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Date: September 2005
Location: Daintree Forest, Queensland Australia
It's a little known fact that the Daintree
Rainforest, an ancient World
Heritage-listed wonderland in our own backyard, is older than the Amazon.
Every year, several hundred thousand people from around the world make sure the Daintree is on their travel itinerary, but this most magical of ancient rainforests is a great drive destination and is still a well-kept secret from many Queenslanders.
It's here the velvety green mantle of the forest slopes plunge to the aqua waters
of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park,
where fringing reefs grow almost to the shore. No where else in the world can
you experience these two natural wonders side by side - where World Heritage-listed
reef and rainforest actually meet.
The Daintree Village, just an hour-and-a-half drive from Cairns
or 45 minutes from Port Douglas, is the
perfect base from which to explore the region.
Accommodation caters for all budgets, from the ultra-swish, multi-award-winning
Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa with its private cabins perched in the rainforest,
to the recently-refurbished Daintree Riverview Caravan Park with its stunning
views of the Daintree River.
If you're looking for five-star, the eco lodge here is the one of the world's ultimate eco retreats, complete with luxurious spa treatments, personally-guided rainforest tours and a restaurant perched amongst the trees which specialises in bush tucker, exotic fruits and local seafood.
We stayed at Daintree Cloud Nine, which offers self-catering accommodation,
and there are also B&Bs and homestays, and a few secluded resorts further north.
A great spot for lunch is the Big Barramundi Garden, which serves local
barra, crocodile and emu lunches until late afternoon daily, just a stone's throw
from the river.
From the village, the wonder of the Daintree and Cape
Tribulation is on your doorstep. There are flora species that have survived
almost unchanged for 110 million years. Indeed, these rainforests actually contain
several of the first flowering plants (called angiosperms), which were the origins
of all plant life.
No great shakes in the botanical department, I was lucky enough to hook up with
one of the region's great characters, Dan Irby. One of the most magical ways to
experience the Daintree is with Dan Irby's Mangrove Adventures . At sunrise
and sunset, Dan runs small, personalised tours of the Daintree River, focusing
on the area's natural history. Dan has years of experience in medical and zoological
research. His passion for the Daintree is absolutely infectious and we were soon
enthusiastically croc spotting, bird watching and learning about the unique flora
and fauna.
You can make your own way into the Daintree via the Daintree Ferry. It's the only
cable ferry in tropical Australia, and drops
you on the southern part of the lowland Daintree Rainforest. The ferry operates
from 6:00am to midnight every day, and the cost for a standard vehicle is $20
return.
There are plenty of day trips and activities to choose from including Aboriginal-guided rainforest walks with the local Kuku Yalanji people, river wildlife cruises, guided bird spotting, Cape Tribulation safaris, river fishing, horse riding and bike riding, exploring secluded beaches and 4WD safaris.
Cooper Creek Wilderness
offers guided day and night interpretive rainforest tours. Or you can tackle the
tracks on your own on the Marrdja Boardwalk, a 1.1km loop which takes 30 minutes.
You don't need a champagne budget to explore this beautiful region. It's one of the best driving adventures around and it's right on our doorstep.
For more information:
Tourism Tropical North Queensland
Tel +61 7 4031 7676
- By Sue Fuller
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