The Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest and Atherton Tableland can all be found in Tropical North Queensland. Tropical North Queensland is the only spot on earth where the rainforest meets the sea.
The Great Barrier Reef is 2300 km long and can been seen from space. It is the home to over 2,000 various fish and numerous types of hard and soft coral. Above water you can enjoy the variety of tropical birds, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and whales. This is a popular vacation spot with people who enjoy to snorkel. Since the Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world is is monitored by the Marine Park Authority. This is to conserve the beauty for many years to come.
While many people will visit the Great Barrier Reef , just as many go and experience the World Heritage Listed rainforest .Rainforest's are defined by high rainfall " up to 2000 mm per year and are home to two thirds of the world animal and plant species. The most well known in this area is the Daintree Rainforest located 110 km north of Cairns and is around 1200 sq km making it one of Australia's largest. It contains over thirty percent of Australia's frog, marsupial and reptile species and sixty five per cent of Australia's bat and butterfly species plus twenty per cent of bird species .Amazing to think all this is located in 0.2 percent of Australia's landmass !!
The Atherton Tablelands can be found about half an hours drive west of Cairns. It is the major agricultural area of the region and home to a number of quaint towns and villages and attractions .Running from Bellenden Ker Range in the south to the Great Dividing Range in the north, the table lands range from 600m to 1100m above sea level and are a cool getaway from the coastal regions of Cairns.
You must keep in mind the time of year you are visiting and what the weather will be like. It is wiser to travel to these places during the Australian winder (June to August) and the summer months tend to have high rain fall, monsoon and cyclones.
