Daintree Coast Rainforest. Cape Tribulation. Bloomfield Falls.

Daintree Coast Rainforest. 

Tropical Far North Queensland

Words and photography by Allison O'Donoghue

Wujal Wujal Falls

Mangrove tree

4WD Masons Tours.

A hearty breakfast is on order before we head off for our 2-hr jungle walk. Spoilt for choice. A huge buffet served at the lotus deck with a seemingly endless selection of choices. Here we go, time to wet your appetite. Bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, hash browns, baked beans, a variety of eggs; boiled, fired, scrambled or poached. Platters of fresh tropical fruit or stewed with various flavours of yoghurt and muesli. A toast maker with all types of bread or a choice of croissants, cakes, biscuits and even a pancake maker with maple syrup. Filtered coffee or a myriad of teas but if you want a short black or latte' then the waiters will make you one. Phew!

Lawrence Mason, our 3rd generation tour guide from Masons Tours, operating since 1981 is right on time. To get to the Daintree Coast Rainforest we cross the croc-infested Daintree River via a ferry. Sadly a crocodile does not reveal itself. When I get too close to the river bank, taking a few shots, Lawrence warns me to take a step back, as crocs tend to move faster than humans. Although  didn't see one, Lawrence assured me that they saw me.

After crossing the magnificent river we stop at a cluster of old tea manufacturing machinery belonging to the Daintree Tea Company and buy a few boxes of tea. They use the age old honour system; you put your money in a locked tin and take your purchases. We then pause at Donovan's Lookout, albeit the canopy of trees obscures the view. Today the sun is shining, the first in weeks of rain. Well its not called a rainforest for nothing. With the burst of rain, the growth is fast. We then have morning tea at Masons cafe'. More food! Turns out we're going to need it.

The Daintree Coast Rainforest is thought to be the oldest continuously growing rainforest in the world and its right on Lawrence's back door, in fact he owns the land. He stops at his shed, grabs a backpack and a large machete. I'm thinking Deliverance meets Wolf Creek but quickly put that thought out of my mind. We head into the jungle on foot and the machete is to cut away the growth. Lawrence regularly points out primitive flowering plants said to date back 100 million years, as well as 'Wait awhile' plants with thorny vines that latch onto anything that wafts past it. If you wait awhile it will be easier to untangle yourself, otherwise risk shredding your clothes and skin. The machete has already come in handy. He points out one of the most poisonous fruit trees in the forest, more lethal than cyanide called the 'idiot' tree or idiospermum to be more precise. An innocuous looking tree turns out to be a stinging nettle so horrid that it is to be avoided at all costs, as the fine hairs embed deep into your skin and takes an age to get rid of.

Lawrence Mason

So glad Lawrence is here with us, he knows this forest like the back of his hand. Having a tour guide is a must if you want to come out unscathed. he has endless antidotes and fills the conversation with interesting tidbits on the history of the Daintree; like how they logged such rough country, when they stopped, conservation measures and one of the few great achievements of the Joh Bjelke-Peterson reign (remember him?) was to declare the Daintree Rainforest a national Heritage site in 1981. By 1988 Cape Tribulation and the Bloomfield Falls track were declared World Heritage sites.

Scientists from all over the world come to the Daintree to study the flora and fauna and are currently working on a climate change project involving many countries, as the Daintree is the only rainforest in the world untouched by man and protected from modernity since logging has ceased 30 years ago and is still in recovery to this day.

Lawrence with tools of the trade

Daintree Forest

Aboriginal tool 

As we head deeper into the jungle I can clearly see where the inspiration for Avatar has come from. This place is extraordinary!! Trees so tall you can't see the top of the canopy as rays of sunshine stream through the gaps in the trees creating an eerie light. Old redwood trees fallen as if offering a bridge to cross, huge butterflies of varying colours, unusual fungi everywhere, Lawrence assures us its not edible nor will it get us high, more likely poison us. He reminds us that this was Aboriginal land and shows a strange tree bent on an acute angle that acts as a arrow pointing the direction to a walnut tree and the rock on which to crack them. Ingenious. The constant sound of water gets closer and closer as we finally reach a creek bed. He reassure us that crocs don't live here as the terrain is too rugged for them to traverse. Phew! There is no escape here except up a tall tree. We never do cross paths with a Cassowary, a magnificent bird reminiscent of the Dinosaur age with a claw that can open you up in a second if you anger them, but why would you?  he shows us fresh poo as if proof they do indeed exist. I believe him.

