Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the Mossman Daintree Road, and follow it for 24km (15 miles) to the sign-
posted turnoff for the ferry on your right. The ferry is 5km (3 miles) from the
turnoff. You'll need a car to get there.
Bird-watchers love the Wet Tropics rainforests of which the Daintree and Cape
Tribulation national parks are part. More than half of Australia's bird species have
been recorded within 200km (120 miles) of this area.
Fine Feather Tours
(
&
07/
4094 1199;
www.finefeathertours.com.au) has a full-day bird-watching safari
through the Wet Tropics to the edge of the Outback for A$185 (US$120), an
afternoon cruise on the Daintree River for A$135 (US$88), and other tours.
Rainforest Habitat
wildlife sanctuary (
&
07/4099 3235;
www.rainforest
habitat.com.au) is a great place to get to see the animals that are too shy to be
spotted in the wild. Here, 180 animal species from the Wet Tropics are gathered
in one place for you to see up close. You can see saltwater and freshwater croco-
diles, hand-feed kangaroos, and have your photo taken beside (but not holding)
a koala (from 10-11am and 3-4pm for the cost of a donation). The highlight is
the walk-through aviary, which houses 70 Wet Tropics bird species including
cassowaries. You'll get the most out of your visit if you take one of the excellent
free guided tours that leave every hour on the hour between 9am and 3pm.
Rainforest Habitat is located on Port Douglas Road at the turnoff from the Cap-
tain Cook Highway. It's open daily (except Christmas) from 8am to 5:30pm
(last entry at 4:30pm). Admission is A$25 (US$16) for adults, A$13 (US$8.45)
for kids 4 to 14. Between 8am and 11am, the park serves a champagne buffet
breakfast for A$38 (US$25) for adults and A$19 (US$12) for kids, including
admission. Allow 2 hours here.
DISCOVERING ABORIGINAL CULTURE
The native KuKu-Yalanji tribe
will teach you about bush medicines and foods, Dreamtime legends, and the
sacred sites their families have called home for tens of thousands of years.
KuKu-
Yalanji Dreamtime Tours
(
&
07/4098 2595;
www.yalanji.com.au) offers a
guided walk through the rainforest to see cave paintings and visit “special sites”;
the tour is followed by a Dreamtime story over billy tea and damper in a bark
warun (shelter). You can buy artifacts from the tribe's information center, gift
shop, and art gallery. The tours depart Monday through Friday at 10am, noon,
and 2pm from the Kuku-Yalanji community on the road to Mossman Gorge
(1km/
1
⁄
2
mile before you reach the Gorge parking lot). Tours cost A$17 (US$11)
for adults and A$8.25 (US$5.35) for children. Allow 2 hours.
Hazel Douglas of
Native Guide Safari Tours
(
&
07/4098 2206;
www.
nativeguidesafaritours.com.au) runs four-wheel-drive tours of the rainforest
from an Aboriginal perspective. Hazel is a full-blooded Aboriginal who grew up
in a tribal lifestyle in the Daintree. She imparts her traditional knowledge of the
plants, animals, Dreamtime myths, and Aboriginal history on a full-day tour
departing at 9:15am from your Port Douglas hotel. Passengers from Cairns
transfer up on the Quicksilver catamaran and return either by coach (northern
beaches) or catamaran (Cairns city). The trip costs A$120 (US$78) for adults
and A$80 (US$52) for children 3 to 14 from Port Douglas, and A$10
(US$6.50) extra from Cairns or the northern beaches. Charter and half-day
tours are also available.
MORE TO SEE & DO
Some companies in Cairns that offer outdoor activities will provide pickups
from Port Douglas hotels. See “White-Water Rafting & Other Thrills,” in the
Cairns section earlier in this chapter for details.
