Welcome back to my travelogue of our East Coast Australia Family Friendly Road Trip, read part two here.
PART THREE – Cairns to the Daintree Rainforest FNQ: 7 Days
In Cairns we meet up with friends who are also travelling with a young family. As such we stay near the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon, which has shallow and deeper depths great for all ages water play. We dine outside at the delicious and picturesque Salt House, also near the esplanade. We keep the activities of these few days as all accessible on foot with prams. This adds to a relaxed feel; and the adults can enjoy a drink at lunch! For the duration of our stay we visit Muddy’s Playground several times, it’s huge with climbing areas, swings, big slides and caters to all-ages on the esplanade with a view to the mud-flats. At Muddy’s there is an array of toddler-tall fountains, creeks and for lack of a better description ‘splashy-structures’, all in the context of ‘soft-fall layer’ rubber flooring that means slips and trips aren’t devastating. It’s a lot of fun. Bring a change of clothes!
We stayed at two hotels in this water-front area of Cairns. The Shangri-La was a flop (for the price), but the other, Crystalbrook Riley was well worth it. The latter was a contemporary and easy choice. The location was good being opposite Muddy’s Playground, it had good staff, and boasted its own lagoon pool with restaurants and art galleries all walking distance in the streets behind. The amenity of the swimming pool stood out, one of them has a white sand beach (perfect for kids to hop in and out and not stack it on a slippery tile) along with a generous shallow wading area where the water doesn’t go above knee-height, perfect for sunbathers and kids who are getting used to the water. We loved it and spent hours there. It was the first pool day of our trip where the motley crew could all play safely, and adults snack n’ sip.
There are many art galleries showcasing Indigenous and Australian artists around this part of Cairns. We enjoyed Northsite Contemporary Arts because of the quality of the exhibitions program and also the gallery store which showcased a range of creative practice from Far North Queensland. A short walk from here you arrive at Cairns Art Gallery, which has an Italian outdoor café Perrotta’s at the Gallery, with all day breakfast-lunch, and dinner, to reset and people watch. Cairns has been a welcome shake-up in our diets, the city has plenty of delicious Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese options and more.
At this point we have been on the road for about a month and changing locations most days. Just south of Port Douglas we arrive to the inspiring Thala Nature Reserve. It was the first place we booked before leaving and so provided inspiration for our pilgrimage up the coast. We luxuriate over 4 nights here; swimming, writing, learning about coconut trees, bird and butterfly watching. Special sightings so far are the Orange-footed scrubfowl, Little kingfisher and Rainbow bee-eater. The resort has a few groups of guests, families and honey-mooners, mainly from the Northern-hemisphere.
This journey has been leading to a deep-dive into the Daintree Rainforest. We were so excited and full of awe to arrive in the oldest tropical rainforest in the world. The heritage listed area is incredible and abundant. After crossing aboard the ferry our first stay was guided by access to wild swimming and bush-walking, and to our delight the people looking after us at Heritage Lodge Daintree were kind and accommodating of our travel groups needs.
In the middle of the rainforest we were relying on the place for meals, and it was a great ‘base camp’ due to its access to the magnificent Cooper Creek. Despite no access to wifi, the cabins met our needs, and we spent most of our days swimming and feeling connected to nature and each other.
Being amongst the bio-diversity in the Daintree is the experience of a life-time. The ancient ferns, multitude of leaf and plant forms, symbiosis of climate and growth and of course the wildlife is a wonder to behold. The water is crisp and crystal clear, when the sunlight shines down in some spots the pools take on a sapphire or emerald hue. The sound of running water and rustling leaves is soothing and all encompassing. It is a memorable time for our group of friends; rejuvenating for the adults and also heartwarming to see our little ones play with rocks and explore the magical setting with spritely and curious eyes.
Next we visited Daintree Rainforest Discovery Centre for some education. They have an elevated rainforest walk with a very big tower to climb and enjoy views of the canopy, multiple small loop bush walks (one which includes animatronic dinosaurs), wildlife, conservation displays and more.
Moving on we stay at the Daintree Eco Lodge, on the edge of the rainforest but with more creature comforts such as an in-room bath overlooking the greenery, chic interiors, and an up-market restaurant. The hotel staff were top notch, and genuinely concerned with creating a good experience for guests.
The big event during this stay was our excursion to an epic waterfall, which I took time to write about especially here in Cassowary Falls: A Wild Family Adventure.
A few days later we returned to stay at Cassowary falls, which is not just a site for adventure but also boasts some very comfortable chalets with a kitchenette, balcony, spa and views across the tropical landscape. I type the last few sentences of this entry from the balcony, here, as I observe large lime and black butterflies fluttering, and small birds darting, above the colourful grove of flowering plants that surrounds our lodgings for the day.
It has been a brilliant journey North, and it is with wistful appreciation that will soon begin our return journey South in earnest, via a different, inland route.