We tried to leave Palm Cove early, but the logistics of getting all our things down to the carpark on the luggage trolley (getting it from reception, negotiating it through pool gates back to our building and up in the lift) took time. But that was ok. It was a 1 hour drive up the Cook Highway, past Port Douglas to Mossman. We stopped half way between Palm Cove and Port Douglas so I could make my own “village” on a stony beach. There were not many stones left, the village was so vast. Childish fun!
The drive north of Port Douglas was through lots of sugar cane country. They have started harvesting it and we passed a couple of sugar trains, hauling the sugar.
We stopped at Mossman Gorge, a few kms out of town. The running of the tourism is managed by the aboriginal owners and they have done a great job. A rather new building houses the information, cafe, souvenirs, administration and it is very modernistic in design. They ask that you purchase a shuttle bus ticket for the remaining 4 kms to the gorge, otherwise you walk the narrow road. Almost everyone did this. The shuttle runs every 15 mins and one was waiting for us. There are a couple of walks through the rainforest and down to the river. We did the 2.5km rainforest walk which wound around the rainforest and crossed the river on a suspension bridge. It took quite awhile as the track was very up and down with steps and tree roots. Some of the buttress trees were magnificent. We did a shorter circular route along the river. The sound of the water is loud as it washes down over big boulders. I think the boulders are what makes it very special. We caught the shuttle back and had coffee back at the cafe, looking out at the rainforest.
It was then back into Mossman for a last couple of things – they have a new Woolworths, probably needed as the town was surprisingly big. However we found it very hot, particularly after having been up the gorge. The locals obviously didn’t as we passed a fellow in a fleecy jacket and another in a warm coat and tracksuit pants! We have had to bring all our food for the next 3 days as there are no real shops over the Daintree River. We had done a big shop the day before in Smithfield when we had the tyre fitted.
After Mossman the road passes through a couple of very small towns and lots more sugar, before reaching Daintree. We had to queue for the ferry which brings you across the Daintree River. There is even a ticket booth you drive past before driving down to the ferry – $27 return. We had to wait with a long queue of cars but made it onto the next ferry – it seemed to take at least 20 cars. We then were in a procession as we all drove off. We stopped at Jindalba, a place I saw on the map had picnic tables and we thought we could eat our sandwiches here. It turned out to be set in another rainforest, with some walks from it. They were doing building work but we went to the shelter shed to eat and a worker sat down to eat his lunch and started chatting. Seems he was the supervisor but heavily involved with the aboriginal community and development up here. Anthony gave us a history of what has happened here, then showed us the black coconut tree and how the men use the base for their spears because it is so hard (he got an hammer from his ute to hit the trunk and let us hear the sound). He said the men gave the white top part to the women to make their dilly bags. He was very interesting. A couple of backpackers came and joined us to eat their lunch and realised they too could have a lesson. When we left he was still chatting with them. No need for a guided tour.
Our accommodation was only a few more kms away. It is quite unique – a pole house, down a long drive, with lush vegetation all around it. It is mostly solar powered with a bit of generator back up. The sides all open up for ventilation, luckily there are fly screens. Everything is timber inside. A huge kitchen after the last 5 days. A very wide verandah runs the length of it with tables and chairs there as well. You look out over lush palms, trees and “green” – like being high above the forest. Very comfortable.
Saturday we set off to go as far as Cape Tribulation. We were surprised how many people were around, it was a busy road and a very scenic road. It wound over a couple of small ranges, all the time in dense forest apart from the small tea plantation close to where we live. There were at least 3 places where they had signs – Beware of Cassowaries crossing. They have put speed humps, with rocks on the top of them, to slow the traffic down every couple of hundred meters in these areas. We are yet to sight one of these elusive creatures and think they must now be extinct!!!
At Cape Tribulation we walked out onto the beach and then followed a walk to a lookout back to the beach and up the coast. Very picturesque. We did a walk from here over the southern ridge out to Myall Beach, another long flat beach with headlands at each end. The rainforest comes right to the sand.
