Central Queensland University

A Study of the Geographical Elements of the Wet Tropics Cairns Region.

Student name: Rachael-Lyn Anderson
Student code: 12143136
Course: GEOG11023 Physical Geography of Australia
Lecturer: Jiaping Wu
Word Count: 3214
Term: Term 1 2020
Due date: 5th June 2020
 Introduction

Stretching along the northeast coast of Queensland from Cape Tribulation in the north

to Tully in the south, the Wet Tropics Cairns region provides a variety of rare and unique

geographical elements and landscapes. This region holds a record of the ecological and

evolutionary processes that shaped Australia’s flora and fauna as well as contains relicts of

the Gondwana forests that covered Australia and parts of Antarctica 50-100 million years ago.

It is home to unique and endemic flora and fauna species and is extremely vulnerable to

climate change. This paper will elaborate on the five physical geographical elements of the

Wet Tropics Cairns region. The five elements that will be analysed and further discussed are

geology, followed by climate, geomorphology, soils, and biogeography. For each of the five

physical geographical elements, features within the region will be described and the creative

processes that have led to the formation of the region will also be analysed. With rainforests,

fast-flowing waterfalls, hills and valleys, the Wet Tropics Cairns region provides an insight

into Australia’s geological history and creation. ✔

Figure 1: Map of the Wet Tropics Cairns Bioregion-Source: Wet Tropics Management

Authority,2013✔
 Study Region

The Wet Tropic Cairns region contains over 894,420 hectares of tropical rainforests
that run along the north-east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range. This accounts
for 0.26% of the total landmass of Australia (Terrain.org.au 2016). It is home to more than
24 National Parks, sclerophyll tropical rainforests, diverse terrain, waterfalls, basins, rugged
gorges, mountain ranges, rivers and coastal scenery. One apparent example lies between the
Daintree River and Cedar Bay, where coastal scenery combines tropical rainforests and white
sandy beaches with fringing offshore coral reefs. (World Heritage Centre-United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization n.d). The study area will range from Cape
Tribulation in the north to Tully in the south. Cairns is the major urban centre of the Wet
Tropics region with many smaller towns and cities on the coastal strip. (Queensland
Government 2019).

Figure 2: The study area of the report; The Wet

Tropics region, QLD. Source: Google Maps no much
difference from figure 1

Geology:

The geology of the Wet Tropics Cairns region includes a mixture of metamorphic
rocks, sedimentary rocks such as limestone, and plutonic rocks in the form of granites.
Metamorphic rocks are the most common rock type which forms much of the geomorphology
of the Wet Tropics today. These rocks were formed about 360 million years ago when
sediments at the bottom of the ocean were compressed by the movements in the Earth’s crust
to create a layered block of compositions. (Wet Tropics Management Authority, 2012).
Metamorphic rocks are transformed due to large intensities of heat and/or pressure. Much of
the region is formed from metasediments which are sedimentary rocks that have been
metamorphized.

Sedimentary rocks in the form of limestone also exist in this region. Sedimentary
rocks are formed when sediments are deposited by wind or water and are consolidated.
Limestone is formed from the bodies of marine organisms. (Martin, S 2014,).

About 420 million years ago, sediments in the form of gravel, sand and clay were
deposited into an undersea basin. For 60 million years, sediments accumulated to create beds
towards the edge of the basin, primitive corals and other marine organisms created mounds of
limestone. Coastal limestone accumulations which were pushed near the old continent of
Gondwana created the limestone formation of Chillagoe (Carmody, J 2014,).

Your talking is about general formation of the rock types –you need to describe where each of
the rock types is found in the the Wet Tropics Cairns region

Plutonic rocks such as granite exist in the form of ranges and high mountains. These
rocks were formed from magma which hardens within the Earth’s crust instead on the Earth’s
surface. Blocks of granite formed due to the stretching and the breaking of continental crust
are seen present in the Wet Tropics in the forms of escarpments and isolated hills, mountain
ranges and islands. Escarpments are steep slopes found at the edge of a plateau to separate
landmass at different elevations. These were formed as a result of faulting or erosion. Granite
bodies can form the highest points of the land surface due to the resistance to erosion.
Erosion of escarpments can cause its position to shift west and wander to the upland
tablelands area, while erosion to metamorphosed sediments can leave the underlying granite
as isolated hills and ranges. The tough hard granite rocks that were capable of withstanding
erosions remain as isolated s and islands. The geomorphologies present in the Wet Tropic
region consists of the Whitfield Range near Cairns, as well as the Hinchinbrook and Magnetic
islands, the Paluma Range, and Castle Hill in Townsville. (Carmody, J. 2014)

