Localities

The Daintree Coast has some geographically distinct precincts or planning areas and these have been given a feature in this website to help orient travellers to the broader complexity of Nature's Masterpiece.

Daintree River

Daintree River - majestic, primordial, exciting - a bird-watchers paradise and habitat to an astonishing diversity of wildlife.

Daintree River has long protected the ancient rainforested landscape to the north with its sentinel guard of resident saltwater crocodiles.  Indeed, it was not until the first cable ferry crossing was established in 1958, that vehicular access was made practical.  Less than a dozen years later, humankind discovered the existence of the last remnant of the oldest rainforest in the world.

Today, nature-lovers from around the world converge onto the Daintree River to experience its unique attributes.  As it is with ancient ecosystems, inhabitants enjoy the evolutionary advantages of greater discretion and competitiveness.  Visitors are encouraged to engage with custodial experts for superior interpretive services:

Cape Kimberley

A visit to the Daintree is not complete without a visit to beautiful Cape Kimberley. The Kaku Yalanji people, traditional owners of the Daintree Coast, refer to this area as Baku. Pronounced Baahghoo, it is named for the magnificent wampoo pigeon (Ptilinopus magnificus), one of the many Daintree rainforest birds found in the area. The unmistakable deep throated call "wallop the blue" is often heard in the lowland and adjacent upland rainforest.

The Daintree Coast begins here at Cape Kimberley extending north from the estuary of the Daintree River to Cape Tribulation. The Beach itself is approximately four klms long, extending from the base of the Alexandra range in the north to the Daintree River in the south. The river estuary is intriguing with its vast sand flats and changing tides. Many varieties of aquatic birds and Daintree wildlife inhabit this system.

During summer months when north easterly winds prevail, the lee of Cape Kimberley gives welcome overnight shelter to passing yachts. Remote and picturesque, the headland is in part covered with Daintree rainforest, with bird's nest ferns and rock orchids clinging to the seaward bluff. The rocky shoreline abounds with turtle, crayfish and oysters.

Cape Kimberley beach is the gateway to uninhabited Snapper Island with its coral ringed shores and sheltered secluded beaches.  Just two kms offshore, it is easily accessible by kayak or small boat.  Away from the tourist hub, the Island is a peaceful place to reflect ancient times and take in spectacular views of the Daintree Coast and mysterious cloud veiled rainforest peaks and beyond, to the Great Barrier Reef.

Located close to both the river and the other localities, Daintree tours are easily accessed from Cape Kimberley.  No camping facilities exist, helping to preserve the Daintree wildlife and natural beauty of the area.  For those seeking to enjoy quietude and nature, an inviting accommodation option is Baku Beachouse discreetly nestled at the northern end of Cape Kimberley Beach.  Jamie Beitzel's Fishing Tours and Tropical Sea Kayaking - Snapper Island provide unique experiences into this awesome seascape

Cow Bay

One of the most beautiful beaches on the Daintree Coast, Cow Bay is actually three bays, all framed by rainforest vegetation and in the sea, patches of reef that entice confident nature lovers and snorkelers to explore further.

As you travel north from the Daintree Ferry and begin the spectacular descent from the Heights of Alexandra, you will become aware that the vegetation is changing. Primitive King Ferns stand out like primordial indicators of rainforest that has changed little since its ancient Gondwana origins.

The Hutchinson Creek catchment is the beginning of the old-world rainforest, where ancient and primitive species occur and also forms a section of Australia's richest mangrove system.

The Daintree Discovery Centre is well-resourced to explain the wonder of the Daintree Rainforest from the ground to the top of the canopy tower. Just north of the discovery centre, the Cow Bay township is discreetly hidden behind the roadside vegetation. The friendly owners of the Daintree Rainforest Retreat Motel, Daintree Coffee Company and Jambu Bar & Kitchen, Cow Bay Hotel, and Floravilla Ice-cream Company and Art Gallery welcome visitors to the Daintree.

Cow Bay has a number of unique Bed and Breakfasts and Holiday Retreats. It offers quiet, more-restful holiday places, remote from the energy and enthusiasms of backpackers looking for a fun time at the accommodation hub of Cape Tribulation.

Check out the bed and breakfast accommodation options at Epiphyte B&B, Coral Sea Views or Saraswati's Oasis; the great variety of holiday retreats at Daintree Magic, Daintree Seascapes, Ebenezer Cottage, Moo Bay Muse, Daintree Mountain View Holiday Retreat or Eden Escape.  Crocodylus Village Rainforest Resort is just a short walk to Cow Bay beach and offers very good deals to the backpacker and budget market.  Daintree Wilderness Lodge is a boutique resort built sensitively into an amazing fan palm forest. Daintree Air Strip is on your right as you leave the Cow Bay area.   Keep it in mind for a reef and rainforest flight, or even a quick charter to Cairns or Port Douglas. 

