Tag:daintree

Daintree River: Where Rainforest Meets River

After a terrible night of almost no sleep at the Daintree River Village Lodge (I really should learn to travel with my own pillow!), we were up before the sparrows and down on the Daintree River Jetty by 6 am, still in the dark.  The light came pretty quickly, though, and by the time we pushed off at 6.30 am, it was light enough to see.  We took a cruise with Ian ‘Sauce’ Worcester,  

Cape Tribulation Rainforest

Cruising up the various arms of the Daintree and up to the Barretts Creek bridge that you drive across to enter the village was a silent and serene experience. Cape Tribulation Daintree Rainforest expands over 1200 square kilometres and is the largest area of continuous tropical rainforest in Australia. It is believed to be around 135 million years old. It is also considered to be one of the most ancient and primitive rainforests in the world. The river is totally still and silent save for the occasional bird call… it was like entering a prehistoric world. The river banks are totally overgrown with lush vegetation and bring to mind what I would expect the Amazon to look like. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a native with a dart gun peering out of the trees).

daintree river
Barretts Creek Bridge
cruising down daintree river
Daintree River, morning cruise
Daintree River
egret on daintree river
Egret

Ian is an extremely knowledgeable guide with eyes like a hawk. How he spotted birds and snakes from a moving boat camouflaged was a skill to behold. We saw plenty of wildlife on the cruise, including Crocodiles, Tree Snakes, Sacred Kingfisher and Ulysses Butterfly. However, in a small moving boat, none are easy to photograph, especially the crocs. As soon as they slithered off the bank into the river, Ian throttled up and got out of dodge 😉

sacred kingfisher
Sacred Kingfisher
saltwater crocodile
Never smile at a crocodile
python on daintree river
Python
Hartleys Crocodile Farm

Returning to the jetty, we packed up our room, headed to civilisation, and headed back down the Captain Cook Hwy to Cairns, stopping at Hartleys Crocodile Adventures for yet more crocs.

Hartleys, while commercial, is extremely good.  The entry price is fair, and their cafe serves some of the best food we had while in Cairns at excellent prices. The entire place is outstanding value for money.  We had a delicious lunch (chicken schnitzels and salad) and then boarded the lagoon cruise boat, which is included in your entry fee.  The cruise is only about 15 minutes around the lagoon,  but you get to see a jumping croc. They rise straight up out of the water. So scratch sitting in on a low-hanging branch tree as an effective haven from crocs in the wild.

hartleys crocodile farm

With our croc adventures complete, we continued into Cairns and booked into our hotel. We had chosen the Hilton alongside Trinity Inlet for its proximity to the reef cruise centre and esplanade. The room was lovely, and the view was great, but the service was pretty average. If I get back to Cairns again, I won’t stay at the Hilton.  We had a delicious meal on the esplanade returned to the hotel, and crashed out early (was becoming a theme, up by 5.30 – 6 am and in bed by 9 pm lol)

Next Morning.

was another gloriously sunny day, and we left the hotel by about 7 am and headed up into the Atherton Tablelands and Waterfall Way.

cathedral fig tree
Curtain Fig Tree

The first stop was Curtain Fig Tree in Yungaburra… it’s a HUGE old tree with a massive canopy.  They are Strangler Fig trees with the fig seed dropped by birds on the top of a tree. It germinates and sends aerial roots, some as long as 15 metres, down to the ground, eventually strangling the original tree as it takes over.

Waterfall Way

From the Curtain Fig Tree, we headed to Ellinjaa Falls, a beautiful waterfall that’s about a 15-minute downhill walk from the car park.  Getting back up was a little taxing, but not as bad as some I have been to.

elinjaa falls
Ellinjaa Falls

We drove from Ellinjaa to Milla Millaa, probably the most famous waterfall on the Palmerston Hwy circuit. It’s got a lot going for it. It is stunning, and just over 18 metres tall. There is plenty of water pounding over the top, and a pool below it that’s popular to swim in. Even better, it’s right beside the carpark!

milla milla falls
Milla Milla Falls

We left the tablelands late afternoon and headed back for Cairns, a hotel with thoughts of a shower, wine and dinner… and suitably accomplished all three before crashing out again at about 9.30 pm.

© Bevlea Ross