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Community

An extraordinary community of about 500 inhabitants have custodial care of Nature's Masterpiece and its accumulated secrets.  Bound together in their common possession, they have a vital role in environmental management.  Discerning travellers are urged to recognise the importance of this local expertise, and its finely developed land-management practices, and duly support the identity, culture and interests of the rainforest community to enable effective participation in the achievement of sustainable management.

The provision of nature-based services and facilities comes at a cost and the host community asks that travellers to the area embrace an ethos of 'user-pays'. Whilst there is an abundance of publicly-funded facilites throughout the area, popular activities like freshwater swimming are not sanctioned within the public estate and invariably impose a burden of cost and liability onto private-landholders. Travellers are urged to engage with the local business community for the guidance and the mutual benefits of a supportive tourism.

Rainforest life is very diferent to urban living.  Residents consider house design for many years before construction, to best suit the peculiarities of life in their particular patch of jungle.   An average annual rainfall of 5.5 metres and very little wind, promotes 'open-living', in order to optimise air movement and ambient light.  The excision of the Daintree Rainforest Community from state-supplied electricity, also dictates design elements.  Daintree rainforest residents are required to make their own electricity.  A variety of hybrid-systems draw from renewable energy sources, such as hydro and solar-power, to be stored in large battery banks.  It is expensive electricity; as much as 30-times equalised tariffs, and most homes and bussinesses strive to minimise reliance on electical uses.

Open-living also provides for the unobstructed passage of a diversity of non-human inhabitants.  Living within this ancient rainforest is shared with an extraordinary biodiversity.  Indeed, all rainforest residents share their homes with reptiles, mammals, insects, spiders and a multitude of other inhabitants ... and they love it!