Figure 3: Castle Hill, Townsville. Source: Google Images

 Climate:

Australia has a variety of climate regimes. These are Equatorial, Tropical, Subtropical,

Desert, Grassland and Temperate. The eastern coastline where the Wet Tropics Cairns region

lies is classified as subtropical and temperate climates, with a transition between warmer and

cooler temperatures with increasing latitude. Rainfall in this region is broadly consistent from

month to month, however, summer rain is importantly crucial for agriculture (Bridgman H.,

Dodson J and Dragovich D 2008-p.149). The Wet Tropics Cairns region consists of

contrasting climates with increases and decreases in rainfall, due to the region’s latitude. This

region is in the Eastern Tropical Zone while almost all of Queensland, Western Australia and

the Northern Territory are positioned in the Tropical Zone. Since the Wet Tropic Cairns

region is in the Eastern Tropical Zone, rises in temperature and altered rainfall patterns can

impact the rainforests living there (University of Southern Queensland, n.d).

Figure 4: Climate Classification of Australia.

Source: Bridgman H., Dodson J and Dragovich D 2008, p.149.

Rainfall:
 The reason why the Wet Tropics region is very diverse is due to the varied topography

and the rainfall. The Wet Tropics region is one of Australia’s wettest regions. This is because

of high elevated mountains and plateaus runs perpendicular to the south-east trade winds. The

lowlands in the Wet Tropics region experience rainfall of 2500-4000 mm(millimetres) per

annum, places in the montane region will experience high rainfall of 6000-8000 mm per

annum, while the savanna regions would experience annual rainfall as low as 1500 mm

(Stork, et al,. 2009,).

Luxuriant tropical rainforest are found throughout the Wet Tropics regions because of

the very high amount of rainfall. Rainfall within the rainforest district varies from 1,500

millimetres up to 9,000 millimetres annually (Williams, S.E 2012). The Wet Tropics region

experiences average potential evaporation which is more than 50% greater than the annual

average rainfall. This results in soil moisture. (Department of Environment and Science,

2019)

Temperature:

The city of Cairns is one of the centres of the Wet Tropic region. Cairns has an annual

average temperature of 25.1°C (Bridgman H., et al. 2008, p.396). Most of the rainforests in

the mountain district of the region are more than 600 metres above sea level. Rainforests in

this district would experience a cool mesothermal climate with an annual average temperature

of below 22°C (Stork, N et al. 2009,). The coast of the Wet Tropics Cairns region

experiences daily temperatures with a maximum of 31°C to a minimum of 23°C, the winter

months are low as 5°C. The tablelands and uplands experience a maximum of 28°C to a

minimum of 17°C in warmer months and from 22°C to 9°C in cooler months.

Better to follow the instruction and search some monthly data statistics from BOM website.
Need to cover global and region’s factors that affect the region’s climate: location, air
circulation, weather systems like ITCZ, tropical monsoon etc. Climate is key factor that
shapes the region’s landscape, soils, and biogeography.

Geomorphology

The Wet Tropic Cairns region is one of Australia’s most diverse regions consisting of

fast-flowing rivers, deep gorges, rainforests, mountain ranges, and waterfalls. This bioregion

also consists of three major regions; the tablelands of the Great Dividing Range including the

Atherton Tablelands, the Great Escarpment located in the east, and coastal plains. The Wet

Tropic Cairns region is diverse in its geomorphology due to the ecological and evolutionary

processes resulted in shaping the region’s flora and fauna. This region contains Australia’s

largest continuous expansion of tropical rainforests. Apart from rainforests, several other

landforms are found in the region. These include; fringing reefs, waterfalls, isolated ranges

and rainforests. ✔

Landform creation processes:

The rainforests across the Wet Tropic Cairns region varies due to the altitude, aspect,

rainfall and soils. A combination of topographic diversity, soil variations and climate

complexity supports the region’s mosaic of forest types. Some of the Wet Tropic Cairns

regions contains pockets of rainforests. These pockets occurred as a result of exposure to

southeast winds, poor soil quality and low quantity of rainfall (Ferrier, Å. 2015.).

One of Australia’s largest rainforest areas is in the Daintree National Park. The

fringing coral reefs and rainforest coastlines in the Cape Tribulation region are extremely rare

in Australia (Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment n.d.,). The Daintree

National Park was formed 400 million years ago under the sea. The movement of the Earth’s

crust lifted marine deposits resulting in raised areas of metamorphic and granite rocks above
sea level. Erosion of these rocks resulted in mountainous coastal ranges that are present today

(Department of Environment and Science 2020b).

