- Address: 2333 Cape Tribulation Rd, Cape Tribulation QLD 4873, Australia
- Phone: + 61 7 4098 9126
- Website: http://www.daintreerainforest.net.au/
- Opening date: 1981.
- Area: 1200 square meters. km
- Cost of visit: free of charge
In the north-east of Queensland is the Daintree National Park, famous for having one of the last virgin tropical rain forests on Earth, which has existed for more than 110 million years. It is possible that this is the oldest forest on the planet. By their "persistence" the forest, scientists believe, is due to the occasional drift of the continents, as a result of which part of the land formed as a result of the collapse of Gondwana's supercontinent moved into latitudes, the climate of which was most favorable for the tropical forests growing on it. Recently, trees were found in the forest that had long been considered extinct.
General information
The Daintree National Park was established in 1981, and in 1988 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as an illustrative example of the evolution of life on Earth, the ecological and biological processes that took place over the past millions of years. The park is named after the Australian geologist and photographer Richard Daintree, he occupies an area of 1200 square meters. km.
The park is divided into two parts by a residential and agricultural area, which includes the village of Daintree and a small town of Mossman. In Daintree, many exotic animals live - for example, the forest is home to 30% of all reptile names in Australia. There are more than 12 thousand species of insects, many species of frogs, including glowing green frogs, whose paws resemble tentacles and who know how to climb trees.
In the forest, bird species nest - this is 18% of all bird species living on the continent. Here live southern cassowaries, emu ostriches, rare and famous for its beauty fruiting pigeon Wompu. Mammals, including rare ones, live here: here you can find Kenneth Bennett, marsupial cats, flying opossums. In April, growing on trees, mushrooms begin to glow.
What is interesting about the park?
In addition to the rain forest, the park is known for the picturesque Mossman Gorge, which is located in its southern part, Cape Tribulation, near which the vessel James Cook crashed. Here the rain forest goes directly to the ocean coast.
The famous attraction of the park are "Jumping Stones", which are in Thornton Beach and have a sacred significance for the Kuku Yalanji tribe, who lives here. It is believed that you can not remove stones from the beach, since they can cause serious trouble for the person who did it. Close to the coastal line (19 km) is the Great Barrier Reef , which can be reached by boat.
There are several rivers running through the park: Mossmen, Daintree, Bloomfield. The Daintree River is the heart of the park, its source is near the Great Dividing Range, and the mouth is in the Coral Sea, it runs through the entire park. There are several beautiful waterfalls in the park.
Resort "Cape of Unhappiness"
The Cape of Unhappiness, or Cape of Misfortune today is a very popular resort. There are four large resort centers, which, in addition to beaches and hotels, offer their visitors active leisure: hiking, horseback riding, biking and water walks, kayaking, off-road tours, surfing, fishing, hunting for crocodiles. The resorts are quite well-developed infrastructure: there are five restaurants, two small supermarkets, ATMs.
Most of the tourists come to the cape in the dry season, from July to November, and the wet season is chosen by the lovers of fishing, who are doing their favorite thing in creeks and rivers, free from the habitat of crocodiles. During a wet season, swimming in the ocean is not recommended - at this time dangerous jellyfish are activated. For those who have neglected safety and still enjoyed swimming, a bottle of vinegar is left near the beach, which reduces the negative impact of the poison of jellyfish.
From the Cape of Unhappiness, you can reach the dry season on a dirt road called the Blumfield Road, to the Blumfield River, the waterfalls and the city of Cook. From February to April, during the rainy season, the road to tourists is closed.
How to get to the Daintree National Park?
The most convenient way to reach the park is from Cairns or Port Douglas. The road from Cairns will take approximately 2.5 hours, if you go via C aptain Cook Hwy / State Route 44, and about 3 hours if you choose the road through National Route 1. From Port Douglas, you can get here in about an hour and a half, via Mossman Daintree Rd and Cape Tribulation Rd. In both cases you will have a ferry service. The entrance to the park is free.
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