Australia: The Land Where Time Began

A biography of the Australian continent 

On the outskirts of Yungaburra, on the Yungaburra-Atherton Road.

This forest reserve protects an area of wet tropical rainforest.

Starting from a seed dropped by a bird in leaf litter high in the canopy, the strangler fig sends down roots which gradually thicken and interweave. The roots eventually strangle the host tree to death. The whole process can take hundreds of years. The Curtain Fig is unusual because one tree has fallen against another, forming a curtain of roots which give the tree its name.

At the Curtain Fig, an extensive “curtain” of aerial roots drops about 15m to the forest floor. A boardwalk has been built around the tree to provide access and protect the tree.

Walking

Accessibility

Getting there

• Return to Australian National Parks
• Return to Australian National Parks - Queensland

Sources & Further reading