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Cross the Daintree River by ferry and travel north into the best of the Daintree - the Reef and Rainforest Coast. Enjoy the journey to Cape Tribulation - print this travel guide and bring it with you (8 pages). SOME GENERAL ADVICE
GETTING YOUR TERMINOLOGY RIGHT 'The Daintree' is a loose term for the coastal lowland area between the Daintree and Bloomfield Rivers, also known as the Daintree Coast. There is also the Daintree National Park (stretching from Mossman Gorge to Bloomfield River) and Daintree Village, about 12 km upstream from the ferry crossing. THE CAPE TRIBULATION TURN-OFF Turn right at the signpost for Cape Tribulation and the Daintree Ferry. On the left just after the turn-off there is a series of lakes and billabongs which is old path of the Daintree River prior to the 1911 cyclone. Drive slowly as this is an excellent opportunity to spot birdlife in the billabong. Looking northwards across the Daintree you can see the rainforested slopes of Thornton Peak. This mountain dominates the skyline and you will see it from several different angles on your journey. You can appreciate the grandeur if you slow down and pull over. Very often there are clouds resting on top. The wreck of a WW2 aeroplane was only recently found on the slopes, as the vegetation is extremely dense. THE DAINTREE RIVER Dalrymple discovered the Daintree River in 1873 and wrote at that time; "no river in North Australia possesses surroundings combining so much of distant mountain grandeur with local beauty and wealth of vegetation" and this still holds true today. Early timber cutters would drag logs down to the river with bullock teams, then float the logs out to the river mouth chained together in rafts, to be loaded on to ships heading for Cairns. You have an ideal opportunity to view crocodiles and the bird life on the river by taking a cruise. All the cruises leave from the south side of the river.
THE DAINTREE FERRY There are public toilets on the south side of the ferry. Check out the model of the Cassowary and the chicks, so that you know what they look like. You must remain in your vehicle while you are travelling on the ferry. When you come off the ferry, pull over to the left and let the local traffic pass. You will have a more relaxing journey if you let the traffic get away - and you will avoid bumper to bumper traffic all the way to Cape Trib. You may also be able to buy some cheap locally grown fruit from the banana stall which is often on the north side of the river. Keep an eye out for the Spectacled Flying Foxes hanging in the trees for the first two hundred metres on your left next to the road. PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LAND A large part of the lowlands you will be travelling though is privately own freehold land. You will only travel through two sections of national park between the ferry and Cape Trib.( Look for the signs.) There are about 1000 rateable blocks, the majority between 1-2 hectares. The number of permanent residents is between 600-900 people. Many of these blocks have not been settled, and the rainforest is still intact. World Heritage listing protects national park and forestry land, but the protection rarely extends to rainforest which has been subdivided and sold. Only about 20 privately owned blocks are included in the Daintree Coast section of the World Heritage Area. These landholders have their land placed in the WHA to ensure permanent protection of rainforest on their land. CASSOWARY SIGNS You come to the first Cassowary sign 6 km north of the ferry, when you enter the first patch of rainforest. Slow down as this is a crossing point for one of the local birds. If you are on the road early you have a good chance of seeing one. The Cassowary is an endangered species and considered to be the sole disperser of the larger rainforest seeds and an important factor in rainforest revegetation. There are at least four known cassowary-crossing points on the road to Cape Tribulation. Keep watch for the signs. THE ALEXANDRA RANGE LOOKOUT - WALU WUGIRRIGA Features along the coastline starting from the closest seaward point:
Dawn at the look out is spectacular with the sun rising over the Coral Sea and the islands and river mouth gradually becoming visible. This drive over the Alexander range is a stunning scenic rainforest drive, and one of the most spectacular in the world - it has a sympathetic conservation design and its meandering nature enhances the ecotourism experience. As you descend from the look-out there are several glimpses of views of the Daintree coastline. It is illegal to stop because of the double lines. JINDALBA VISITOR AREA Turn off into Tulip Oak Road and follow it to the end. There are toilets and picnic shelters here, and both a short loop and a long loop walk. This is a 'Cassowary hot spot'. If you see a Cassowary while you are here, do not approach closer than 10 metres and do not feed it. You may find Cassowary droppings here - a round 'plop' of many seeds with most of their outer soft coating removed. Cassowaries are vital in dispersing many seeds too large to be transported by other wildlife. DAINTREE RAINFOREST DISCOVERY CENTRE Climb the canopy tower, explore the canopy walkways and spend time in the interpretation centre. COW BAY Locals are divided over how Cow bay was named. Some say it is for the sea cow or dugong which used to feed offshore, others say cows used to feed near the beach, or because cattle had to swim ashore from a barge after being transported to Cow Bay for fattening. The Cow Bay area has been classified as Outstanding Cassowary Habitat Zone by Corme and Moore (1993). In the lowlands and swamps of western Cow Bay the population density is as high as the best habitats in Mission Beach. All the roads seen from the main road are cul-de-sacs servicing freehold blocks of land. Early settlers arrived here in the 1880s and grew crops in the area - the Chinese grew dry rice, and maize and sugar cane were grown here. In 1929 there was a banana plantation and tropical fruit grown, but it was not successful. Pineapples were tried in the 1950s and timber cutting and cattle fattening also occurred. The Floravilla Art Gallery exhibits work from Bill and Betty Hinton. Bill is a photographer and Betty is world renowned for her collection of ancient and primitive flowering plants. Time for refreshments?
