Gondwana Rainforests Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Box Log Falls, Lamington National Park in Queensland
Location	New South Wales and Queensland, Australia
Criteria	Natural: (viii), (ix), (x)
Inscription	1986 (10th Session)
Extensions	1994
Area	370,000 ha (1,400 sq mi)

Australian National Heritage List
Official name	Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
Type	National heritage (landscape)
Designated	17 December 1994
Reference no.	105135
Class	Natural
Legal Status	Declared property

New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name	Gondwana Rainforests of Australia; Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves; Gondwana Rainforests of Australia (new name from 2007); North East Rainforests World Heritage Area
Type	State heritage (landscape)
Designated	2 April 1999
Reference no.	1002
Type	Wilderness
Category	Landscape – Natural

The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia are a huge area of amazing rainforests. They are found in New South Wales and Queensland. These forests are so special that they are a World Heritage Site, which means they are protected by UNESCO for everyone to enjoy. They are made up of about 50 different protected areas, covering a massive 366,500 hectares (about 905,600 acres). This makes them the largest subtropical rainforest area on Earth!

Discovering the Ancient Gondwana Rainforests
Why Are These Rainforests Protected?
Exploring the National Parks
- Parks in Queensland
- Parks in New South Wales
Challenges for the Rainforests
Images for kids
See also

Discovering the Ancient Gondwana Rainforests

These rainforests are named "Gondwana" because they are very old. Fossils show that when the supercontinent Gondwana existed, it had rainforests with plants and animals similar to those living today. This means these forests are like a living museum of Earth's past!

The Gondwana Rainforests in Australia are mostly in New South Wales and Queensland. However, the largest Gondwana rainforest in Australia is actually in Tasmania's Tarkine wilderness. About 2 million people visit the Gondwana rainforests in New South Wales and Queensland every year.

Why Are These Rainforests Protected?

The Gondwana Rainforests became a World Heritage Site in 1986. This protection was expanded in 1994. Being a World Heritage Site means these rainforests are super important globally.

They show us major steps in Earth's history and how nature keeps changing. They also have an incredible variety of plants and animals. Many of these species have ancient roots from Gondwana. Some of them can only be found here! The rainforests also provide a home for many plants and animals that are now rare or endangered.

In total, the protected area covers about 370,000 hectares. This includes more than 200 types of rare or threatened plants and animals. The height of these protected areas ranges from sea level all the way up to almost 1,600 meters (5,200 feet) high.

Exploring the National Parks

The Gondwana Rainforests are made up of many different national parks and reserves.

Parks in Queensland

In Queensland, you can find parks like:

Main Range National Park (the most northern part)
Lamington National Park
Mount Chinghee National Park
Springbrook National Park
Mount Barney National Park

Parks in New South Wales

In New South Wales, some of the parks include:

Barrington Tops National Park (the most southern part)
Dorrigo National Park
Mount Warning National Park
New England National Park
Mebbin National Park
Nightcap National Park
Border Ranges National Park
Oxley Wild Rivers National Park
Washpool National Park
Willi Willi National Park
Werrikimbe National Park

The most popular spots for visitors are Dorrigo National Park and the Natural Bridge section of Springbrook National Park.

Challenges for the Rainforests

In the past, a lot of the Gondwana rainforests were cut down for wood. Because of this, only about 1% of the original rainforest area in Australia is left today. Many of the areas that were logged are now covered by eucalyptus trees.

During the 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season, some parts of the Gondwana rainforests were badly damaged by fires. This was unusual because these areas don't normally burn. Some reports suggested that over half of the forests might have been affected. These fires harmed special places where rare animals, like the giant barred frog, and plants, like the nightcap oak, live.

Some people think that the eucalyptus trees, which burn easily, have spread into the areas next to the rainforests. This might have made the fires worse. However, there are also records of fires in rainforest areas from a long time ago, like a large fire in Lamington National Park in 1951.