The Daintree Rainforest Observatory is located at 40 m elevation in lowland tropical rainforest at Cape Tribulation, 140 kilometers north of Cairns in Queensland Australia (16o 06' 14.8" S, 145o 26' 58.0" E). The site is adjacent to the Daintree National Park. The Daintree rainforest has the highest biodiversity anywhere in Australia and has a unique Gondwanan flora.

In 1988 the rainforests among which the crane is situated were declared the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. This is one of the few areas in the world where the reef meets the rainforest and the only place where two World Heritage Areas sit side by side. The site is flanked to the west by coastal ranges rising to more than 1400m and by the Coral Sea to the east.