COW BAY BEACH Turn right into Buchanan Rd and travel the 6km down to the Cow Bay Beach. If you feel like a walk along Cow Bay Beach head north to the small cove. DAINTREE ICE-CREAM COMPANY Stop for an ice-cream made with locally grown exotic tropical fruit. FAN PALMS BOARDWALK A spectacular 20 minute boardwalk into the fan palm gallery. Suitable for wheelchairs. No charge if you have a cup of coffee at the Fan Palms Cafe. DAINTREE ENTOMOLOGICAL MUSEUM Opened 10am to 5pm daily. Share in the fantastic world of beautiful butterflies and beetles. This collection took 30 years to assemble and houses the world's rarest and most spectacular insects. DAINTREE TEA - CUBBAGUDTA PLANTATION You can recognise the tea plantation from the flat topped bushes which have been harvested. This plantation was established by the Nicholas family in 1978. The original seed came from near Innisfail and the first harvest took place in 1985. The leaves are harvested by machine usually every two weeks. This is the perfect growing environment for a unique tasting tea, free from tannic acid and pesticide residues. You can buy Daintree Tea from most shops in the Daintree region or place an order through the web site. It was cattle from the Daintree Tea Company which put the rare Idiospermum, a primitive flowering plant back into the spotlight in 1971, after it was thought extinct. After a spate of cattle deaths, a post mortem showed that the cattle had eaten the toxic seeds of this primitive plant. RAINFOREST VILLAGE There is a small supermarket and the last available petrol located here. COOPER CREEK AND THORNTON BEACH In the wet season Cooper Creek can be a barrier to cars, as the causeway may flood in heavy rain. In a small car do not try and cross the causeway until the depth of the water on the causeway drops to 0.2 metres. You need to have lots of patience as it is possible to be held up here for several hours if there are heavy rains in the area. In the old days, cars forded the river and you needed four wheel drive. Cooper Creek is a special area, and offers two memorable experiences. You can join the only tourboat permitted in the Cape Tribulation Section of the Daintree National Park on a mangrove discovery tour in search of the estuarine crocodile. You can also take a guided walk in the Cooper Creek Wilderness - a privately owned and managed Nature Refuge which has been described as having the best rainforest in the World Heritage area - and enjoy a swim in Cooper Creek, after the walk It is possible to combine the guided walk, the cruise, lunch at Heritage Lodge and a swim in one of the swimming holes on Cooper Creek - it is called the Self-drive Ultimate Daintree Experience Package - all organised with one phone call to 4098 9126 - commencing at either 9.00 am or 11.15 am Thornton Beach is a great place to walk along the beach and explore the mouth of Cooper Creek. Watch out for crocodiles! There are picnic tables behind the beach and a public toilet at Cafe-on-sea.
Time for refreshments?
