Rainforests on our Country are found mostly around the coastal areas, occurring landward south-west of Princess Charlotte Bay on southern Cape York Peninsula, mainly in Lama Lama and Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Parks (CYPAL), Yaakarru (Running Creek) and Tuulwa (Lilyvale) Nature Refuges. Some of the rainforest in this area can be classified as vinethicket or vineforest and occurs on stabilised sand masses running roughly parallel to the coast. Rainforests also occur away from the coast, either as gallery forests along water courses, or often in close association with large permanent lagoons, but still on sandy soils that are probably associated with shallow freshwater lens.In 2014, Paul Forster and Keith McDonald carried out a study to provide an investigation and count of the Lama Lama Rainforests and to look at current or potential threatening processes.
Their report, Lama Lama Rainforests: a preliminary account of the vegetation and plant life provided to Lama Lama Land Trust and Queensland Herbarium (DSITIA): Toowong outlines the types of Regional Ecosystems that can be classified as rainforests, together with the plant species known to be present. It also presents a comprehensive classification of these species into life forms together with their conservation status under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act (NCA). In addition, an initial listing is given of rainforest plants that may have been used by our People in the past.