Wild pig run rampant in the jungle. The introduced species has become a scourge for people like Lawrence as they cause enormous damage to the rainforest and are very aggressive, mate often and hard to get rid of. Another reason why a tour guide is so important especially on the popular night tours.

Bloomfield Falls

Two hours whizz by as the hunger pangs begin. Walking induces a healthy appetite. He drives us to a picnic site nestled on a larger part of the creek bed where you can swim if the desire takes your fancy. While we contemplate dipping in the freezing pure water, Lawrence heads back to the cafe to pick up our steak sandwiches. We forgo the swim and chow down on delicious rump steak on Turkish bread with homemade relish and salad, washed down with gallons of water. An overwhelming feeling of calm and serenity envelops us as we sit in silence listening to the sounds of the rainforest against the backdrop of the babbling brook. Bliss!

Now the 4WD part begins. We drive along the famous Bloomfield track, traveling far north past the 'blockade site' where people chained themselves to trees to stop progress, however Joh got his way and everyone got arrested. You might be pleased to know that progress has been slow and since the World Heritage listing, very limited. We drive threw the Emmagen Valley and stop at remote Cowie beach where the only other people are a group of French students on holidays from Sydney.

The roads from here on in are so steep that we stay in first gear. Cross rocky creek beds, impassable during the wet season, so high-level causeways are being built as we speak to make it passable all year round.

Wajul Wajul - Bloomfield Falls

Francis Walker of Walker Tours

Finally we arrive at the massive Bloomfield River, and stop at a site where we're greeted by Frances Walker from Walker Family Tours for an intimate encounter with Traditional Aboriginal landowners ad a guided tour of edible plants and medicines still used to this day. Frances shows us green ants nests used to treat fever and stomach aliments. We cross a wide rocky dry creek bed, the rocks sharpened by the force of the water, so sensible footwear is a must.

You hear the roar of the falls before you see them. We gingerly cross the rocks as the majestic Bloomfield Falls appear in the distance. What a stunning sight! The water is pure and clear enough to want to jump in, but this is crocodile country, as proof Frances shows us a photo taken the day before of a massive croc sunning itself on the small stretch of sand. We're not allowed to get too close to the falls, not only because this is considered spiritual lands but also for safety reasons. Known to the indigenous people as Wujal Wujal, so beautiful they named it twice, both male and female can inhabit this spot as they have done for centuries.

Frances points up into the mountains and says. "Our people still live in the bush. they choose not to come into the community. They live off the land and we respect their right to live where ever they want." On her shirt is the family totem that of an eel. Her family hail from the Kuku Yalanji Clan and are allowed to catch and eat as much eel as they like however they have to ask permission to hunt croc from another clan who lives with hers in the community. The water level in the wet season reaches the very top of the mountain, the trees are bent over by the force of the water, making the falls impassable for several weeks of the year, however Frances' community are use to this and have provisions to see them through.

Frances insists I would not make a very good bush woman as I wont eat live Witchetty grubs. I would if they were sauteed in a white wine garlic and chilli sauce, served on a bed of couscous. She insists I would change my mind if I was starving, besides it tastes like chicken. Ok maybe I would then.

Frances is a delight. And this tour a must. Not only for the sheer beauty but also for a true Australian cultural experience.

When we return to the car park Lawrence has afternoon tea ready. More food. Homemade cup cakes and cookies with Daintree tea. Yummy. We bid a fond farewell and head back to Port Douglas arriving back at 7.30 pm.

Sand worms

Mangroves

Utterly exhausted, we freshen up and head to Sakinah House dining area on the resort. The deck area we had breakfast is swished up for dinner. A course of Seafood Chowder, green salad with citrus dressing and a main course of a common Northern Queensland fish called Wahoo. I kid you not. Seved on a bed of comfit mash with harrissa dressing, washed down with a couple of glasses of Willowglen Savuignon Blanc.

We grab a couple of cocktails from the Lotus Lounge and head back to our suite to drink them on the patio overlooking our patch of rainforest as we listen to the loud night life, animal not human. What a fantastic day!

Mason's Tours: Lawrence Mason
3781 Cape Tribulation Rd
Cape Tribulation. Qld. 4873

P: 07 4098 0070
F: 07 4098 0026
M: 0427 012 772

www.masontours.com.au

Walker Family Tours
Bloomfield Falls
info@bamaway.com.au
www.walkerfamilytours.com.au