Once the dominant vegetation type of the entire continent, the Australian rainforests have shrunk over many millions of years to their present limited size. However the forests and their history continue to hold valuable lessons for biogeographers and environmentalists. This book gives a general account of the Australian rainforests: their composition and location, and how their present distribution has evolved. The author's aim is to provide a broad, biogeographical framework that will enable new information to be considered in a global perspective. The book concludes with a historical account of human interaction with the rainforest from late Pleistocene times to the 1980s. Biogeographers, botanists, and ecologists at all levels will find this to be a rich source of information and an inspiration for continuing efforts to conserve existing rainforests around the world.