terravelAustralia · Oceania
Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
Ancient rainforests spanning two states hold Earth's rarest species, a living remnant of the supercontinent Gondwana.
Why Gondwana Rainforests of Australia stands out
Sprawling across northeastern New South Wales and southeastern Queensland, the Gondwana Rainforests comprise 41 protected reserves covering roughly 370,000 hectares. This World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1986 and expanded in 1994, represents one of Australia's most biodiverse landscapes, where prehistoric ecology persists in lush green valleys.
The geography and story of Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
The reserves safeguard an extraordinary concentration of endemic and endangered species found nowhere else on Earth. This living archive of Gondwanan vegetation—the ancient supercontinent that once unified southern lands—offers scientists and visitors alike a window into primordial forest ecosystems, now recognized across multiple heritage registers.
The rainforests contain plant and animal species whose closest living relatives exist only in South America, Africa, and India, reflecting their origins on the supercontinent Gondwana.
Gondwana Rainforests of Australia at a glance
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Test yourself
Which World Heritage Site preserves rainforest species whose closest relatives live only in South America, Africa, and India?
The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia contain plant and animal species with closest living relatives only on those distant continents, a direct result of their origin on the ancient supercontinent Gondwana.
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