The Queensland tropical rain forests are a terrestrial ecoregion located in north-eastern Australia and belonging to the Australasian realm. The forest contains the world’s best living record of the major stages in the evolutionary history of the world’s land plants. The history of the evolution of marsupials and songbirds is also well represented.
The ecoregion covers 32,700 square kilometres (12,600 sq mi) of north-eastern coastal Queensland, from the coast up a series of plateaus and tablelands to the mountains behind the coast. The ecoregion comprises three separate sections. The northern area, which includes Cairns, is the largest, from 15°30’ to 19°25’ south latitude. This northern section is also known as the Wet Tropics bioregion.