The Wet Tropics of Queensland is one of a handful of sites worldwide which meet all four criteria
for World Heritage listing:
- it represents a major stage of the earth's evolutionary history
- it is an outstanding example of ongoing ecological and biological processes
- it contains superlative natural phenomena
- it contains the most important natural habitats for conservation of biological diversity
Listed in 1988, the Wet Tropics extends from Cooktown through Cairns and Mission Beach to Townsville
and covers almost 900,000 hectares. Included are many national parks and state forests such as
Licuala State Forest, near Mission Beach.
World Heritage areas are outstanding examples of the world's natural or cultural heritage.
The World Heritage Committee oversees world heritage listing on behalf of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Occupying just 0.2% of the continent
the diverse rainforests around Tully and Mission Beach contain a large proportion of
Australia's plant species, including 65% of fern species. They provide habitat for over half
the nation's bird species, 60% of the butterflies and 36% of mammals.
Alongside stunning scenery Mission Beach contains stunning wildlife. Mission Beach is
blessed with being the habitat of the endangered southern cassowary.
Despite being a bird, the cassowary is Australia's largest land animal. It normally weighs
about 60kg, but the heaviest recorded was a 94.5kg bird found north of Mission Beach in 1992.
Females, which are larger than males, can reach 2 metres when stretched out to full height. Male
cassowaries are the care-givers, sitting on the eggs for about 50 days until they hatch, and then
looking after the chicks for around nine months.
Cassowaries can be spotted around Mission Beach walking through fields and paddocks, across roads,
through resorts and often through locals' gardens. During Cyclone Larry much of the cassowary's
natural habitat and food resources were destroyed which forced them to spread into urban
areas more often. Malnourished, sick and injured animals have been rehabilitated at the
Garners Beach Rehabilitation Centre just north of Bingil Bay.
Cassowaries are good swimmers and can cross deep rivers. They have been observed to
go fishing by immersing themselves in water for around 15 minutes with feathers spread.
They then emerge from the water, shake their plumage and eat their catch of fish!
Care must be taken around cassowaries - they are
a dangerous, wild animal and should not be approached under any circumstances as they have been
known to attack people who get too close. Joggers particularly should take care as the
sound of joggers feet pounding resembles the thumping of a cassowary's challenge
and the birds respond accordingly. Please also be careful
when driving - the cassowary has a tendency to look like it walks slowly everywhere but when
startled by cars they have a habit of breaking into a run straight across the road and in front
of your car.