‘Worldwide legacy’: almost $20m raised to protect majestic tract of land in far north Queensland

Bush Heritage hopes to buy Wooroora station, which links wet sclerophyll forest and savanna woodland and is home to 12 endangered species

A majestic tract of land in far north Queensland that links wet tropics world heritage rainforest and contains headwaters that flow to the Great Barrier Reef could be bought and protected by Christmas, after a conservation group raised more than $19m in private donations to buy the cattle station.

Wooroora spans more than 20,000 hectares of largely intact wet sclerophyll forest and savanna woodland on the lands of the Jirrbal people about 100km south-west of Cairns – and borders Bush Heritage’s existing 43,575-hectare Yourka Reserve in one of the most biodiverse regions in Australia.