Once the dominant vegetation type of the entire continent, the Australian rainforests have shrunk over many millions of years to their present limited size. The forests and their history, however, continue to hold valuable lessons for biogeographers and environmentalists. This book gives a general account of the Australian rainforests, detailing their composition and location as well as how their present distribution has evolved. Throughout, the book provides a broad, biogeographical framework that enables new information to be considered from 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.