Benella Rainforest Reserve in Diwan | Tourist information centre

Benella Rainforest Reserve

Locality: Diwan

Address: 2274 Cape Tribulation Rd 4873 Diwan, QLD, Australia

Website: http://www.RainforestTrust.org

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• Travel and transport
• Environmental conservation organisation
• Wildlife sanctuary
• Tourist information centre

25.01.2022 Today’s visitor to Benella Rainforest Reserve. Come up and see them sometime!

25.01.2022 Yesterday Rainforest Trust Australia proudly hosted students from Rustic Pathways for a morning of potting and planting at Benella Reserve for the Schools National Tree Day event. Rustic Pathways is an organisation that empowers students through innovative and responsible travel experiences to positively impact lives and communities around the world. Nursery manager Golly Watson took the students through the reserve, before involving them with potting up new rainforest trees - with interesting facts about many of the species - before the guys and girls got to plant some trees in the reserve. Photos by Connie Kerr. # SchoolsNationalTreeDay #NationalTreeDay

23.01.2022 Come along and plant some trees for our Cassowaries and other wildlife at Benella Rainforest Reserve on National Tree Day - Sunday 29 July. National Tree Day started in 1996 and since then, 4 million people have planted over 24 million trees. We are open for planting (holes already dug) from 9am to midday, so come along and plant a tree or ten, have fun and meet new people. Benella is at Diwan and easy to find; with toilets and lunch area for a cuppa. If coming from the south, we are just before Turpentine Road (which is on the left). Look for the open gates (on the right) with the metal cassowary and frog. For more details just message.

20.01.2022 Cabins, kitchen, dining and toilets at Benella

20.01.2022 Veiled Lady Fungus at Benella by Kelvin Davies

19.01.2022 Just a reminder that on National Tree Day (Sunday 29th) we are open for planting at Benella (holes already dug) from 9am to midday, so come along and plant a tree or ten, and have fun. Benella is at Diwan and easy to find; with toilets and lunch area for a cuppa. If coming from the south, we are just before Turpentine Road (which is on the left). Look for the open gates (on the right) with the metal cassowary and frog.

18.01.2022 Planting in the Daintree: a very successful morning of planting, with 600-700 trees going into the ground in just two hours. We had ten people including four lovely indigenous rangers from Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation. With council permission, we planted a linear strip opposite Benella Rainforest Reserve bordering Cape Tribulation Road, just north of Turpentine Road at Diwan to bring the existing forest edge out to the roadside. Three more days of planting inside the reserve should see the first 2000 trees in the ground of 20,000 in the next year. #DaintreeRainforest #PlantingRainforest #BenellaRainforestReserve

18.01.2022 We were lucky to have helpers of all ages come out to plant trees recently! A special thanks to Paul West from River Cottage Australia and his family, who stayed at Benella at the invite of Jimmy HalfCut.

16.01.2022 We collect local seed for trees to be planted in the Daintree, and today we are featuring the Gaint Leaf Tamarind (Diploglottis bernieana). Also known as Bernie's Tamarind, this tree is endemic to this small region - meaning it grows nowhere else in the world. Inside the hairy seed capsules are large thin flat seeds covered in a highly edible orange aril, which is quite tart, and tastes like a cross between vitamin C tablets and apricot. Very popular as a small to medium garden tree in tropical gardens, it is mainly grown for its enormous leaves which can be over a metre in length. Apart from people, the fruit is eaten by Cassowaries, Musky Rat-kangaroos, and various rainforest birds.

