Daintree, Cape Tribulation and Stunning Beaches - Far North Queensland has it all

Due to the budget restraints and the cost of getting a family of 5 out to the reef, we opted to self drive our sight seeing up to Cape Tribulation. The cost was minimal, after car hire ($30) and entry fees.

First up was the picturesque Mossman Gorge. The cost is reasonable - $20 shuttle to the rainforest (for the family). The bush walks are easy enough for a 4 year old, though you see a range of trees and forest. Mossman Gorge is 80 kms from Cairns, or a mere 10 minutes from Port Douglas. Mossman Gorge is the southern part of the World Heritage listed Daintree rainforest.

The path takes you through dense trees, as well as cascading river views. While swimming is not recommended due to rapids, a number of tourists did venture in at the tiny beach viewing point.

We spent about two hours there, then continued up towards Cape Tribulation. The scenery on the way up is truly beautiful, with rocky mountains over looking the cane fields.

The costly part of the trip is the unavoidable car ferry - which is $23 return. You buy the ticket on arrival. The ferry crosses regularly between 6am and midnight. There are crocodiles on this river, so no swimming and take care on the riverbanks. This is also the last place you get mobile reception. If you have the time, there are a number of crocodile cruises leaving from here.

There is a stunning look out just five minutes past the river, the Daintree Alexandra Range Lookout - from here you can see where the river meets the sea, the Low Isles and Snapper Island, among other things.

While there were many warning signs for Cassowary crossing, I was very disappointed that we didn't see any in the wild. However as the native birds are big and quite dangerous, it was probably for the best.

There are a myriad of other places to stop - the Daintree ice cream factory at Floraville and the Daintree Discovery Centre with its treetop walk are the top two choices, plus the Jungle Canopy Surfing if you've got the budget.

We stopped at the beach at Cape Tribulation - but there is no swimming, due to crocodiles. It has a pretty look out but be warned it is the chief stop for the tourist buses, so for us, it was very crowded.

My pick is the little beach further south, where we stopped on the return journey - we had the vast expanse of sand to ourselves, and it really highlighted what a wonderful piece of paradise the far north of Queensland is.

We headed home as the afternoon sun began to fade, and lamented not having another day in this part of the world to take our time and see more of what it has to offer.

Practicalities

Mossman Gorge http://www.mossmangorge.com.au/
Daintree Ice Cream http://www.floravillaartgallery.com.au/daintree_biodynamic_ice_cream.htm
Jungle Canopy Surfing Tours http://junglesurfing.com.au/
Daintree Discovery Centre  http://www.daintree-rec.com.au/

Related Articles: Sailaway day trip to the Low Isles http://www.weekendnotes.com/sailaway-port-douglas/

Port Douglas Villa Accomodation http://holidazeandhellidaze.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/family-accommodation-doesnt-mean-you.html

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