A special trip to the Daintree occurred last week as the founder of We Are Explorers visited the Daintree property they helped to purchase and protect.
Henry Brydon of We Are Explorers
We Are Explorers is a business with a mission to spread the power and excitement of the outdoors. Think hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, camping - anything involving the outdoors and adventure.
But it's not just about finding pretty places and helping people get there. The business has set out to create a community of explorers inspired to protect what they love to explore. That's where we came in.
In October 2019, We Are Explorers developed a Crowdfunding campaign that set out to raise $25,000 for the purchase of a very special one-hectare block in the Daintree Rainforest.
After just 10 days, they'd done it! They kicked on and at the final wrap, up after 30 days, the amount raised exceeded $30,000. This enabled us to purchase Lot 305 Cypress Road at Cow Bay in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.
Last week Henry Brydon, his family and friends were able to visit the block they'd helped save with founder of the Rainforest 4 Foundation, Kelvin Davies, showing them around.
"We were all set for a trip to the Daintree in 2020 and then COVID came along," Henry says.
"It's taken a few more years but here we are".
The property is completely covered by tropical rainforest and adjoins the Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area. But that's not all that makes it special - this property is full of fan palms.
Fan palm-dominated vegetation solely occurs in Far North Queensland between Cardwell and Cape Tribulation and of what remains, less than half is within reserves. The Queensland government says “very little of this habitat remains” with mapping indicates only 1,000 hectares existing today. This vegetation type (Regional Ecosystem 7.3.7) is listed by the Queensland Government as “Endangered” in the Vegetation Management Act 1999.
"I never thought it would be so beautiful," Henry says.
"The fan palms are amazing and I'm thrilled we helped to buy this block for conservation. Each year hundreds of thousand of people visit the Daintree. It's great to know this special block is there for all to enjoy.
"Outdoor adventure and tourism can leave a positive legacy. That’s why each year, we create and facilitate campaigns and events to improve the health of both the planet and its people".
We Are Explorers - where values and actions align
Lot 305 Cypress Road at Cow Bay has 145 species of plants, and four are listed as threatened - the Ant Plant, Noah's Walnut, Climbing Pandanus, and Thornton Aspen. The property has also been identified as essential habitat for the endangered Southern Cassowary.
Buying land in this location helps us to wind back the impacts of the disastrous 1980’s rural residential subdivision. We are focusing our efforts on Cow Bay as scientists have identified this area as having some of the highest levels of biodiversity and the highest densities of cassowaries in Australia.
We were thrilled Henry and the We Are Explorers team backed us on 2019.
"Since 2019 we've continued the buyback of land in the Daintree and have now acquired 29 properties," Kelvin says.
"We are working towards having the properties included in the Daintree National Park (CYPAL) and we are excited to see progress being made."
"Earlier this year, we signed an agreement with the Queensland Government, Wet Tropics Management Authority and Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation that outlines the process for the inclusion of these properties in the national park."
Find out more about Lot 305 Cypress Road at Cow Bay here.
Learn more about We Are Explorers here.
Exploring the Daintree Rainforest