Thornton Peak

Despite being virtually inaccessible, Thornton Peak deserves special mention as a locality in its own right, for its pre-emminent significance in the perseverance of the oldest surviving rainforest in the world.  Rising steeply from the coast inducing extremely high rainfall and associated rainforest, Thornton Peak is the highest point (1374 metres) in the granitic coastal range that extends between the Daintree and Bloomfield Rivers.  It is also the dominant part of Australia's last extensive area of lowland rainforest still linked as a continuum with the main upland rainforest massive, which allows essentially undisturbed ecological interraction along an altitudinal gradient.

Within the Wet Tropics, the eastern flank of Thornton Peak, including the Cooper and Noah valleys, sustains one of the world's three greatest concentrations of endemic species and one of the greatest concentrations of animals and plants listed under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 as Threatened, Vulnerable and Rare.

Thornton Peak supports an 'island' assemblage of species which are restricted to locations at high altitudes, often shrouded in cloud.  Affording the greatest possible chance of withstanding the vulnerabilities of upland extinctions that other, less protected summits have revealed, public entry is actively discouraged.  Nevertheless, the importance of its inaccessibility ensures the extraordinary biological diversity will continue to replenish the accesible portions of the landscape, when impacts, such as a destructive fire some 15,000 years ago, occur.

Cooper Creek

Cooper Creek is located midway between the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation. This area of the Daintree Coast is renowned for its biodiversity and uniqueness as a refuge for rare, ancient and endemic flora and fauna that have remained largely unchanged since Australia was a part of the great southern supercontinent 'Gondwana'.

Thornton Peak dominates the skyline over the Daintree rainforest. This 1374-metre mountain is sacred to the traditional owners, the Kuku Yalanji, and shrouded with mystery and legend. It is the guardian and protector of the remarkable natural values that won the area's listing as World Heritage.

Luxuriant vegetation cascades down the mountainsides from the granite pinnacle, to plummet into the blue Coral Sea. At the base of the mountain, an amphitheatre of rarity and biodiversity is unequalled anywhere else on earth.  The Cooper Creek catchment contains a treasure trove of primitive and ancient plants showing every stage in the evolution of plant life and provides proof of continuity of growth over 135-million years.

Accommodation is as discrete as the rainforest creatures, hidden among vegetation.  Exclusive, low key and in harmony with nature ... perfect for travellers wanting to immerse themselves as deeply as the rainforest allows.  Cooper Creek Riverside Retreat over-looks an absolutely stunning section of the World Heritage listed Cooper Creek.  A Daintree Secret sits a little higher up the foothills of Thornton Peak and features spectacularly secluded access to the idyllic Dinner Creek.  Daintree Cascades has two exclusive accommodation facilities - the Round House and the Cabin alongside Wundu or Little Cooper Creek.  Prema Shanti is a B&B dedicated as a meditation & yoga retreat.

Unique experiences within the Cooper Valley specialise in interpretation of this unique environment, and include rainforest day and night tours. Visitors should go with a local guide who has the necessary expertise gained through long-term habitation to explain the diversity and complexity.  Cooper Creek's spectacular fan palm forests, contained under closed canopies of primitive and rare rainforest giants, can be seen in the awe-inspiring, pristine lowlands of the Daintree. Cooper Creek Wilderness specialises in providing high-quality, small-group guided acess to this living museum.  Cooper Creek aso has the most diverse mangrove ecosystem in world.  A guided cruise through the mangroves with Cape Tribulation Wilderness Cruises explains its biological importance and usually sees some of the elusive inhabitants, the estuarine crocodile.  Daintree Entomological Museum highlights the extraordinary wealth of insects in the area as well as exhibiting some of the best specimens of butterflies, moths, beetles and dragonflies in the world.

Visitors wanting to experience the closest counterpart to the ancient forests of Gondwana should stay in the Cooper Creek amphitheatre for a tranquil sojourn with nature.

Thornton Beach

The full majesty of the Daintree is best seen at Thornton Beach from the mouth of Cooper Creek. Deeply cleft mountain ranges plummet down into the Cooper and Noah valleys, containing a living museum of rare and threatened species.

Take a stroll along the pristine sands via Café on Sea, with its picture-perfect Strucke Island enhancing the view, but be aware, a living dinosaur, the estuarine crocodile inhabits all water-courses throughout the area.  Stay a while and enjoy a delicious cup of coffee and a snack while you contemplate the World Heritage meeting place of the Great Barrier Reef and Australia's Wet Tropical Rainforests.

