Tasmanian+Rainforests

The Tasmanian Rainforest is cool and temperate - this means it is not hot and steamy like most other rainforests.

Interesting Plants and Animals
Many of the animals that used to live in Tasmanian rainforests are now extinct, but you can still see the long-tailed mouse which weighs only 70g and is endangered. It is unique to Tasmania. [|Huon pine trees] are more than 2000 years old. There are ancient caves which Aborigines lived in about 10,000 years ago even before the rainforests grew. There were woodlands and grasslands there then and the Aborigines hunted the animals that ate the grass. Then the climate changed and it was warmer and wetter. It was too wet for grass and rainforests grew, so the Aborigines moved away to other places,

Trips and Tours
You can go hiking in the [|Tarkine Rainforest]. It is the largest cool temperate rainforest in Australia and one of the biggest in the world. You will see beautiful myrtle trees, ferns and mosses and crystal clear rivers and creeks. In summer there are also beautiful flowers.

Check out the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife website for a look at some photos.

Bibliography Australian's Rainforests by Greg Pyers,. Echidna Books 2004, from the Caasey-Cardinia Library, 577.34PYE

Return to Rainforests Return to Landscapes