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 and Cairns. At around , the Daintree is a part of the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest on the Australian continent. The Daintr ...
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 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 at and
Mount Superbus at .
The indigenous Eastern
Kuku Yalanji people's name for Thornton Peak is Wundu, and it has spiritual significance for them.
The peak is covered by
rainforest 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 ...
.
See also
*List of mountains in Australia
This is a list of mountains in Australia.
Highest points by state and territory
List of mountains in Australia by topographic prominence
This is a list of the top 50 mountains in Australia ranked by topographic prominence. Most of these ...
References
Thornton Peak
Landforms of Far North Queensland
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