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Sandy Cape

CORAL

World Heritage Area SEA

Built-up Area MOODOORA Lake Rooney Point LAGOON Flat, Swamp

Foreshore Flat

Major River

Major Road

Track Waddy Places Bay Point

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Sandy JABIRU SWAMP St ra it

Inskip Point

To Noosa 0 10 02 km

17 Gondwana Rainforests of Australia

Gondwana Rainforests In 1986, a number of rainforest reserves located on the Rainforest once covered most of the ancient southern of Australia contains Great Escarpment of eastern , known Gondwana and remains the most ancient remnants of the great as the Australian East Coast Sub-tropical and Temperate type of vegetation in Australia. The Gondwana Rainforests rainforests that once Rainforest Parks, were inscribed on the World Heritage list provide an interesting living link with the evolution of Gondwanafor their Rainforestoutstanding natural universal values: ofAustralia. Australia Few places on contain so many plants and covered the entire animals which remain relatively unchanged from their of Australia. • as an outstanding example representing major stages of ancestors in the fossil record. Some of the oldest elements the earth's evolutionary history These reserves feature of the world's ferns and conifers are found here and there striking vertical cliffs, the • as an outstanding example representing significant is a concentration of primitive plant families that are direct world’s best preserved ongoing geological processes and biological evolution links with the birth and spread of flowering plants over 100 million years ago. A range of geological and environmental eroded volcanic craters, • containing important and significant habitats for the in influences in the Gondwana Rainforests determine where wild rivers and many situ conservation of biological diversity. impressive high waterfalls. forest communities grow. This process has occurred over Large extensions to the area, including reserves in south- millions of years and will continue to change the forest The area is one of the east , were listed in 1994 as Central Eastern mosaic into the future. best places on earth to Rainforest Reserves (Australia). Then in 2007 the name High waterfalls crashing into steep gorges are spectacular see ancient ferns and was changed to Gondwana Rainforests of Australia to examples of an important ongoing natural process - . Araucaria such as Hoop better reflect the values of the property. The current listing Erosion by coastal rivers created the Great Escarpment and pines. includes approximately 50 separate reserves located the steep-sided caldera of the Tweed Valley surrounding between Newcastle and . Only areas of reserved . This towering was once the buried An outstanding record Crown land are listed. of flowering plants, true plug of an ancient vast volcano. Today, rainforest grows on and other rare Rainforest occurs in New South Wales and south east the fertile, well watered soils that remain. Queensland as discontinuous patches surrounded by fire- or threatened animals of The evolution of new species is encouraged by the natural prone eucalypt forest and agricultural lands. These patches the most ancient lineages separation and isolation of rainforest stands. Many plants range in size from tiny gully stands to lush forests covering show that these reserves and animals found in the World Heritage property are large valleys and ranges. The Gondwana Rainforests include have played a significant locally restricted to a few sites or occur in widely separated the most extensive areas of subtropical rainforest in the populations. role in providing refuge world, large areas of warm temperate rainforest and nearly to species for millions of all of the Antarctic beech cool temperate rainforest. years.

18 Although rainforests cover only about 0.3 per cent of Australia, they contain about half of all Australian plant families and about a third of Australia's mammal and bird species. The Gondwana Rainforests have an Gondwana Rainforest of Australia extremely high conservation value and provide habitat for more than 200 rare or threatened plant and animal species. The distributional limits of several species and many centres of species diversity occur in the property.

The Border Group is a particularly rich area with the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia highest concentration of frog, snake, bird and species in Australia. Exploring the World Heritage rainforests in the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage property is easy. Many of the reserves are readily accessible from major towns by sealed or graded gravel roads. The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia are managed principally by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (part of the New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change) and title page: Buttress roots in wet sclerophyll forest – Springbrook National the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency. Park, Queensland Paul Candlin top strip: The wet sclerophyll forest in Paul Candlin top: Mt Warning National Park from Blackbutts Picnic Area – caldera of the 20 million year old Tweed Shield Volcano Paul Candlin above: Brindle Creek, Border Ranges National Park, DEWHA below: Mundora Creek, Springbrook National Park Paul Candlin

19 Gondwana Rainforests of Australia

er er Further information Co iv iv nd R R a t a m r r i e n e m e b R l o

iv o A e A Department of the Environment, r C Goomburra FR Main Range NP r ( e Gold Coast Water, Heritage and the Arts v i Spicers Gap FR R g n Teviot FR a Teviot FR Lamington NP r Gilbert FR e www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/ Burnett Creek FR N Springbrook NP Emu Vale FR Warwick Emu Vale FR Mount ( Barney NP Numinbah NR world/gondwana/index Gambubal Mount Prison State Forest Chinghee NP Purposes Limpinwood Koreelah NP Land ( Mount NR UNESCO World Heritage Mount Amaroo Clunie NP FR Mount NP Tooloom NP Border Warning NP http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/368 Ranges NP Captains Nightcap NP Creek NR Toonumbar NP Stanthorpe er C ( iv l Contact R a r o e o nce Richmond Range NP Queensland n Riv o e er o r r i v B e rn R i v e o v R e o ct Gondwana Rainforests of Australia n S a o r ( a Lismore o t B a C Rich m o nd Gondwana Rainforests Executive Officer Rive Mallanganee NP r c/- NSW NPWS

PO Box 1236 ( Tenterfield

Mo Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 le R iv er Email: [email protected] New South Wales Tel: 02 6650 7101 r Washpool NP e iv R Iluka NR er )

D Riv a r

e ater r r Queensland Environmental e pw r a

b i m ( T Protection Agency y aren ck C l c o e R R iver www.epa.qld.gov.au NP M ann R iver ( Grafton New South Wales National Parks ( Glen Innes M d R ver Boy iver ac Henry R i and Wildlife Service int yre R iv e www.environment.nsw.gov.au r Sara R iver

r G a er O r v r a le R i a y r R o rf a i e s i ve v k b lic R e A B i r v Mount Hyland NR e r R omom ( Woll bi G Coffs Harbour R u y iv e F r aw ke s R Dorrigo NP iv ger River er llin Be ock R y R i v e ( Armidale New England NP r Cunnawarra NP G

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r a r N e amb cca R R iv u i R ve iv x r e ty r S

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r ve Ri ( y er a Walcha iv e R The Castles NR cl y M a le r A p s e ( Kempsey v i

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a i Willi Willi NP v

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o r d Oxley Wild Rivers NP

c a Werrikimbe NP

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R o Mount Seaview NR w Coo p le l ings a y st R c s a i v u iver er r R R H Port r i g h i v orou pa e b R r n iv le e l Macquarie r E

World Heritage Area iv Barnard R er Mainland M River Stew arts Ocean R v r i e a te r nn un ing Riv Major River er ning Rive an r M Major Road ( ive R r Taree Minor Road Ba r on NP r i n gt er State Border iv R W on all amba R iver Av ( Major Locality

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