Quick Answers
Where can I see a cassowary on the Tablelands?
Along rainforest edges around Malanda, Millaa Millaa and Wooroonooran National Park.
What should I do if I meet a cassowary?
Stop moving and give it a wide berth. Never run and never feed it.
Why shouldn’t I feed cassowaries?
Their inner claw can cause serious injury, and cassowaries that lose their fear of people end up in danger from traffic.
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“Meeting a cassowary on a rainforest track is one of those moments that instantly rearranges your understanding of where you are in the food chain.”
Southern Cassowary: The Rainforest’s Most Impressive and Most Important Bird
The Southern Cassowary is the largest bird in Australia and, by some measures, the most important animal in the Wet Tropics rainforest. A towering, flightless bird with a vivid blue and red neck, a helmet-like casque on its head, and eyes that make it absolutely clear it is regarding you seriously — the cassowary is a creature that demands respect, and the Atherton Tablelands is one of the best places in Australia to encounter one in the wild.
Cassowaries play a critical ecological role in the rainforest as seed dispersers. They swallow large fruits whole and excrete the seeds — sometimes kilometres away — in nutrient-rich deposits that give rainforest trees their most effective means of reproduction. Without the cassowary, much of the Wet Tropics rainforest as it currently exists would cease to function. It is, in the most literal sense, a keystone species.
Despite their impressive size — up to 1.8 metres tall and 70 kilograms — cassowaries are shy and generally avoid humans unless cornered or protecting young. They are most commonly seen in the rainforest areas of the southern Tablelands and Mission Beach coast. On the Tablelands, the rainforest edges around Malanda, Millaa Millaa, and the Wooroonooran National Park are the best areas for sightings.
Yungaburra
Millaa Millaa
Malanda
KurandaIf you encounter a cassowary, stop moving and give it a wide berth. Never run from a cassowary and never try to feed one. Their inner claw can deliver a serious injury, and a cassowary that has lost its fear of humans is in danger — from traffic and from the consequences of its own behaviour. Observe from a respectful distance and consider yourself very lucky to be sharing forest with one.
A Hot Getaways destination. Where Care is Our Compass.
Travel Kindly
At Hot Getaways, care is our compass — and a little kindness makes every journey better. When you visit the Atherton Tablelands, we gently ask you to:
- Tread lightly — stay on tracks and lookouts, and take special care around waterfalls, which can be slippery and swift.
- Respect the wildlife — never feed the platypus, tree-kangaroos or birds, and observe them quietly from a distance.
- Support local — choosing local operators, cafés and guides helps this beautiful place thrive.
- Honour Country — we travel on the traditional lands and sea Country of Australia’s First Peoples, with gratitude and respect to the Traditional Custodians past and present.
- Be kind to each other — a smile, a little patience and a helping hand make the day lovelier for everyone.
Small acts of care add up to something wonderful. Thank you for travelling kindly.
