Covering an incredible expanse of 1,200 square kilometres, most people don’t realise that the Daintree is older than both the Congo and the Amazon. Way back when the rainforest was formed along the Great Dividing Range, our mountains were as tall as the Andes. It was tidbits of information like this that made me so glad we chose to ride through the Daintree with Tony’s Tropical Tours. Our lovely guide Steve was a literal fountain of knowledge, spurting off incredible details about the history, the land and the species.
We saw birds, snakes, spiders and even crocodiles. I didn’t realise that they were so prominent in the area but they live here, numbering in the thousands. We took a trip down the river and came across one measuring more than 4 metres. Let’s just say I was very glad to be in the boat.
We stopped at Mossman Gorge where the brilliant greens of the trees twinkled in the dappled sunlight, damp from the rain. It’s pretty much always wet in the rainforest, as the name implies. But the tap tap tap of the water on the foliage is a magical sound.
We wandered the length of the river, marvelling at the boulders dotted about. They appeared as though in another lifetime giants had been halfway through a game of marbles before becoming bored and leaving them scattered.
We wandered trails, picnicked by rivers, climbed rocks and drew breath at lookouts; stopping at Cape Tribulation to take in the panorama.
We even had a little brush with celebrity. Well not quite, but we visited the same region of rainforest that Sir David Attenborough had been to years earlier, specifically to find a little creature called the Peppermint Stick Insect. After a great deal of hunting, we managed to spot him too. I could just hear Sir David narrating in my mind; ‘the majestic peppermint stick insect loves to play hide and seek…’. See him there in the leaf?...
If you find yourself in Tropical North Queensland and are looking to explore the Daintree then I highly recommend tagging along with Tony’s Tropical Tours. Pack your camera, a raincoat and a sense of adventure…
Photos by Krissie.