It seems that you have difficulties to understand the geomorphic processes…

Figure 5: View from Walu Wugirriga (Mount Alexandra lookout), Daintree National

Park. Photo: Department of Environment and Science 2020b

Waterfalls-There are many waterfalls scatted throughout the Wet Tropics Cairns region.

Wallaman Falls situated south-west of Ingham in the Girringun National Park, is one of

Australia’s highest and permanent single-drop waterfalls from a 268 metres high cliff top.

Wallaman Falls was formed about 100 million years ago when erosion of the Herbert River

Falls to retreat by 40 centimetres (Department of Environment and Science, 2018). This

caused gorges to become longer in size and tributaries such as Stony Creek were suspended.

This, therefore, resulted in a series of cascades of waterfalls (Carmody J. 2014).

Figure 6: Wallaman Falls, Girringun National Park.

Source: Department of Environment and Science 2018

Fringing reefs- Fringing reefs are rainforests pockets that combines with sandy beaches and

coral reefs. These are most extensively developed between the Daintree and Bloomfield

Rivers, off Cape Tribulation and is a rare combination world-wide. Cape Tribulation is the

only place in the world where the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and the Wet

Tropics World Heritage Area meets.

Isolated ranges: Paluma Range in the south region of the Wet Tropics is an example of an

isolated range. This range consists of picturesque waterfalls surrounded by rainforests in the

north and a rainforest-cloaked mountain 1000 meters above a floodplain in the south. The
Paluma Range was produced by a sheet of volcanic ash from a violent volcanic eruption 350

million years ago. The rock type that makes up the range is rhyolite. ( Carmody, J, 2014)

Figure 8: Jourama Falls walking track located in the north of the Paluma Range.

Source: google images.

Soils

The soils present in the Wet Tropics Cairns region varies from stony leached and

infertile lithosols, deep red and rich basalt, and alluvial soils. These soils also vary depending

on the underlying parent material. The parent material the soils are derived from consists of

acidic igneous rocks, granites, metamorphic, and alluvium. Old metamorphic rocks break

down to create deep medium-textured red or yellow loams. Granite and acidic igneous rocks

create red podzolic soils and xanthozems. Basalts create very deep krasnozems. The more

fertile the soil is and the higher the rainfall, the more complex the rainforest becomes in

structure and diversity. (Wet Tropics Management Authority 2012).The high status of
developing basalt soils have favoured rainforests to resist stresses during the fluctuation of

climatic conditions associated with the evolutionary process of Australia (Claudino-Sales V

2019).

Figure 9: Dominant Soils across Queensland.

Source: Queensland Government 2016

Alluvium, colluviuam, aeolin sediments, clay plains, sandy plain and alluvial plains

are mostly present in the coastal areas of the region. Alluvial soils located in the Tully district

are brown dermosol with textures ranging from silty clay loams to medium clay. This type of

soil is typically used for nature conservation, pasture and cropping vegetation and is located

in lowland rainforest areas. An experimental station in Tully which consists of alluvial plains

and low levees with rainforests uses alluvial soils for the vegetation of soybeans and sugar

cane (CSIRO Land and Water, n.d.).

 Krasnozerms are deep red clay and acidic soils present on scattered volcanic rocks

which have been distributed in the Wet Tropics Cairns region. These soils consist of the

parent material of basalt and forms landforms of undulating low basalt hills that were

originally lowland rainforests. The dense rainforests that grew on the krasnozems soil were

exploited of the timber resources, cleared and converted for intensive forms of agricultural

activities. These agricultural activities consist of sugarcane, maize, peanuts and sown

pastures. (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2012) ✔

Land use and Erosion.

The diverse and fertile soils of the Wet Tropics Cairns Bioregion supports a large

variety of agricultural activities. Land use in the Wet Tropics Cairns region includes growing

sugarcane, bananas, pastures for dairying and beef production, and forestry (Bristow , K L, et

al. 1998).

Soil erosion in this region is common near rivers and streambanks while low in drier

areas and pastures coverings. In drier areas of the region, erosion is low due to the high

amounts of vegetation cover maintained, high and year-round rainfall, and different land

management practices. Pasture covers also have generally low levels of erosion. Soil erosion

most commonly streambank erosion occurs from cattle access and some grazing activities,

these are mainly present on the Atherton and Evelyn Tablelands (Tsatsaros, J. et al., 2013).
 Biogeography

The Wet Tropics Cairns region is one of Australia’s richest and diverse rainforest

ecosystem. This ecosystem contains a geophysical record of the evolution of plant life on

Earth dating back to Gondwana, a high concentration of primitive flowing plants, and more

than 30 rainforests communities. (Queensland Government 2013,). The Wet Tropics region is

the only region in Australia that contains a high proportion of rare and unique biodiversity

due to the evolution of Australia. The land was almost entirely covered in rainforests when it

began separation during its period as Gondwana.

