Port Douglas - 2019 - Daintree Village

Approximately 55 kms north west of Port Douglas is the Daintree Village, a small settlement on the banks of the Daintree River and near the Daintree National Park. The drive from Port Douglas is primarily through sugar cane country, many sections of which were beig cut and carted to the sugar mill by truck or train.

Daintree River - Daintree Village

A ferry takes visitors on a trip on the river to view the scenery and lok for crocodiles.

Daintree Village

The village itself is small and situated a distance from the river which is probably just as well. During the Wet Season there can be floods with the water covering the carpark and caravan park. Depths of water near the village can reach past the 13 metre mark, especially if a high tide coincides with heavy summer rains. This happened earlier this year.

All this land, on both sides of the river, was under water.

Not surprisingly, there are crocodile warnings on the river bank. A local resident told us that during the floods the crocodiles either retreated to the bottom of the river under the main currents or took cover in river tributaries.

We had a drink and a scone at Croc Expresso Cafe where the table markers were insects and water creatures - in this case a prawn. Lunch, of course, is also available.

Daintree Village is a pretty spot to visit on a morning or afternoon drive.

Port Douglas - Daintree Village

A short drive north from Port Douglas is Daintree Village situated on the Daintree River.

This is another beautiful location in Far North Queensland, even when it is raining.

The crocodiles also like this area so warning signs are prominently displayed.

On our last visit to Daintree Village we took one of the tours exploring the river and looking for crocodiles.

Once the edge of the Daintree Rainforest before timber cutters removed many of the trees, this is now a farming area.

The cattle grazing in the paddocks are accompanied by cattle egrets.

The slope from the town to the river is steep as can be shown by these flood water markers.

On this trip we made two visits to Daintree Village. The first was in the morning on a showery day and the village was very quiet. The following week we visited early in the afternoon and there were more people around.

The Timber Gallery has displays relating to the history of the timber industry in the area as well as items for sale, however we had the impression that the stock was diminishing in quantity.

The Big Barramundi is one of the features of the village.

When visiting Daintree Village, a place to visit is Eliza's Gallery situated in a house opposite the Big Barramundi. On a previous visit we purchased some pottery but this time purchased glass jewellery made on the premises.

We had lunch at the Daintree Village Hotel, at the river end of Stewart Street, where we shared a prawn and avocado roll. We were about to sit down at a table overlooking a row of bushes with brightly coloured flowers when a Ulysses butterfly appeared. On all our visits to Far North Queensland this was the first time I had seen one in the wild.

These butterflies fly very quickly and are difficult to photograph and when they fold up their wings they appear brown.

The Ulysses butterfy was soon joined by a Cairns Birdwing - bright green wings when flying but green, yellow and brown wings when they are folded.

Later in the day, across the road, we also saw a large butterfly with brown wings with white markings.

While we were trying to photograph butterflies we met a man who was trying to photograph this sunbird which was also exploring the bushes and nearby trees. It didn't really want to stay still for photographs either.

Watching these butterflies and the sunbird was definitely one of the highlights of the holiday.

Port Douglas 2013 - Mossman Gorge and Daintree Village

Mossman Gorge was Monday’s destination. We drove to the information centre where we got on the bus that took us to the gorge.

Since our last visit, a boardwalk has been built to reach the gorge making the area more accessible for most people. 

The walk then continues to the suspension bridge and once over the bridge walkers can take the circuit walk through the rainforest for more than 2 km. 

The path on the circuit walk can be a challenge at times but it is well worth the effort. The walk takes you through many different types of vegetation – trees, vines, ferns, fungi and variety of tree roots.

We could hear a variety of bird life in the trees and had a small lizard wander across the path but most of the rainforest wildlife was sensibly hiding, however near one of the pools a number of brush turkeys were fossicking through the dirt in the bush.

The highlight was the sighting of a large, blue, Ulysses butterfly capping off an enjoyable couple of hours walking through the rainforest.

A quiet afternoon followed including a swim in the pool. 

Another 11 km walk along the beach started Tuesday. The wind had died down so there were many more people walking, jogging and cycling along the beach. 

The yoga class had been and gone. The tide was lower than the previous walk so there was more sand visible. 

At the end of the beach we walked out on to the exposed sea bed with the furrows created by the waves and the perforations in the sand caused by the crabs.

There were no kite surfers this morning but towards the end of the walk two hang gliders passed overhead.

In the afternoon we drove north through Mossman, a town surrounded by sugar cane farms, to Daintree Village, a small group of buildings by the Daintree River. A small market is held in a tin shed and we purchased a stone pendant from one of the stalls. 

We ate a sandwich from the Big Barramundi Garden and then visited the Timber Gallery next door.

As well as having a variety of wooden items for sale the gallery had a collection of wood working tools on the walls as well as photos and posters about the history of timber getting in the region.

We then walked down to the river. 

 

The scenery is magnificent. Some years ago we took the cruise down the river to view the scenery and wildlife, including, of course, crocodiles. This time we just admired the view and returned back to the village. 

 There are only a few shops but we purchased a present for our grand-daughter before visiting Eliza’s Gallery where we found a turtle to add to our collection and a lily pad plate. Daintree Village is an interesting place to visit.

After a big breakfast on Wednesday morning we went for a walk around the town. Later we drove to the far end of the beach and as it was low tide we went for a walk across the sand banks and exposed sea bed. 

It was the first time I had paddled in the sea for a long time and enjoyed the experience.

We also revisited the Wednesday market later in the day.