FNQ including The Daintree

We ended up staying two nights at Rifle Creek (Mt Molloy at the northern end of the Atherton Tablelands). How can you knock back a camp area where the toilet paper doesn’t get nicked! Ended up yacking with Central Coasters (Hamlyn Terrace & Green Point) for the arvo. But all great things ..... so we made an early start, on the road by 7.30am which is a new record and one we hope to not beat..... ever....

So on to the extravagant part of the holiday. We arrived early at the Daintree River ferry and got to drag our granny flat along a most amazing rainforest road to Cape Tribulation campground. We arrived way too early and yet the relaxed staff were happy to get us onto our site straight away.
 

By pure luck, we had the best site in the campground – double length and the back half of the site next to us so we spread right out and settled in to some serious relaxing. Just as well, as the rain rained, the wind blew a gale on the beach, but that was 10m away and the foliage of the rainforest was so dense, it virtually stopped the wind reaching us. When the sun came out, we walked for miles up the beach, along board walks built by the good National Park folks and sat around some more.

  

 

Once we’d had enough seeing the rainforest near us, we headed off and spent the next couple of days exploring the other accessible parts north of the ferry. Everywhere is a smorgasbord of lush green and running water. 
  

Ok, so there was also a fair bit of grey skies that leaked regularly too.

On one of our journeys, we had the rare privilege of seeing a Cassowary as it meandered along the side of the road. It was uplifting to get to see one roaming free. They have no road sense at all and no fear of traffic, not a good combination for long term survival nearby roads! Receding rainforest is of course the major contributor for their decline numbers though (less than 1,200 in the wild). As we drove towards where it casually wandered off into the foliage on the side of the road, it had already completely disappeared which is another reason so few people get to see them. They blend in completely with the surrounding rainforest.
 
 

Cape Trib campground put on wood fired oven pizza’s which we couldn’t resist. Not much base, not much topping but what a lot of flavour and surprisingly filling. Jane found the two VB’s she scoffed added to that feeling of “elegant sufficiency” which is code for “way too much” and we headed off to bed. Have we mentioned how rough it is camping in the bush on a queen size inner spring mattress?

After three nights, lots of rainforest walks and an overall brilliant experience, we packed up for the long (<1 hour) journey to Wonga Beach where we are booked into a great little caravan park for a week with Emmy, a friend who has come up from Sydney. The park is owned/operated by Cairns Council with an on-site caretaker who really makes the place somewhere you want to holiday to. She treats everyone as special and nothing is too much trouble. Council was looking to terminate her tenure, however that’s been delayed as they realised they don’t have the right to (it is demerging back into two Councils and the park is located in the “other half). People have booked in year after year and this year was booked out as the “farewell CC” year. So we only got in because of a cancellation. 

We had a day trip to Cairns including the Botanical Gardens (well worth seeing) and also galleries including the one Emmy’s cousin is Director of (also well worth seeing). Got back late and missed happy hour!

  

Next day was out on the reef. This is our second time snorkelling on the reef and this time was as incredible as the first. We got to go to Opal Reef which apparently is rarely visited due to it being sensitive and yet one of the most interesting. The commute was a bit rough, with John spending the entire journey both ways hanging on to the supports in the centre of the boat and trying to not look green around the gills. We missed happy hour again.

A half day at Mossman Gorge was another surprise experience. Free entry ($6 for the bus if you didn’t want to walk a few km’s each way) and a superb and very affordable lunch. This place is another “must do”. Got back for happy hour which seemed to go on until shortly before kick-off then into the serious business of cane toad and cockroach bashing. At least we weren’t disgraced in game three. 
 

 We awoke to a sunny day and so changed our plans and headed back to the Daintree to spend the best part of the day at the Daintree Discovery Centre and nearby Jindalba Rainforest. The Discovery Centre cost $32 admission each and was money well spent, with walkways throughout this privately owned property varying from ground level to a suspended section through to a 27m tower. It also included a self guided audio system, which added another dimension. These gave such different perspectives of a rainforest. The couple who conceived this and built it from scratch had such vision.



 A late lunch and it was time to make our way back “home”, arriving in time to again participate in happy hour. The celebrations were on in earnest as today had been the Wonga Nut Festival (something the caretaker “CC” and her late husband conceived a number of years ago and has run every year since). There were numerous awards, so in spite of the many people participating, the vast majority won some category or another. Whilst we hadn’t been here for the festival, we were again warmly welcomed even though they knew from last night that we are Blues supporters. Usually groups that get together like these folks get very clicky however these guys all work hard to ensure everyone settles in and has a good laugh. 

Next morning, we figured a cruise on the Daintree River to view crocs was in order, so drove the few km's and booked onto an electric boat cruise (quiet, no fumes, unfortunately also vey few crocs). It was a pleasant way to spend an hour or so all the same.

Saturday we awoke to seriously blue skies. We made the short trek into Mossman for local markets and to stock up in preparation for hitting the road tomorrow. We then came back and walked the beach.

Suddenly, it was happy hour again ..... the (mainly) retiree’s who have abandoned their homes to escape the southern winter have a ball every night and tonight was no exception. We found out our site was not booked for the next two nights so jumped at the opportunity to stay on. Hard partying at 5pm is becoming second nature!

Sunday was "markets day" including Port Douglas and Kuranda. We fortunately managed to spend very little whilst having a really nice time.

Monday was a day of rest. well until the obligatory 5pm happy hour which only extended until 7.30pm tonight. CC had headed into Mossman to collect goodies for Xmas in July celebrations tomorrow night which we'll unfortunately miss and so is  not in the photo. The happiest folks happen to be at our (far) end of the table ... seriously true.....








To finish this rambling, we had to include a photo of a wonderful character, Jimmy Bull ... not sure if the surname is his or just something he lives up to, but he makes a lot of people smile every day.  

Lesson of the week

Nomads who are choosing to live are having a bloody good time of it!!