Book excerpt: Within these pages are sprinklings of tropical splendour; a finely curated selection of locally-sourced travel inspiration from Queensland's Tropical North. Stretching more than 1000km down the coastline from the most northern tip of Australia, this region of tumbling waterfalls and exquisite reefs is the first to feature in our coffee table travel series.Here, the planet's largest reef system sits tantalisingly close to the continent, separated by an array of idyllic islands and secluded sand cays. Parting ocean and outback is a rainforest 80 million years older than the Amazon, sprawled over ancient ranges that loom above the seaside. Tropical conditions and natural abundance present a delectable selection of local culinary delights, from mud crab to mangosteen, barramundi to black sapote. We've picked exotic fruits in the gardens of local growers, slept beneath an ochre monolith at a luxury outback lodge, sampled award-winning gins made with locally sourced botanicals and crawled into ancient cave systems deep beneath the Earth to uncover the magnificence of Australia's Tropical North.