Due to the evolutionary process, the Wet Tropics Cairns region is home to many

endemic species of plants and animals. The following will detail some of the distinct flora

and fauna in the region.

Vegetation

The Wet Tropics Cairns Bioregion is the most significant and diverse region in all of

Australia. The region’s subdivisions are diverse in flora. The vegetation in the regions ranges

from evergreen and semi-deciduous rainforests, closed vine forests and rainforests, tall open

sclerophyll forests, woodlands, grasslands, and swamps. In the mountainous district of the

region, the vegetation includes closed vine forests and rainforests while the vegetation in the

drier districts consists of open sclerophyll forests highly dominated by drought and fire-

tolerant flora. (Claudino-Sales, V., 2019,). Other vegetation areas include tall open forests and

woodlands dominated by eucalypts, medium and low woodlands dominated by a variety of

eucalypti species, seasonally inundated grasslands, swamps, and mangrove forests which

occur along inlets near mouths of sheltered bays and rivers. ✔

 The Wet Tropics Cairns Bioregion contains a high concentration of plants of very

ancient lineage, some of which are extinct in other regions of the world. There are 19 known

families of flowering plants with botanically primitive characteristics and only 12 of these

flowering plants are found in the Wet Tropics Cairns Bioregion. One of the primitive

flowering plants found in this region is the Noahdendron This plant can be seen at the

Marrdja boardwalk near Noah creek in the Daintree rainforest of Cape Tribulation. ✔

The Noahdendron is a primitive flowering plant recognised by its leaf-like stipules

where the stalks of the leaf join the thin stems. The flowers of this plant are pink or red and

hang in a bundle while the fruit is bundles of brown two-lobed woody capsules covered with

tiny rusty hairs. (Carmody, J. 2014). Figure 11. is an example of this plant. ✔

Figure 11: The Noahdendron Nicholassi.

Source: Google images.

Another form of vegetation that exists in the Wet Tropics Cairns region is an ecotone. The

Black Mountain south of Cooktown is an imposing mountain range of black granite boulders

that forms to create a boundary between two different plant communities. The Black

Mountain ecotone separates savanna woodlands in the Cape and rainforests in the northern

region of the Wet Tropics. On the green patches on the bare mountainside are fig-trees, while

there are several rainforests plants around the base of the mountain. These plants consist of
self-mulching ferns, umbrella trees and stinging trees which have adapted to this condition.

The edges of the rock masses are semi-deciduous mesophyll vine forests. The vegetation of

the Black Mountains National Park is an animal sanctuary who trave to or from the rocky

shelter of the mountain. (Carmody, J. 2014). ✔

Figure 12 : Black Mountain National Park. Source:

Department of Environment and Science 2020a,

Fauna

As a descendent of Gondwana, many rare and diverse animal species are known to be

endemic to the Wet Tropics Cairns region and have become very restricted in terms of their

geographic range. There are a variety of marsupials, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and

monotremes are endemic to the region, however, there are 3 species that require special

attention.

The Black Mountain Skink- The Black Mountain Skink is one of three reptile species found

only in the Black Mountains near Cooktown with a total worldwide distribution of fewer than

6 km2 (kilometres squared). The skink is found among the imposing piles of black granite

boulders on Black Mountain (Isaac, J., 2009.). The Black Mountain Skink is unique for its

physical appearance. This skink has a distinctive duckbill-like snout, looks black in the shade

and glistens green in the sunlight. Its limbs are flecked with yellow and have a predominant

golden stripe that runs down its back (Carmody, J. 2014). ✔

 The Mahogany Glider- The Mahogany Glider is an endangered and endemic

marsupial species due to its lowland habitat being reduced by tree clearing. This species

ranges from the Hull River near Tully to Crystal Creek near Townsville and are highly

dependent on open forests and woodlands to explore freely. The Mahogany Glider has a

physical appearance of soft grey or brown with a black stripe marking its head and body. The

glider is nocturnal and actively feed on nectar, tree sap, tree gum, lichens and invertebrates

(Carmody, J. 2014).

