Port Douglas

After three days on a boat, we needed to be on land. We drove up to Port Douglas, a unique beach town adjacent to two world heritage sites: the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. The cyclone that was the source of rough waters near Cairns was also generating a lot of weather in and around Port Douglas. We used our apartment as a base to explore.  The manager suggested Odyssey Bound Tours for a guided visit to the Daintree because many of the roads were muddy and hard to navigate without four-wheel drive. Being off-season and a weekday, we got a private tour with Bill Crews, a reporter, photographer, historian, environmentalist and expert guide.  

He shared stories of the area while teaching us about the history, flora and animals of the area. Staghorn ferns grew everywhere and Sunshine hugged a tree known to help stay cool on hot days.  We did not see any snakes or crocodiles but we did see a golden silk orb spider as big as a hand and with a golden-colored web, and a Boyd’s forest dragon.  

Bill avoided the rain by moving us strategically along the ridge lines. This was an exceptional tour over world heritage listed private property.

We also visited Mossman Gorge. It was overcast when we arrived to the trailhead. The hour walk through the rainforest was crowded until we past the watering hole known for swimming (about ten minutes). 

We assume some folks returned to the car park because it started to rain and swimming was prohibited due to strong currents.  We continued along the track and enjoyed the solitude.