Thornton Peak is a prominent mountain that rises above the

Daintree Rainforest The Daintree Rainforest is a region on the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia, north of Mossman, Queensland, Mossman and Cairns. At around , the Daintree is a part of the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest on the Australia (co ...

to a height of 1374 m. The mountain is located about 80 km northwest of Cairns within the catchment of the

Daintree River The Daintree River is a river that rises in the Daintree Rainforest near Cape Tribulation in Far North Queensland, Australia. The river is located about northwest of Cairns in the UNESCO World Heritagelisted Wet Tropics of Queensland. The area ...

. It is Queensland's fourth highest peak after

Mount Bartle Frere Mount Bartle Frere (pronunciation �mæɔnt̥ ˈbɐːɾəɫ ˈfɹɪə Ngajanji: Choorechillum) is the highest mountain in Queensland at an elevation of . The mountain was named after Sir Henry Bartle Frere, a British colonial administrator and ...

at ,

Mount Bellenden Ker Mount Bellenden Ker is the second-highest mountain in Queensland, Australia, with a height of . It is named after the botanist John Bellenden Ker Gawler. Located south of Cairns, Queensland, Cairns near Babinda, Queensland, Babinda, it is adj ...

at and

Mount Superbus Mount Superbus lies south-west of the centre of Brisbane, Australia and is South East Queensland's highest peak at . At this elevation, it is the fifth-highest peak in Queensland, after Mount Bartle Frere at , Mount Bellenden Ker at , Mount F ...

at . The indigenous Eastern

Kuku Yalanji people The Kuku Yalanji, also known as Gugu-Yalanji, Kuku Yalandji or Kokojelandji, are an Aboriginal Australian people originating from the rainforest regions of Far North Queensland. Language The traditional language of the people is Guugu Yala ...

's name for Thornton Peak is Wundu, and it has spiritual significance for them. The peak is covered by

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

and is home to a number of endemic species. Thornton Peak is one of only three mountain tops that are home to the

cinereus ringtail possum The Daintree River ringtail possum (''Pseudochirulus cinereus''), also known as the cinereus ringtail possum, is a species of possum found in northeastern Queensland, Australia. It was long believed to be the same as the Herbert River ringtail ...

.Cape Tribulation, Daintree National Park, Nature, culture and history
Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing (Queensland) A group of scientists have suggested the mountain is a viable candidate for the translocation of some species which require a colder climate due to

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

. In April 2001, a missing Aero Commander 500 was found on Thornton Peak.

References

Thornton Peak Thornton Peak is a prominent mountain that rises above the Daintree Rainforest to a height of 1374 m. The mountain is located about 80 km northwest of Cairns within the catchment of the Daintree River. It is Queensland's fourth high ...

Landforms of Far North Queensland {{Queensland-geo-stub

See also

References