The Curtain Fig Tree

Situated in a stand of pristine Mabi rainforest, this strangler fig tree (ficus virens) is thought to be at least 500 years old. The term ‘Mabi’ comes from the local Aboriginal word for the rare Lumholz tree kangaroo which is the largest mammal found in this rainforest. Strangler figs are a parasitic species that gradually kill its host. This tree has been part of the local tourism circuit since the 1920s when the Yungaburra based White Cars bought tourists from Cairns to the tableland. After the Cairns Range Road opened in 1926 (re- named the Gillies Highway in 1934 honouring the former Premier and member for Eacham, William Gillies) tourism grew and White Cars began a bus service. By the 1950s the fig tree was included in the Grand Tour/Tropical Wonderland Tour itineraries promoted by the Queensland Government Tourist Bureau. P & O cruise ships would arrive in Cairns each week for a six day stay in the region, which included a tour of the Atherton Tableland and the Curtain Fig. The tree has been highlighted through the construction of a boardwalk and inclusion of interpretive signage. Since 1988 it has been part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.