Best Rainforest in Australia (near Sydney?)?

Question

Hello,
Where is the best rainforest to see native Australian flora and fauna? Is there one near Sydney? Thanks so much!

Answer 1

To satisfy BOTH criteria "The best rain forest" - AND "near Sydney", you will have to go to The National Botanical Gardens in Canberra, 3 hours drive south of Sydney

Else - you will need to travel up north - way, way north to see a real rainforest.

Answer 2

The forests near Sydney are not rainforests, you find those further north although there are temperate rainforests in Tasmania. Forests are not great places to observe native animals and birds. The birds tend to be in the canopy far above you and most of the animals are nocturnal.

The Royal National Park south of Sydney is not a rainforest but a mixture of habitats where you will see native flora and fauna. The Lane Cove River and Kuring-gai Chase national parks are also good. There are some lovely walks in the Blue Mountains forests where you can see wildlife too.

If you really want to see native flora and fauna in Sydney, the Royal Botanic Gardens and Taronga Park Zoo are excellent places to do so. In the wild, the animals cannot be guaranteed although they are there.

Answer 3

Rainforests In Sydney

Answer 4

Well as you may know, June-August is our winter so nowhere is going to be hot, but if you stick to the state of Queensland or the Northern Territory and you will have nice sunny days of about 25 degrees celcius, and cool crisp nights. You definately could visit all of those places in one trip if you allow about 3 weeks to visit them all. I'd start in Sydney and fly directly to Alice Springs where you can experience the 'outback' and Uluru (Ayers Rock) which is a 3 hour bus trip from Alice. You can do it in a day or two, keeping in mind sunrise and sunset are the most scenic and amazing times to visit. Then I'd fly to the Sunshine Coast and stay in Noosa which has beautiful beaches and close to Australia Zoo. Then fly or drive up to Airlie Beach (gateway to the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef), stay here a day or two and then choose one of the many islands and do some sailing, snorkelling on the reef and enjoy the white sandy beaches. Hayman Island is gorgeous (expensive, but worth it) and Hamilton Island is great too (best for families). After that you could go further north to Cairns where the reef is even better and you can visit the Daintree rainforest! You'll have a great time!

Answer 5

Best I have seen near Sydney is Kuringai. But not during the weekend when there are too many people about, and you have to walk a fair way off the road. There are always lots of birds. I have seen wallabies (small kangaroos), bandicoots and possums. Lots of lizards and the occasional snake.

I have seen wallabies at the end of the Bairne Track and the Soldiers Point Track fairly often, but they are both over a 4 km walk from the road. Great views over Pittwater and Broken Bay are a bonus.

Kuringai has a couple of pockets of temperate rainforest, but it is mainly dry sclerophyl forest or heath.

Answer 6

Flake out on sun-drenched beaches, eat at award-winning restaurants and a great deal more is what you would get in your visit to Sydney. Discover more with hotelbye . One of the world's good designs and a definitely should see in Sydney could be the Sydney Opera House, a location is just a UNESCO World Heritage Website and the star appeal on the glittering harbour. This graceful developing, formed like covers or billowing sails, perches on a finger of land surrounded by water. Sydney is a distinctive spot to spend your vacation therefore, do not lose the chance to visit a great city.

Answer 7

Rainforests are best in Cairns, Tropical North Queensland.
Daintree Discovery Centre - http://www.daintree-rec.com.au
http://www.daintreerainforest.com/ or http://www.cairnsattractions.com/a_daintree-rainforest.html

Skyrail, the World’s Most Beautiful Rainforest Experience http://www.skyrail.com.au

Answer 8

These National Parks are not very close to Sydney (at the border of NSW and QLD near the coast) but belong to the World Heritage Sites of Australia - that must count for something, and I myself was very impressed seeing just a little bit of this region. Maybe have a look at Dorrigo NP, Border Ranges NP, and Lamington NP
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorrigo_National_Park
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Ranges_National_Park
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamington_National_Park

It's really humid ;-) there and I remember having read somewhere that a part of this region gets the highest amount of yearly precipitation in Australia (up to 4800 mm/year), even more than the tropical rain forest in northern QLD does.