Saturday, March 29, 2008

Big Screen Comes to Cape Trib

Whet Flicks at Cape Tribulation would have to be one of the most remote cinemas in the world and one of the smallest with only 26 seats.

The tiny venue is the vision of Whet Restaurant owners, chef Matt Wenden and wife, Michelle, who say visitors to the Daintree need more entertainment options.

Located upstairs behind the restaurant, the cinema is fully carpeted and airconditioned, boasts an impressive 12ft screen, and booming surround sound.

Leather lounges, recliners and body-length bean bags offer comfy seating options, while the restaurant bar below serves drinks - all of this while watching a new-ish film.

"We get our movies four to six weeks after they're released at the box office, and before they go to DVD, so they're quite new, Ms Wenden siad.

Screening session times are daily at 4pm and 8pm, and ticket prices are $15 for adults and $10 children or $40 for the family.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Crossing Woobadda River 16 March 08

With all the rain on the Bloomfield Track, the Woobadda River has remained high. The river crossing is washed out and the entire front of the 4WD is submerged during the crossing. A snorkel is essential to ensure the success of such a crossing. Mason's Tours have modified their vehicles to make such crossings possible. Please think twice about trying it this deep in a rented or your own 4WD.

Daintree Coast Weekly Report 17/3/08 - 23/3/08

The Wet Season is still here, with significant falls still occurring. So far we have had more than 1m of rain this month. The place is now fully waterlogged, even the frogs are giving up, they have had too much of a good thing! I bought gumboots last week…

I feel very positive about the weather later in the year, as a good wet often means better weather later on. Let’s hope I am right!

Not a good week for the reef unless the winds moderate on Wednesday. While the weather looks bad, it’s worth remembering that March is the wettest month of the year, and there is nothing unusual about the forecasts below.

Rumrunner will not be running between the 22ns March - 4th April due to yearly Boat Maintenance, however Ocean Safari will continue to operate ½ Day Reef Tours during this time.

NORTH TROPICAL COAST AND TABLELANDS DISTRICTFlood warning current for the Tully and Murray Rivers. Scattered showers aboutthe coast and adjacent ranges but widespread north of Cairns during the morning.Isolated showers and local thunderstorms further inland. SE winds, fresh andgusty at times.Outlook for Tuesday ... Isolated showers about the coast and rangesincreasing to scattered later in the day Isolated afternoon showers inland. SEwinds.Outlook for Wednesday ... Scattered showers most parts but just isolated in thefar west. SE winds.

North Tropical Waters, Cooktown to Cardwell:Strong wind warning issued for waters south of Cairns.Monday until midnight: SE winds 20/30 knots south of Cairns, easing to 20/25 knots by late morning. SE winds 20/25 knots to the north. Seas to 2.5 metres outside the reef on a 2 metre SE swell. Seas easing to 1.5 metres inside the reef. Scattered squally showers.Tuesday: SE winds 20/25 knots. Seas to 2.2 metres outside the reef on a 2 metre SE swell. Seas to 1.5 metres inside the reef.Wednesday: SE winds 20/25 knots.

The road to Cape Tribulation is open, but after heavy rain, there may be localized flooding. I recommend caution when crossing patches of floodwater, even in 4WDs. It is very easy for an inexperienced driver to misjudge this water and be washed away. Drivers should also be aware of fallen branches and trees on the road after wind.
Yesterday a small rental car attempted to cross Emmagen Creek and was swamped. It is likely to be a write off or a costly repair bill. This crossing is currently challenging for a large 4WD, so why they did this is a mystery.
Please be careful crossing flooded creeks!

The Bloomfield Track is currently closed. I drove as far as the Bloomfield Crossing, and was stopped deep, fast water. The Woobadda River is very deep. I would only recommend heavy duty 4WDs attempt the Bloomfield road at present, and don’t try a crossing that is too deep for your 4WD. Tides are high morning and low afternoon all week, with some high enough to flood the Bloomfield Causeway.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Weekly Report Daintree Coast 10/3/08 - 16/3/08

The Wet Season arrived last week, with a number of significant falls, Cape Trib received a number of big falls, with 278mm received in one night. This was small compared with Port Douglas, which received 424mm one night, their highest fall since 1911!! Cape Tribulation had about .7 of a metre of rain last week.

It was good to see my local knowledge works, both Tuesday and Wednesday were the wettest as per my prediction…

The Daintree River reached moderate flood level last week, with Ferry operations halted briefly at high tide; the ramps could not reach the ground! There was severe localized flooding at Cape Trib, with vehicle movements limited on Wednesday, it is worth noting that most roads around Cairns were closed too.

Not a good week for the reef until the winds moderate on Wednesday. While the weather looks bad, it’s worth remembering that March is the wettest month of the year, and there is nothing unusual about the forecasts below.