MARRDJA BOARDWALK The Marrdja boardwalk goes out to Noahs Creek where there is a balcony. Go early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid the crowds. A circular route which takes about 30 minutes. Wheelchair friendly. Toilets. NOAHS BEACH - 2 km south of Cape Trib At the National Park camping ground there is a lovely little beach. You can walk from here south to the mouth of Noah Creek. Will have campers using it. NOAHS RANGE This is the last range before you reach the Cape Tribulation area. Great view of Cape Tribulation and the fringing reef as you descend from Noahs Range into the Cape Trib valley. There are two places where you can pull over. The first provides a view of Undine Reef with its tiny sandy cay. The second provides a view of the headland of Cape Tribulation - this view is spectacular at low tide on a sunny day. COCONUT BEACH The beach can be seen from the road. Coconut Beach has a large fringing reef which is exposed at low tide. You will notice the road divides to go around a large rainforest tree. This is a Kwila (Australian Teak) - renowned for its timber. The bar at the Long House at Coconut Beach Rainforest Lodge is made from this timber. You can access this beach through the lodge or from further south where the road touches the beach. There is a large fringing reef with a steep drop off, which provides excellent fishing with handlines at low tide out on the reef edge. When you get thirsty, you can go and have a cocktail from the lodge bar just behind the beach. You can walk north to the river mouth of Myall Creek, but do not cross - as a large crocodile lives here. CAPE TRIBULATION VALLEY The swimming hole on Myall Creek at Masons Shop is open to the public. To access the swimming hole walk off the left end of the shop verandah and cross the footbridge. The path will lead you to the swimming hole.There is also a walk opposite the shop which goes down to the southern end of Myall Beach. Mason's Shop has a range of groceries, drinks, souvenirs and takeaway liquor license The Information Centre has a wide range of local brochures, and you can book tours and accommodation here. Masons Tours offers the only 'Croc Spotting Nightwalk' in the Daintree, and interpretive walks on their 170 hectare property, as well as a 4WD half day tour on the Bloomfield Track which departs at 7.30am. Just past the shop is a Quandong plantation. These trees were planted by Paul Mason in 1987, as a commercial rainforest plantation timber trial. DUBIJI You can walk on a boardwalk through the forest and also gain access to Myall Beach at this point. Barbecues, picnic shelters, toilets. Where the Dubiji path comes out on Myall Beach there is a break in the fringing reef and one of the best places to swim. MYALL BEACH Myall Beach access is also via the mangrove boardwalk alongside PKs Jungle Village. There are four different species of mangrove that can be viewed in the 100 metres of boardwalk. Can be crowded with backpackers where the boardwalk accesses the beach from PK's. Best swimming is a break in the reef, directly opposite the track from Dubiji. You can walk north to the Cape Trib Headland and take a track over the neck of the headland to the Cape Trib Beach. Half way to the headland there is Mason Creek. There is a sheltered nook here out of the wind, and mangroves here make the birdwatching interesting. A spectacular view up to Mt Sorrow. Near the boardwalk, areas of fringing reef are exposed at low tide - so make time to explore the rock pools. THE FRINGING REEF Adjacent to the coastline at Cape Trib. there is an extensive fringe of coral reef. This combination of a continental tropical rainforest and coral reef is rare and unusual as it would be expected that high levels of freshwater run-off from the forests would be detrimental to reef development, yet the reef exists and appears to be unique in the world. THE BAT HOUSE The Bat House is a volunteer run, accredited Wet Tropics Visitor Centre and is so named because there is always a pet flying-fox in attendance. Entrance to the Bat House is by a $2.00 per person donation (children free) and provides environmental and tourist information on the region, and on the research activities of the Cape Tribulation Tropical Research Station, which operates from the same property. Open between 10.30 and 3.30 every day except Mondays, Christmas day and New Year's day. Income from the Bat House supports research and conservation work in the area. CAPE TRIBULATION BEACH Has toilets and picnic tables and can be quite crowded. Very shallow and sheltered from the winds. Ideal for children. Dive boat departs from here at 8.30am. You can walk to the look-out - 10 minutes - or head north to the Cape Trib Beach House - 20 minutes, and hire a canoe to paddle from the Beach House. On reefs north of the Beach House, there is still some live coral on the edge of the fringing reef, if you have brought your snorkel. Time for refreshments?
Want to take a personalised tour in the Cape Trib area?
Looking for a souvenir to take home as a momento of your time at Cape Tribulation?
THE RETURN JOURNEY For the day visitor - your time is so short - so why not spend the evening in the local area before heading back to your accommodation at Port Douglas or Cairns? The ferry is open until midnight, so you can miss the peak hour rush and the long wait at the ferry and make the most of your time here, as there are a number of opportunities available. You can have an early dinner in the rainforest, followed by a nightwalk. Alternatively you can take a sunset cruise on the Daintree River. If you want to take these options don't forget you will need to book. Late night options - Cape Trib - 45 minutes from the ferry
Late night options - Cooper Creek - 30 minutes from the ferry
Late night options - Daintree River
BEYOND CAPE TRIBULATION For those of you who decide to savour the experience, by staying a few nights in the local area, there is more to see and experience to the north of Cape Tribulation. Your accommodation house can help you plan how you spend your time. Mason’s Tours offer half and full day tours along the Bloomfield Track in air-conditioned Toyota Landcruisers. Mason’s guides have all completed government approved 4WD training courses, and the vehicles carry extensive recovery and safety equipment. If you have your own four wheel drive vehicle, refer to Four-wheel driving on the Bloomfield Track which provides hints on what to expect and where to purchase a detailed map of the road. WHY NOT PUT SOMETHING BACK INTO THE AREA NOW YOU HAVE SEEN IT? You can support the Australian Tropical Research Foundation (who run the Bat House) , which is directly involved in supporting scientific research for local conservation issues as well as land purchase for conservation.
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Allow
a minimum of one and a half hours
drive time from Cairns to reach the ferry, one
hour from Port Douglas.