritage
On 9 November 2012 the Australian Government announced the inclusion of the national Indigenous heritage values as part of the existing National Heritage Listing for the Wet Tropics of Queensland.
The Aboriginal Rainforest People of the Wet Tropics of Queensland have lived continuously in the rainforest environment for at least 5 000 years and this is the only place in Australia where Aboriginal people have permanently inhabited a tropical rainforest environment.
The Aboriginal Rainforest People developed a distinctive cultural heritage determined by their dreamtime and creation stories and their traditional food gathering, processing and land management techniques. Reliance on their traditions helped them survive in this at times inhospitable environment. The distinctiveness of the traditions and technical innovation and expertise needed to process and prepare toxic plants as food and their uses of fire is of outstanding heritage value to the nation and are now protected for future generations under national environmental law.
Heritage values
Relevant links
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