This was where the bitumen stops, there is then a dirt road north to Cooktown. Cars can travel as far as Emmagen Creek but then the crossing of the creek and the next 100kms are 4WD and known as the Bloomfield Track. We drove to Emmagen Creek and walked 400m to a waterhole in the creek. There were some Brazilian backpackers – the 2 guys showing the 2 girls how they could swing from a rope into the water. We got into the water, navigating tree roots as footholds and joined the fun. It was delightful – not icy cold at all – a lovely temperature. It was very deep in parts but crystal clear. There were rocks on the bottom and fish swimming around your feet – some not that small. A great find.
After that it was time to return for lunch and a quiet afternoon in our tree house. In true rainforest tradition it rained heavily all night.
Sunday was misty but dry. We spent a bit of the morning trying to sort out accommodation for the next part of the trip and then set off for Coconut Beach where it was low tide and parts of the reef were visible. This is how the Daintree gets the term – “Where the Rainforest meets the Reef”. We drove back to a place called Masons Café – but it was really a grocery (?), liquor store, café, information and tour booking place all rolled up on one small building. Paul had a coffee on the verandah and then we inquired about their swimming hole that was noted on the brochures. The fellow pointed to some trees a hundred meters away and said it is over there. We walked past a box that asked for a $1 donation (we paid) and walked to the trees. There were some concrete steps down to the Myall Creek, obviously running past their property, and there was the swimming hole. A family with 2 children followed us down – there had come to feed bread to the fish and turtles and were locals (down for the day from near Cooktown). They said it was way too cold to swim! We, however, thought otherwise and got in – a much easier place to enter than the one yesterday. It was crystal clear and again had rocks on the bottom. We swam out to the middle where it was quite deep, you couldn’t touch bottom. and swam around. The family had left and we had it all to ourselves. Beautiful.
After this we stopped at Marrdja Boardwalk, near Noah Beach. This was a magnificent 1.2km walk on a formed boardwalk passed incredible rainforest near Cooper Creek and then mangroves near Noah Creek and then back into rainforest. The information booklet said that this rainforest contained examples of every stage of the evolution of land plants over 400 million years, including basket ferns, tassell ferns and club ferns, cycads, ancient pines and primitive flowering plants. They were amazing. Then there were the mangroves – they say the most diverse in Aust. We saw cannonball mangroves with their huge seed pods and buttress roots. It was a walk.
Time then to get back to our house in the forest. We noticed fewer people today and it is possible that because the Ironman Triathlon is on, it is almost impossible for people or tours to come up here.
We had to pack up and leave, but as it was a short travelling day, only going as far as Cairns, we decided to go on a boat trip on the Daintree River. Everyone goes on these trips to see crocodiles and we were not disappointed. There were only a dozen of us and we had plenty of room to move around to get good photos and looks at 3 crocodiles. The first was a female (so the guide said – all determined on size). He said she was sunbaking to help digest the wild pig she had eaten. We then saw another crocodile called Scarface. He was supposedly quite old and had been attacked by other crocodiles, seeking to steal his role as top croc. We watched him swim and then dive down, leaving no ripples. The other one we found just swimming in the river – he was big.
It was then in to Cairns where we were staying down on the waterfront at the Pullman. Our room was on the 13th floor with good views west over the city. We went down to the waterfront and walked along a long stretch of it. Just like in Townsville, they have spent a lot of money doing up this area. It would otherwise have been a muddy mangrove. Now they have created grassed areas with the big free form pools and beaches. Today, a Monday, it was really crowded. We wandered past lots of restaurants and some of the hotels and the marina. Near the marina an area was roped off and a band was playing – this was the after party for the Ironman.
When it came time for dinner, we went downstairs and enjoyed our complimentary drinks, then headed out to the strip of restaurants. We both felt like something different and chose a Turkish restaurant. Good choice, good food. Then it was time to walk back through the Night Markets, something that is held every night. They were busy.
A good day on the river and then in Cairns.
Jottings & Blottings 