Experience Daintree Rainforest
The Timber Museum in Daintree
Daintree Rainforest, in Far North Queensland, is the largest rainforest in Australia and one of the most important rainforests in the world. It’s also a magical destination for visitors who love the great outdoors as there’s nowhere else quite like it in the whole country!
Daintree Rainforest is situated just 3 hours north of Cairns, or a few hours north of Port Douglas, which means that Daintree Rainforest and Village are certainly accessible, and if you’ve gone as far as Cairns the onward trip here is highly recommended. Buses run from Cairns and Port Douglas, and once here, an excellent way of getting around and seeing the scenery is by bicycle or if you have a car, you may prefer to use this to explore a greater area.
There is a great deal to see and do in Daintree Rainforest. Here are some suggestions for things you won’t want to miss:
Flora and Fauna
Daintree Rainforest is home to thousands of different species of plants, birds and animal life, many of which are rare or threatened with extinction. It’s amazing to think that in such a small area, compared to Australia as a whole, Daintree Rainforest contains the majority of the country’s butterfly and bat species, as well as a great many species of birds, marsupials, frogs and reptiles. Keep a look out to see how many species you can spot out of the 430 different bird species!
Ultimate Outdoor Experience
The best way to experience Daintree Rainforest is to wander through it. This is simply an amazing place for hiking and there are many trails, from short ones to long ones, for you to explore. Some trails are on raised boardwalks and this has the advantage of being easy to walk on whilst minimising the damage to the rainforest ecosystem.
You really need more than a day to fully appreciate Daintree Rainforest so we advise that you stay in the area. For the ultimate outdoor experience, camping is a great idea and a lot of fun for both adults and children but if this isn’t your thing there’s a variety of other accommodation in Daintree available here too!
Daintree Rainforest Tours
We discovered that a great way to see the Daintree was as part of an organized tour because you get to find out so much more than you would under your own steam! A variety of local companies offer tours, ranging from boat tours on the river to wilderness hiking tours which are all very informative.
Daintree Beaches
Once you’ve finished touring, enjoy Daintree’s beaches, which are said to be amongst the most spectacular in the world! Golden sand and beautiful surroundings are the main appeal, and although you can swim this isn’t advisable during the summer because of the large number of jellyfish.
Ancient Tropical Rainforest
It’s hard to believe that Daintree Rainforest is the oldest of its kind in the world, and is said to be more than 135 million years old! This makes it a very important place ecologically and biologically and whilst visitors are very welcome here there is a debate going on as to how much development should take place – so come to Daintree Rainforest now whilst you still have the opportunity to do so!
‘Experience Daintree Rainfroest’ by Claire Bolgil
