Lot 3
An important piece of a much bigger vision
On the banks of the Daintree River, a great wetland forest once thrived.
On the banks of the Daintree River, a great wetland forest once thrived.
When we first shared Lot 3 with you, we hoped this remarkable 65+ hectare property would become the next piece of the Daintree Oxbow protected for Nature. That opportunity changed. But the vision didn’t.
The Oxbow vision is growing.
Lot 3 was originally available as an individual property, and with your support we began raising the funds needed to purchase and protect it.
During the appeal, the situation changed and Lot 3 was no longer available to purchase on its own. Securing it would have meant purchasing additional land at the same time, significantly increasing the funds required which was beyond our reach in the moment.
But while one opportunity needed more time to ripen, others opened up.
And because you had already stepped forward for the Oxbow, we were ready to act.
Today, three properties totalling 120.39 hectares have been secured for conservation. That’s approximately one-fifth of the Daintree Oxbow landscape we’re working to protect. 20% in hand.
Together, your donations to the Oxbow appeal, alongside significant philanthropic support, have helped make this possible. Thank you.
From Lot 3 to a much bigger vision.
Our goal is now to protect a connected 599.63-hectare conservation landscape across 17 properties, bringing together rainforest, wetland forest, waterways and mangroves along the lower Daintree River floodplain.
Three of those properties are already secured.
At 110 Cape Tribulation Road, purchased in November 2024, restoration is now underway. After clearing invasive weeds and preparing the site, the first wetland forest trees went into the ground in May 2026.
And we’re continuing to pursue opportunities to protect more of this precious landscape as properties become available.
Lot 3 remains an important piece of that bigger picture, and one that will become part of the protected Oxbow landscape at the right time.
Map of the Daintree Oxbow wetlands, showing Lot 3
Lot 3 – Safeguarding nature’s buffer zone.
Lot 3 captured our attention for good reason.
At more than 65 hectares, this floodplain property occupies an important position, connecting the McDowell Swamp, also known as the Daintree Oxbow, to the Daintree River and the remarkable mangrove forests beyond.
Due east of the floodplain is a protected area of immense significance. These mangrove forests are the most biodiverse in Australia, representing the majority of Australia’s mangrove species within one ancient network of tidal creeks and estuaries.
They are a vital refuge for wildlife and form part of an interconnected landscape stretching from rainforest and wetlands to the Daintree River and, ultimately, the Great Barrier Reef.
Historically, wetland forest provided an important buffer between these ecosystems.
Lot 3 is a vast area of former cane fields, dwarfing our nearby restoration work at 110 Cape Tribulation Road. Some of the last wetland forests cleared from the Oxbow floodplain once stood around this prominent location.
And this even when the northern dogleg is part of the protected World Heritage area.
Restoring wetland forest here will rebuild habitat, improve connectivity and help slow and filter water moving through the floodplain towards the Daintree River.
Lot 3’s land has given much to the regional economy over the years, but its position makes it significantly flood-prone and presenting extra challenges for management.
One day, our plan and intention is that we will return Lot 3 to Nature.
The big picture – the Daintree Oxbow wetlands, located on the lower Daintree River floodplain and part of the larger Daintree lowlands ecosystem complex.
The Oxbow. Waiting for a magnificent return.
Viewed from the air, the verdant sweep of the Oxbow is striking against the surrounding agricultural landscape.
Fields extend across much of the floodplain and, in places, reach almost to the river’s edge. Remnants of wetland vegetation hint at what once grew here, while invasive weeds have established across degraded areas.
But our vision is bigger than restoring any single property.
It is to gradually reconnect a thriving wetland forest ecosystem across the Daintree floodplain, increasing habitat for wildlife and strengthening the connections between rainforest, wetlands, river and reef.
And that vision is already taking shape.
Three properties. 120.39 hectares. Approximately one-fifth of our target landscape already secured for conservation. 20%.
Tree by tree, property by property, the Oxbow has an opportunity for a magnificent return.
A changing landscape, a returning ecosystem.
In less than 75 years, hundreds of hectares of wetland forest were transformed into farmland to support the region’s sugarcane industry.
Times have changed, and this threatened and degraded ecosystem now has an opportunity to return to the ecologically rich and significant habitat it once was.
Despite all that has changed, the Oxbow is still listed as a High Ecological Significance wetland and forms part of the gateway to the Daintree.
Obviously the mapping is out of date and needs to catch up with the realities. But that is not a deterrent – it’s inspiration.
Imagine what this landscape could become.
Lush wetland forest. Clearer waterways. Birds wheeling overhead. Habitat reconnecting across the floodplain. Rainforest, river and reef linked through a living landscape once more.
Restoration at this scale won’t happen overnight.
It will take years and decades of careful stewardship, science-led restoration and the support of people who believe this landscape deserves a different future.
Every property protected, every invasive weed removed and every locally native tree returned to the floodplain takes us another step closer.
“While the Oxbow represents our first major wetland–rainforest connectivity restoration effort, we bring extensive habitat regeneration expertise, strong community relationships and a track record of delivering measurable ecological outcomes with the skills, experience and capacity to back it up.”
– Branden Barber, CEO of Rainforest Rescue
599.63 hectares. 17 properties. One connected landscape.
What began with a focus on Lot 3 has grown into something much bigger.
Rainforest Rescue is now working towards the protection and restoration of a 599.63-hectare Daintree Oxbow conservation landscape across 17 properties.
Three properties, totalling 120.39 hectares, are already secured.
And we’ll continue pursuing opportunities to purchase and protect strategic properties as they become available.
Together, these properties have the potential to reconnect rainforest, wetland forest, waterways and mangroves, creating habitat for wildlife while helping strengthen the resilience of this extraordinary landscape.
Lot 3 remains an important piece of that vision.
But it is one piece of something much bigger.
Thanks to everyone who stepped forward for the original Lot 3 appeal, that bigger vision is already becoming a reality.
Property by property. Tree by tree. Together, we can help the Daintree Oxbow thrive again.
Help us continue protecting the Daintree Oxbow.
With your support, we can continue pursuing opportunities to purchase and protect strategic properties across this remarkable landscape and undertake the long-term restoration work needed to help wetland forest return.
PURCHASED PROPERTIES
It’s in our nature to protect. With the help of Rainforest Rescuers – people like you – we are significantly protecting pristine habitat for Nature and achieving strong wins for biodiversity. Visit our Protection Portfolio page for a full list of properties protected by Rainforest Rescue since 1999.