NORTH TROPICAL COAST AND TABLELANDS DISTRICTScattered showers about the coastal fringe this morning with more isolatedshowers redeveloping tonight. Local early drizzle patches on the Tablelands thena mostly fine day. Fresh and gusty SE winds.Outlook for Tuesday ... Scattered showers about the coastal fringe. Isolatedshowers inland but mostly fine. Fresh SE winds.Outlook for Wednesday ... Scattered showers about the coastal fringe. Isolatedshowers inland but mostly fine. Moderate to fresh SE winds.

North Tropical Waters, Cooktown to Cardwell:Monday until midnight: SE winds 20/25 knots. Seas to 2.2 metres on a 2.0 metre SE swell outside the reef. Seas to 1.6 metres inside the reef. Scattered showers. Tuesday: SE winds 20/25 knots. Seas to 2.2 metres on a 2.0 metre SE swell outside the reef. Seas to 1.6 metres inside the reef. Scattered showers. Wednesday: SE winds 15/20 knots.

The road to Cape Tribulation is open, but after heavy rain, there may be localized flooding. I recommend caution when crossing patches of floodwater, even in 4WDs. It is very easy for an inexperienced driver to misjudge this water and be washed away. Drivers should also be aware of fallen branches and trees on the road after wind. There is a mudslide on Noah Range, with one lane open only.

Last week near Mossman two rented cars were submerged because the drivers attempted to cross ridiculously flooded streams.

The Bloomfield Track is currently closed. I drove as far as Meleelee Creek on Saturday, and was stopped by a huge fallen tree. I have advised the Council of this, but as yet no word on it’s removal. The road is covered in fallen trees and I had to drive over several logs to get that far. The river crossings are washed out and full of large rocks, and in one case a huge tree. I would only recommend heavy duty 4WDs attempt the Bloomfield road at present. Tides are high morning and low afternoon all week, with some high enough to flood the Bloomfield Causeway.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Weekly Report Daintree Coast 3/3/08 - 9/3/08

Once again no significant rain to report on the Daintree Coast. It has been humid, overcast, and generally wet seasonish, with showers etc, but there has been no real rain. It seems as if the Central and Southern Coast of Qld is getting all the rain this year. There have been isolated incidents of heavy rain, but the Bloomfield Track is in the best condition I have seen it in March due to the lack of significant rain.

There is enough water around for the frogs though, and each night we get a variety of frog calls serenading us to sleep.

This week again has the chance of rain, with my local knowledge suggesting Tuesday or Wednesday could see heavy rain; it often comes 3 days after a southeast change…

Not a good week for the reef unless the winds moderate, which looks unlikely. While the weather looks bad, it’s worth remembering that March is the wettest month of the year, and there is nothing unusual about the forecasts below.

NORTH TROPICAL COAST AND TABLELANDS DISTRICTA flood warning is current for coastal streams south of Cairns, including theTully and Murray Rivers.Showers, rain periods and thunderstorms with some moderate to heavy falls.Moderate to fresh SE winds, strong about the coast.Outlook for Tuesday ... Showers and rain areas, coast and adjacent rangeswith moderate to heavy falls. Showers elsewhere. SE winds, strong about thecoast.Outlook for Wednesday ... Showers and rain areas, coast and adjacent rangeswith moderate to heavy falls. Showers elsewhere. SE winds, strong about thecoast.

North Tropical Waters, Cooktown to Cardwell:
A gale warning is current.
Monday until midnight: S/SE winds 25/30 knots, though lighter inshore early. Winds increasing to 30/40 knots offshore during the day, and possibly extending to inshore waters in the evening. Seas 3 metres outside the reef, increasing to 3.5 metres during the day. Seas 2 to 2.5 metres inside the reef. Scattered showers, rain areas and isolated thunderstorms.
Tuesday: SE/NE winds easing to 25/30 knots during the morning. Seas decreasing to 3 metres outside the reef, and 2 metres inside the reef. Rain and isolated thunderstorms.
Wednesday: SE winds 25/30 knots.

The road to Cape Tribulation is open, but if any of the forecast heavy rain evens materialize, there may be localized flooding. I recommend caution when crossing patches of floodwater, even in 4WDs. It is very easy for an inexperienced driver to misjudge this water and be washed away. Drivers should also be aware of fallen branches and trees on the road after wind.

The Bloomfield Track is currently open, but is also prone to localized flooding after rain events. Those attempting the track should only do so in heavy duty 4WDs, and be prepared for very deep, washed out and rocky river crossings. It is also a good idea to seek local advice on the day. Yesterday, Mason’s Tours went through, and encountered a flash flood upon their return to Emmagen Creek. It was necessary to ford about 1m of water to return. Today we cancelled the tour, as more rain has fallen, and the rivers are likely to be too deep. Those attempting the track this week should plan to avoid high morning tides at the Bloomfield Causeway.
Tides are very high morning and low afternoon all week, with the daytime tides tending to neaps later in the week.