Noah Valley

The Daintree Coast's Noah Valley lies between the Cooper Valley and Cape Tribulation. With the botanical discovery of the 'Dinosaur Tree - Idiospermum australiense' in 1971, scientific enthusiasm ultimately found its way into the Noah Valley.  An island within a divergence of the Noah Creek, supporting a unique vegetation community, revealed the discovery of an ancient angiosperm which was subsequently described as Gymnostoma australiense. 

Today, access to the celebrated Noah Valley is available through Noah Valley Mountain Treks.  This company provides small-group guided tours along Fossil Creek, amongst World Heritage-listed rainforest, to Fossil Falls upon the upper reaches of Mount Emmett.

This is one of the few facilities that provide guided hiking opportunities into the mountainous portion of the World Heritage area.

Cape Tribulation

Cape Tribulation is located 35 kilometres north of the Daintree River, and is usually the turn-around point for most day-visitors to the Daintree Rainforest, as 4WD is needed to continue further north.

In 1770, Captain Cook was sailing northward up the east coast of Terra Australis, charting the coastline.  Undoubtedly distracted by the awe-inspiring, rainforest-clad beauty of the majestic landscape, he struck the Great Barrier Reef.  In his dispair, he named the most prominent peak Mt. Sorrow and the nearest headland 'Cape Tribulation'.

Cape Tribulation has evolved into a very popular destination for backpackers, seeking a party atmosphere in a jungle setting, but it is also a place to stay if you want to experience the rainforest and reef.  There are many things to do at Cape Tribulation, including diving and snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef and appreciating the wonderful view of the coastline, where the rainforest meets the reef.  Travellers are encouraged to opt for an extended stay of three to four days (or more), to fully engage with the custodial community through the various localities, and to ensure that their holiday experiences are as memorable and valuable as possible.

Cape Tribulation has a range of different types of accommodation to suit every visitor, all in superb natural settings - four star, three star and budget resorts, backpacker hostels, bed and breakfasts, holiday houses and camping grounds.

Ocean Resorts and Hotels offer superb accommodation to suit all pocket sizes, from high quality Ecotourism at Cape Tribulation Resort and Spa, to the affordable tropical getaway for eco-explorers at Ferntree Rainforest Lodge, quality budget accommodation at Ferntree Hostel and camping at Jungle Lodge.  PK'S Jungle Village still caters to nature and adventure travellers, but a wider group of interests have tempered the atmosphere of Cape Tribulation, at very reasonable rates and better quality.

Ocean Safari has successfully introduced a Zodiak Rafting trip with speedy delivery to the Great Barrier Reef.  This has minimised travel time and maximised reef exploration and snorkelling with half day trips - just the thing for travellers with limited time.

Paddletrek Sea Kayaking departs from Cape Tribulation beach daily and is a wonderful way to experience the scenic splendour where the rainforest meets the reef-fringed Coral Sea.

There is a small cluster of shops at Cape Tribulation which includes two small supermarkets, an interpretive centre, a cinema and four restaurants within walking distance of the resorts

Bloomfield Track

The Bloomfield Track is revered by 4-wheel-drivers.  Connecting Cape Tribulation with Cooktown via Wiujal Wujal, a 4WD vehicle is required if you wish to tackle this spectacular and challenging route.  Visitors to the area without 4WD's of their own can experience the Bloomfield Track and beyond, with D'Arcy of Daintree 4WD Tours.

Just north of Cape Tribulation the road becomes unsealed and continues for 5 km to Emmagen Creek.  The Bloomfield Track then becomes 4WD only, as it continues north for 28 kilometres to the Bloomfield River and onto Cooktown (another 63 km).

If you intend to drive the Bloomfield Track, you are strongly advised to check rain conditions beforehand, as at least one creek crossing can be treacherous after heavy rain. Take care crossing the Cowie and Donovan Ranges as there are very steep grades.

A great many travellers live out the once-in-a-life-time experience of four-wheel-driving to the very tip of Cape York Peninsula.  Many traverse the infamous Bloomfield Track at least once in this journey.  It has long been the wish of the Daintree Rainforest Community that some may be persuaded to stop and savour the magic of the Daintree, but alas, many choose the Bloomfield Track on their ascent and with such early enthusiasm that they miss the magic of the Daintree.  An alternate plan, highly recommended by the business community, is that the Bloomfield Track be tackled on the return leg, so that Nature's Masterpiece can be savoured as the grand finale to the Cape York Adventure, prior to re-establishing with the developed landscapes south of the Daintree River.