Daintree Magic

Garry’s brother, David, and his family recently moved into their new home in Far North Queensland.  Garry and I took time out over Easter to check out their new digs and enjoy a few days of R&R.  Our itinerary kicked off with a night in Palm Cove staying at the uber-ritzy M Gallery Reef House. We then crossed the Daintree River for a night in a rainforest cabin near Thornton Beach before making our way to David and Katie’s house for two days.

Our first night in Palm Cove was a last-minute addition. We’d originally booked morning flights from Sydney to Cairns on Good Friday. However, Qantas rescheduled the flight which gave us the option to change our ticket at no cost.  We decided to rebook on the last flight departing Thursday evening (a flight that originally added hundreds of dollars to the ticket). 

We also cashed in a complimentary night’s accommodation in an Accor Hotel that’s offered annually by American Express and secured a room at The Reef Hotel. We also cashed in some reward points with Hertz to booked an SUV for four days for just a few dollars. It’s nice to see these loyalty programs actually deliver on the promise of “free stuff”.

Our flight landed shortly after 11pm and we made it to our hotel shortly after midnight.  Sadly Reef Hotel proved to be a bit of dud.  The bed was rock hard and the breakfast we ordered the following morning was dismal, to say the least.  The hotel itself was stunning.  The grounds included a lush tropical garden, a secluded pool and an expansive outdoor deck for dining that looked out over a palm-fringed beach.

Before checking out of the hotel we took a walk along the Palm Cove beachfront promenade.  The streetscape here is immaculately manicured and maintained.  We finished our stroll with a walk out to the end of the Palm Cove wharf.  Plenty of avid young fishermen were enjoying themselves. We witnessed one them catch and release a baby shark.  Apparently, you’re not allowed to keep them unless they’re more than a metre long.  I’m not too sure I’d be keen to handle a shark that big.

The Daintree proved to be as spectacular as ever.  The ferry crossing was at capacity thanks to the holiday weekend.  It took almost half an hour to get across the river.  However, once across the traffic soon dispersed.  Our first stop was the remote Cape Kimberley beachfront.  Here we spent an hour walking a stretch of the beach before heading inland to enjoy views of the Daintree River mouth from the Mount Alexandra lookout.

Our next stop was Thornton Beach where we took another stroll along its empty stretch of sand as far as the mouth of the picturesque Cooper Creek.  The Daintree’s beaches are always wonderfully devoid of people which really leaves you feeling at one with nature.  We then enjoyed a quick picnic lunch before heading north to Cape Tribulation. 

The Cape was crowded as always and it expansive, wave-fringed beach remains as iconic as ever.  However, the rainforest cabin that Garry had booked proved to be a real highlight.  We were delighted to find we’d been allocated a cabin furthest from the lodge’s main facilities.  This meant we enjoyed plenty of wildlife including bush hens, birds and iridescent butterflies.

The restaurant on site provided a huge surprise.  We dined on some world-class dishes on an outdoor deck overlooking a lush tropical stream.  It left the far more expensive The Reef House for dead in terms of quality! As it was the tail end of the wet season, several brief showers peppered our cabin overnight.  There is something truly magical about lying in bed listening to rain cascading through the rainforest outside your door.

The next morning we made our way South again stopping briefly to visit the Daintree Wild Zoo.  This slightly ramshackle affair offered up a few fauna highlights including a family of baby Sugar Possums, massive crocodiles and a pair of remarkably healthy looking Dingos.

David and Katie’s new home was spectacular.  We enjoyed two nights with the family and made full use of their expansive outdoor entertaining space.  Our first full day was spent visiting the weekend markets in Port Douglas and trying out the new coastal walkway around the town’s iconic headland.  Garry and I also discovered the delights of chocolate-dipped frozen bananas at the markets.

Our final day saw us enjoy a leisurely lunch in town before finally making our way back to Cairns in time to catch our flight home again.  Garry and I both agreed it had been a refreshing, much-needed break after an incredibly frantic period for the business.