Gondwana Rainfores ts

of Aust ralia
Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1986

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

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 Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
Further information C on
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Department of the Environment,

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www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/ Burnett Creek FR Springbrook NP
Warwick Emu Vale FR Mount
world/gondwana/index (
Gambubal
Barney NP Mount Numinbah NR
Prison Chinghee NP
State Forest
Purposes Limpinwood
Koreelah NP
UNESCO World Heritage Mount
Clunie NP
Mount
Land
Amaroo
NR (

Nothofagus FR Mount
NP
Tooloom NP Border
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/368 Ranges NP
Warning NP
Captains Nightcap NP
Creek NR Toonumbar NP

Stanthorpe
Contact (
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PO Box 1236 ( Tenterfield
Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 Mo
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Email: gondwana@environment.nsw.gov.au New South Wales

Tel: 02 6650 7101
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