Tropical North Queensland's Natural Attractions
Cairns and the surrounding tropics offer such exquisite variety for nature lovers that it’s often hard to pinpoint just one spot to enjoy your time away. The beauty of your private retreat at Misty Mountains is that, not only are you completely immersed in the unique flora and fauna of the region but are also moments away from the spectacular marine life of the Great Barrier Reef.
David Attenborough, the world-renowned and much loved naturalist, described his visit to the Wet Tropics as "One of the most magical experiences of my life", a sentiment that is shared by many of our guests.
Lush and wild, Queensland’s North is a stunning destination that contains some of the richest pockets of biodiversity in Australia. The dense, ancient rainforests of the Daintree, Cape Tribulation and afar spill out onto beautiful beaches, which collide and dazzle with brilliance as they meet the majestic Great Barrier Reef.
Unlike countries, whose cultural highlights are of ancient man-made structures, Australia has a different history – a vibrant and natural heritage which includes the Australian Aboriginal people whose civilisation on earth dates back over 40,000 years. For a greater understanding of Aboriginal Art, History and Culture take a look at Indigenous Australia a very interesting resource.
The flora of the Daintree Rainforest includes more varieties of plant-life with primitive flowering species than anywhere else in the world and is home to more than 700 species that are found nowhere else. Marvel in the towering ancient figs and canopies of the tropics that are over 3000 years old. For further information on the vastness of the regions tropical plant life, take a look at the QLD governments website.
Among the many beautiful fauna on the property and the surrounding area, you may discover: The Australian duck-bill platypus, the musky-rat kangaroo and tree-climbing lumholz tree-kangaroo, the red-legged pademelon, wallaby, long-nosed bandicoot, green ringtail possum and the lemuroid ringtail possum and some you might specifically see at Misty Mountains: the spectacled flying-fox, little red flying-fox, micro-bats, white-tailed rat, yellow-footed antechinus and Atherton antechinus and infamous Australian dingo.
By day, watch butterflies dance around your luxurious surrounds, with more than 40 species on show in the wet tropics, including the Hercules Moth – the largest moth in the world – to the splendid colours of the ulysses butterfly, the cairns bird-wing, the red lace wing and the orchard wing butterflies.
By night let the amazing variety of frogs enchant you with their song from the beautiful orange-thighed tree frog to the little red frog, the green-eyed tree frog, common nursery frog, the graceful tree frog and the northern dwarf frog. Take a walk through the botanic gardens to see how many you can spot.
To see some of Far North Queensland rainforest birds, animals and reptiles, including crocodiles, snakes and Boyd's Forest Dragon, we suggest a visit to the Rainforest Habitat in Port Douglas, their champagne breakfast is an unforgettable experience. For the avid bird watcher www.wettropics.gov.au is a wonderful and informative resource, allowing visitors to identify the native species of the region.
As the demands of the modern world encroach upon our daily lives, it is becoming increasingly rare to experience such an array of flora and fauna in their natural environment. Almost everything you discover at Misty Mountains Rainforest Retreat and beyond will be a photo opportunity waiting to happen. So pack your camera, your sense of adventure and ready yourself to embrace one of the natural wonders of the world.