15.01.2022 Planting in the Daintree: day four (yesterday) saw the last of 2000 trees go into the ground for this March planting at Benella, with just six but dedicated volunteers today. Just a few of the species which have gone in today include: Elaeocarpus grandis (Blue Quandong), various Cryptocaryas, Red-leaf Figs, various local Palms, various Endiandras (Native Walnuts), Atractocarpus (Brown Gardenias), Walking Stick Palms, Swamp Lilys, and some native Lomandras (mat-rush), and much more. #DaintreeLife #DaintreeRainforest #DiscoverTheDaintree #PlantingRainforest

13.01.2022 A cassowary father and his young chicks came to visit Benalla recently!

13.01.2022 After we finished planting trees yesterday at Benella, look who turned up at the reserve while we were all having a post planting cuppa. Connie saw it coming and got the camera ready. This majestic bird approached to only three metres away, before nonchalantly wandering off to feed on fallen fruit in the reserve. #DaintreeLife #DaintreeRainforest #DiscoverTheDaintree #Cassowaries

10.01.2022 On Tuesday Rainforest Trust Australia had a visit from Chris and Tracy from F.A.M.E (Foundation for Australia's Most Endangered species) at Benella Reserve, who inspected habitat restoration to develop a partnership for restoring Cassowary habitat. While at the reserve, Chris and Tracy had a tour of the property, inspected the rainforest nursery, and planted a few trees themselves. Check FAME out here at: www.fame.org.au and https://www.facebook.com/FAMEsavespecies/

09.01.2022 Be Crocwise when visiting the beaches close by to Benella Rainforest Reserve.

07.01.2022 Visited the Rainforest Nursery at Benella Rainforest Reserve yesterday with Rainforest Trust Australia CEO Kelvin Davies, and Nursery Manager Adrian (Golly) Watson. Nursery is looking great, and a hive of activity getting ready for the 2000 tree community plant in March - and many more beyond. More rainforest trees for the Daintree. To find out more about the community plant and to register, just see the post below. #BenellaRainforestReserve #RainforestTrustAustralia

06.01.2022 Flora in the Daintree: a community plant back in March at Benella saw 2000 trees go into the ground with the help of Rainforest Trust Australia, BeardsOn and a great bunch of volunteers. Visiting yesterday it was so nice to see every tree looking so vibrant and healthy, with all new growth like this. The trees are on their way. The original post is here https://www.facebook.com/DaintreeLife/posts/336425266855952

06.01.2022 The Daintree area had over 120 mm of rain on Sunday (not all that unusual) and a result was this landslide on Thornton Peak. This photo by Dean Jewel shows the view from around Turpentine Road near Cooper Creek which is where Benella Rainforest Reserve situated.

05.01.2022 Our Durian Fruit is ripening at Benella. Love them or hate them, Durian has a bad rap for the pungent aroma (which has been known to delay planes with one onboard), but picked just right, the variable flavour has been described as a soft, cream-filled explosion of delight, sometimes like cream cheese, sometimes like butterscotch pudding, and sometimes like onions caramelised in wine - mixed with powdered sugar and caramel poured into whipped cream. Highly prized in Asia, these fruit have a stick insect checking them out.

04.01.2022 Species in our nursery. We collect local seed for trees to be planted in the Daintree, and today we are featuring the Red Bell Mischocarp (Mischocarpus exangulatus): a member of the Sapindaceae family which is endemic to tropical far north Queensland from Cooktown to Paluma as an understory tree in well developed rainforest. When fully ripe, the pods split open to reveal black seed enclosed in yellow arils - which are eaten by Victoria's Riflebirds. These seeds germinate very quickly, and are a great addition to rainforest plantings.

02.01.2022 Planting rainforest in the Daintree: only one week to go. Come along and spend an hour or two making a positive difference by planting new trees. Presented by Rainforest Trust Australia and Daintree Life, the location this time is Benella Rainforest Reserve at Diwan, with easy parking, toilets and BBQ area. Come along for an hour (or two, or four) and help expand rainforest, increase diversity and plant more habitat for our amazing wildlife. This is a 2000 tree plant, spread ...over 4 easy days (with a family day on Sunday 11), so just message to log your interest, and let us know which days you are interested in attending. These days are a lot of fun, and you get a chance to meet new people. We would like to acknowledge the generous support of BeardsOn for conservation and the North Queensland Wildlife Trust to help make this happen. To find us (if coming from the south) just turn into the Benella Reserve driveway (on your right) which is about 50 metres before Turpentine Road (on your left). #DaintreeLife #DaintreeRainforest #DiscoverTheDaintree #PlantingRainforest