Tourism, Rainforests and Worthless Lands: the Origins of National Parks in Queensland Warwick Frost 10.4225/03/5934b5976a65a https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/journal_contribution/Tourism_Rainforests_and_Worthless_Lands_the_Origins_of_National_Parks_in_Queensland/5072395 Alfred Runte has argued that US National Parks were only established where government regarded the lands as worthless for economic development. A number of writers have applied his theory to the origin of National Parks in other regions of recent European settlement, particularly Australia. This article contests this explanation, through consideration of the establishment of National Parks in the rainforests of Queensland. The declaration of these National Parks were the subject of an extensive debate over the period of 1895 to 1915, during which it was strongly argued that they had significant potential for farming and logging. 2017-06-05 01:36:22 2003 monash:2498 National parks rainforests Lamington Queensland 1959.1/2498