The 400, 000-acre Ocala National Forest is a tangle of springs, sand-pine scrub and subtropical forest that is home to raccoons, flying squirrels, otters and black bears, as well as many species of bird.
The sprawling lake, estimated at being two thirds the area of Sydney Harbour, is framed by the Danbulla Forest, a green blanket of rainforest, pine and scrub that offers refuge to kangaroos, bird colonies and platypus.