The Southern Cassowary- The Southern Cassowary, is an endangered tall flightless

bird. This cassowary is found from Big Tablelands near Cooktown to Paluma near Townsville

in the north of the Wet Tropics Cairns region. It habitats consist of montane rainforests and

lowland tropical vine forests. The Southern Cassowary has a pale blue head with a crown

brown casque, a featherless neck with blue on the sides and front with orange and purple on

the back of the neck. It has bright red wattles that hang from the lower part of the bare neck

and has glossy black feathers covering the body. The Southern Cassowary diet consists of

invertebrates, flowers, fungi, fruit, plants and carrion. (Curtis, L K 2012). ✔

Figure 15: Southern Cassowary. Source: Google Images.

 Conclusion

The Wet Tropics Cairns region in Australia is a unique and diverse area This region

has distinct fertile soils and various rock types that helped form luxuriant rainforests and

landscapes. The Wet Tropics Cairns region is important in offering diverse ecosystems to

endemic and unique flora and fauna. This region provides a relict of the Gondwana

rainforests, a record of processes that shaped Australia, and opens a window into Australia’s

geological creation story. ✔

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27/3/2020
 Physical Geography Research Term Paper Rubric
Marking criteria HD (84.5-100) D (74.5-84) C (64.5-74) P (49.5-64) F (<49)
Content &  Collection of excellent  Collection of substantial  Collection of good  Collection of  Little research on
development (35 evidences on the five evidences on the five evidences on most information and data the topic.
marks) element areas. element areas. element areas while for at least 3 element  Description of
 Outstanding description  Effective description of the one or two areas were areas. patterns and
of the patterns and patterns and interpretation lack of evidences.  description of the interpretation of
interpretation of major of the major processes of  General description of patterns and processes of one or
processes of the five the five element areas. the patterns and interpretation of two element areas;
element areas.  Analysis of interrelations interpretation of processes of the areas.  Analysis of one or
 Analysis of interrelations of the five areas, which processes of four  Partial analysis of the two areas only,
element areas.

of the five areas, which provided comprehensive areas and their which provided
provided new insights understanding of  Analysis of the areas interrelations, which little understanding
into the geography of the
geography of the study and their interrelations, provided general the geography of
study region.
region. which provided sound understanding of some the study region.
 Analysis was supported understanding of some aspects of the
by sufficient information  Analysis was supported by  Analysis cite no
sufficient information (6 aspects of the geography of the study scholarly source.
(6 scholarly sources) and
was engaged with scholarly sources). geography of the study region.
 Few research data
(evaluate and critique) region.  Analysis was lack of
 Presentations of data and and little research
the sources.  Analysis has support.
information (e.g. table, information.
 Well presentations and inconsistently
map, diagram) in a  Presentations of data
organizations of data and supported by evidence.
consistent manner. and information.
information.
 Good presentations of
data and information
while some.
Presentation &  Excellent report  Excellent report  Good report  Report presentation  Poorly presented
Communication presentation with sub- presentation with sub- presentation with a with a sound structure. report with no
(5 marks) headings and other headings and other clear structure.  Meaningful structure.
organizational methods. organizational methods.  Appropriate construction of  Expression is
 Well-structured  Well-structured paragraphs construction of paragraphs. unclear with
paragraphs that ideas that ideas flow clearly. paragraphs with  Some grammar, frequent
flow clearly and grammatical and
 coherently.  Grammar, spelling & coherent ideas. spelling & punctuation other errors.
 Grammar, spelling & punctuation are mostly  Some errors of errors.  Sources were not
punctuation are virtually free of errors. grammar, spelling &  Sources were acknowledged or
free of errors.  Quality of references and punctuation. acknowledged otherwise not
 High quality of all references were  References were inappropriately acknowledged
references and all acknowledged and listed in acknowledged and ((Inconsistent or appropriately.
references were correctly a consistent style. listed in a consistent frequent major errors
acknowledged. style. in citation style).

Mark: 26 /40 Strengths & Improvements

Your paper investigated the physical geography of the Cairns Wet Tropics region. You have done some researches into the geographic
characterstics of the region and have collected a set of relevant information about the region’s physical geography. You are able to
describe and discuss basic patterns of the physical geography elements of the region. Your description has been supported by evidences.
You are able to use maps and other illustrations to support your description.
Your explanation and discussion of most geographic processes, e.g. the forces and factors that shape the region’s climate, landforms and
soils is inadequate. It would be better to extend the discussion on these.
You need to pay attention to your in-text citations and reference list. Please read and follow the CQU Referencing Guide –it is an
essential survival skill in university study.
Overall, you have made a good effort to investigate the physical geography of the selected region.