Where the rainforest meets the sea, the Douglas region is a world-renowned tourist destination enveloped by several of Australia’s World Heritage listed, magnificent natural boundaries: Wet Tropics rainforest-covered mountain range to the west and north, and 95km of Coral Sea coastline and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to the east.
Spanning 120,000 hectares, the magnificent Daintree Rainforest is the largest remnant of tropical rainforest in Australia and the oldest continuously surviving rainforest in the world.
More than 135 million years of existence make this one of the most ancient and complex ecosystems on Earth, showcasing outstanding examples of all of the major stages in Earth’s evolutionary history and ongoing biological evolution.
Often considered by biologists and researchers to be the “evolutionary cradle” for much of Australia’s flora and fauna, the region boasts exceptional natural beauty and provides vital habitat for threatened species.
For the Kuku Yalanji indigenous people of the Douglas Shire many features of this landscape are of spiritual significance including Wundu (Thornton Peak), Manjal Dimbi (Mount Demi) and Kulki (Cape Tribulation).
The rock scarp on Mt Demi is called the Good Shepherd, “Kubidi” or “Goobidi”, and keeps watch over the valley below.
Mossman Gorge forms the southern sector of the renowned rainforest and is an area of breathtaking scenery, magnificent wildlife and rich cultural heritage.
The Douglas region is also a significant gateway to the Windsor and Atherton Tablelands and the outback Savannah region, as well as home to Snapper Island and the Low Isles.
