Description
“The importance of the Daintree was first brought to world attention when Joh’s bulldozers pushed past the Daintree protesters to perpetrate an outrageous act of deliberate environmental vandalism. Since then, visitors have flocked to the area not to see the road but to visit the rainforest the protesters were trying to save. Until now, however, little has been published to explain to visitors why the area is considered so remarkable.
Lloyd Nielsen’s book fills this void. It is an excellent introduction to the region’s plants, animals, history and geography. Well illustrated, mostly by Nielsen’s own photographs, it is also exceptionally well written. Each vignette is a brief and lucid essay; long enough to be interesting, short enough to entice.”
Review reproduced from WILD magazine issue 68 with kind permission.
National Trust of Queensland Heritage Award
Readers are taken on a fascinating journey from its ancient beginnings to the extreme changes brought about by European settlement. In recent times, the Daintree rose to prominence following the discovery of the greatest concentrations of primitive flowering plants which now occur nowhere else on Earth – plants that rose during the age of the dinosaurs. Thirteen species of flowering plants still exist in the Daintree rainforest.
Topics include the birds and mammals and other wildlife, the rainforest and its plants, the first human occupants the Kuku Yalanji aborigines, European settlement, the cedar getters and the battle to save it from certain oblivion after developers began subdividing this precious rainforest. Much more is described in an informative, easy-to-read style.
Daintree – Jewel of Tropical North Queensland is essential reading for every visitor to the Daintree, armchair travellers, and anyone with an interest in Australia’s natural heritage.
