Introduction | Contacts | Purpose | Site Description | Measurements | DEM | Pictures

Site Description

The Cow Bay flux station is located in lowland tropical rainforest at the Daintree Discovery Centre near Cow Bay in Far North Queensland (GPS coordinates: -16.238189, 145.427150; elevation: 86 m). The land is adjacent to the Daintree National Park which is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area (WTWHA).

The site is flanked to the south-west by coastal ranges rising to 400 m and to the east by the Coral Sea. The red clay loam podzolic soils are of metamorphic origin and have good drainage characteristics. The Cow Bay site is gently sloping but the fetch area makes the site one of very complex terrain.

The forest is classed as complex mesophyll vine forest (type 1a) and has an average canopy height of 25 m. The dominant canopy trees belong to the Arecaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Rutaceae, Meliaceae, Myristicaceae and Icacinaceae families. It is continuous for several kilometres around the Cow Bay Tower except for an area 800 m north-east of the tower, which is cleared agricultural land used for a cattle farm. A 1 Ha census plot is located in immediate proximity to the flux tower.

Annual average rainfall at the site is around 3700 mm and is strongly seasonal, with 68% falling between January and April (wet season).

Daintree Discovery Centre
The flux station is located at the 23 m level viewing platform on the visitor tower at the Daintree Discovery Centre . The visitor centre has seen over 1 million visitors visit since it was set up in 1989 by Pam and Ron Burkett. The DDC is recognized as a leader in ecotourism in the Daintree and has won numerous state, national and international awards including the International Award for Ecotourism (Skal Congree, Budapest 2009). In 2016 the DDC was sold to the Aboriginal Development Benefits Trust (ADBT). The ADBT helps to develop indigenous community, youth and entrepreneurship programs within the Lower Gulf region.