The road north stops at the Daintree River. The only way across is via a basic cable ferry, gamely chugging back and forth until midnight. It’s the dividing line between relative happy-holidays civilisation and a Tropical North Queensland with a far greater emphasis on the ‘tropical’ and the ‘north’ parts.
The Daintree is not a river you want to contemplate swimming across, as the wealth of crocodile-watching cruise operators gathered on the south bank should indicate.
Wildlife on the Daintree River: crocodiles and mangroves
Skipper Adam Green from the Daintree River Cruise Centre starts things off with a baby one – it’s probably about a year and a half old, and could maybe manage a nasty nip. “But,” he says. “It’s the one you can’t see that you’ve got to worry about.”
Further downstream, after Adam has taken the opportunity to pluck snakes out of trees and point out that there are more species of mangrove in this river system than anywhere else on earth, the big boy emerges.
“Scarface is the most dominant croc in this stretch of the river,” says Adam pointing out the half-submerged four metre monster. “In a year or two, a couple of the younger crocodiles will try to muscle him out, but for now he’s got breeding rights here.”
Exploring the rainforest trails: ancient ecology and cassowaries
The croc – an ancient remnant of the dinosaur era that has been designed so efficiently it’s had no need to evolve since – is a fitting master species for what awaits on the north bank.
The Daintree rainforest is thought to be the oldest surviving rainforest on earth. Within it is an almost complete evolutionary record of plant life on this planet, through ferns, cycads and conifers to the far more recent flowering plants.
Branching from the road north are a few walking trails, such as the signposted boardwalks at Jindalba, which do the education thing with geeky enthusiasm. Counterintuitively, these trails are also the best places to get out of the honking, driving rain that is hinted at in the word “rainforest”. The canopy is so thick that very little gets through.
This applies to light as well as water. The most striking sensation is of how dark it is while strolling past gigantic circular palm fronds, impromptu rushing creeks and colourful fruits that are poisonous for humans to eat with all but the most careful preparation.
Spotting cassowaries and reaching Cape Tribulation
There’s one inhabitant of the Daintree that will eat pretty much all of them, though. The cassowary is a phenomenally ugly-looking, blue-crested bird that can stand up to human height, weigh 60 kg and disembowel any passing unfortunate that gets in its way with terrifyingly long toenails.
To see one with its chicks by the roadside on the way up to Cape Tribulation is a remarkable treat. It is estimated that there are only 1,200 of them left in the wild, and they are critical to the survival of the rainforest. They eat the fleshy fruits whole, then disperse the seeds at the other end, often several kilometres away from the original tree. But they look a little like Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver, and have a similar temperament, so watching from the car window is probably the best bet.
From rainforest to reef: Cape Tribulation beach and snorkelling
Cape Tribulation is where the narrow, snaking, swerving road through the sodden prehistoric lushness ends. With the exception of a tea plantation, a ramshackle beach café and dozens of well-meaning signs alerting drivers to recent cassowary crossing spots, there’s not much sign of human interference.
It’s a small settlement borrowed from the bush by hardy stalwarts growing tropical fruits and offering accommodation in simple cabins. It’s an off-the-generator, water from underground reservoirs kind of place that has incongruously found itself on the backpacker trail. It is also beginning to tempt those who want the Great Barrier Reef experience, but not from the two main bases of brash Cairns and sanitised Port Douglas.
Snorkelling the reef near Cape Tribulation
This is where the Great Dividing Range comes to the shore. Thickly-forested mountains rise pretty much from the sweeping, seductive, fantastically empty beach. It gets its name courtesy of Lt James Cook, whose ship struck a nearby reef on his epic voyage up Australia’s east coast in 1770.
The Great Barrier Reef is only 20 km away – this is about as close as it gets to the Australian mainland. It takes around 25 minutes bouncing across the chop of the Coral Sea in Ocean Safari’s twin-engined boat to find a sand cay surrounded by a rich underwater eco-system.
It’s not about the staghorn coral waving in the current. It’s not about the lurid parrotfish continually chomping. It’s not about Nemo hiding cunningly inside an anemone. It’s not even about the mercifully harmless white-tipped reef shark gliding past in search of something that wouldn’t think it harmless. It’s about how it all fits together.
Returning via rainforest path
On return, the boat pulls up at the beach. The only way back home is via a rudimentary trail cut through the mangroves and cassowary-dependent, sunlight-hogging trees. The wood-cut jungle-chic bar at the end feels as tentatively borrowed from nature as it’s possible to imagine.
Essential visitor information for the Daintree and Cape Tribulation region
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the cost of the Daintree River wildlife cruise? | The Daintree River Cruise Centre offers a 1-hour cruise from A$35 per adult and from A$17.50 for children. |
| How much does the Ocean Safari reef snorkelling tour cost from Cape Tribulation? | Adult rate is AUD $207 for the half-day snorkel experience. Child rate is AUD $141. |
| Where can you stay in Cape Tribulation and how much does it cost? | Accommodation at the Cape Trib Beach House starts from $225 per night for 2 adults. |
| How do visitors cross the Daintree River by vehicle? | The Daintree River cable ferry is the only vehicle crossing, operating up to midnight. |
| What is the best season to visit the Daintree rainforest and reef from Cape Tribulation? | The dry season, generally May to October, offers better road and marine conditions for rainforest walks and snorkelling trips. |
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More Queensland travel
Other Queensland travel articles on Planet Whitley include:
- Should you visit Eumundi Markets on Wednesday or Saturday?
- A practical guide to walking in Auburn River National Park.
- A guide to walking in Bunya Mountains National Park.
- A guide to Cairns for first-time visitors.
- Exploring the Great Barrier Reef: Best islands and tours.
