Cape York Peninsula
Tropical rainforests cover an area of 748,000 ha, or 5.6 percent of the total land area of Cape York Peninsula. Rainforests need some rainfall during the long Dry season. These conditions are mostly on the eastern slopes of the Cape’s coastal ranges. These are old-growth forests and support a huge range of plants. These rainforests are of high conservation significance. The largest rainforest area on the Cape is in the McIllwraith Range-Iron Range area. The Gondwanan plants of this area includes Araucariaceae and Podocarpaceae conifers and Arthrochilus, Corybas, and Calochilus orchids. This rainforest has at least 1000 different plants, including 100 rare or threatened species, and 16% of Australia's orchid species.