Wooroonooran National Park

Located south of Cairns is the Wooroonooran National Park. It covers 79 500ha of forest and includes the impressive Bellenden Ker Range. Mt Bartle Frere 1622m and Mt Bellenden Ker 1592m dominate the landscape of Wooroonooran.

This World Heritage National Park gives you the opportunity to view superb rainforest sections, admire spectacular views and picnic alongside peaceful creek scenery. Beautiful lowland rainforest, wild rivers, the North Johnstone River gorge and waterfalls make the Palmerston Section of Wooroonooran National Park one of the most scenic places in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Both lowland and upland rainforests can be seen in the Palmerston Section.

Rainforest reaches its greatest diversity here in this high rainfall area. More than 500 rainforest trees occur here, including blackbean, milky pine, water gum and red tulip oak. Many wildlife live in this part of the park, including the tiny musky rat-kangaroo, double-eyed fig-parrot and chowchilla.

The Wari and Dulgubara people who lived in and near the Palmerston area have a special connection to this place. In 1882, explorer and bushman Christie Palmerston walked from Innisfail to Herberton with Aboriginal guides in 12 days, an incredible feat in those days. The highway follows the route he took and the park section and highway are named in his memory.