Daintree Cassowary killed in hit and run

 A really sad story which has happened in the last few weeks. Read the full story on the Rainforest Rescue site:
Daintree cassowary killed in hit and run

Daintree Gets New Nature Refuge

A new Nature Refuge has been created in the Daintree rainforest through a declaration by the Queensland Parliament.

Lot 22 Camelot Close at Cape Tribulation was purchased by not for profit organisation Rainforest Rescue in April 2007. “That’s when the work began to create the Nature Refuge” said Kelvin Davies CEO of Rainforest Rescue.

Read more on their blog

Daintree Discovery Centre – Winner on a World Stage

The Daintree Discovery Centre has just been awarded a prestigious international award for ecotourism at the 70th Skal World Congress being held at the Palace of Arts in Budapest, Hungary from 1 – 6 November 2009. The Centre’s tourism submission entitled ‘Sustainable Ecotourism’ was declared the winner of the 8th Annual Skal International Ecotourism Awards in the category of ‘General Countryside’.

Directors Ron and Pam Birkett were presented with the award during the Opening Ceremony overnight.

Competing against tourism businesses from 48 countries around the world, the local Daintree attraction has now been internationally recognized as leading the world in Ecotourism best practice.

The Centre is being specifically recognized for implementing a rigorous Carbon Offset / Bio-sequestration program as a means of minimizing its carbon footprint.

The Daintree Discovery Centre has been informing and educating visitors to the Daintree for more than 20 years.

According to Director Pam Birkett, to be selected as the world’s leading ecotourism business in this internationally prestigious award is something all Australians should be proud of.

‘It’s wonderful to be recognized on the world stage and to know that our best practice ecotourism business in the Daintree is more than competitive with other projects in the world.’

Tree snake joins boat cruise for lunch

Solar Whisper had some extra excitement on one of their Daintree River cruises this week. David White describes the incident:

"We stopped to look at a tree snake and as we got closer it became very inquisitive, constantly smelling the air with its forked tongue. The snake then swam over and started climbing up on to the boat next to me. After assuring everyone that they are completely harmless, I picked it up and instantly it slithered up my arm and behind my head and onto the top of the croc cam monitor. There was a strange squawk and the snake came out with my resident pet boat frog in its mouth.

If it happened in the tree we would all just watch with morbid fascination as that is nature, but seeing I introduced the snake to the boat I could not just watch, so I pried the snake’s mouth open and denied him his lunch. Freddo is fine."

Check out the wildlife photos

Dragon in the forest

 

The Boyds Dragon is often seen in the forest during the day. It has a unique defence mechanism - it thinks that if it does not move, then you won't see it! This gives you lots of time to set up a great photograph. This photo is taken by Anna-Katharina Pantli, a visitor to Cape Tribulation, staying at Cape Trib Exotic Fruit Farm.

Star apples - new season

 

Star apples have just started fruiting at Cape Trib Exotic Fruit Farm. A wonderful marshmellow flavour which is enhanced by a squeeze of lemon. Serve as a desert. Yummy!

Dugong Rescued at Cape Tribulation

Cape Trib locals save animal from certain death.
Written by Holly Robertson,Port Douglas and Mossman Gazette, August 20, 2009.Photos by Sharon Mason, Mason's Tours

A dugong that became beached at Cape Tribulation was rescued in a three-hour operation when locals and tourists banded together in a show of community spirit on monday.

The dugong, a fully grown male, was stranded at Coconut Beach about 11am on Monday after it became trapped on an exposed reef flat when the particularly low tide raced out.

Once beachgoers realised the animal was in trouble, local tour operators, backpackers and even a honeymoon couple from Italy pitched in to help National Parks rangers free the dugong.

Although the dugong sustained minor cuts from the coral, when it was released into the ocean around three hours later, it swam happily into the blue water.

Early morning ride to Noah Creek Mouth

 

A great cycle along the beach to the mouth of the Noah Creek - a wonderful protected estuary filled with crocodiles and a great view of the mountains.

Mountain Biking to the Extreme

Ferntree Rainforest Lodge is proud to host Australia's best-known international mountain bike race, the Crocodile Trophy which has established a reputation as the longest, hottest and hardest off-road cycling event on the planet.

The race attracts a field of professionals and amateurs from all over the world, including legends of cycling, to test themselves against the demands that only the Outback of Tropical North Queensland can offer.

A race of contrasts, The Trophy takes riders from the beautiful World Heritage Listed rainforest of the Tropical Tableland, to the dusty, endless red dust of the Australian Outback within the space of one day's ride. Some come to win, most finish the race just happy to have survived. The glory is in grasping the "saltie" at the race finish in beautiful Cape Tribulation. The Crocodile Trophy is awarded to every rider brave enough to finish this ultimate survival test.

Green Star Rating awarded to Cape Tribulation Resort & Spa

Cape Tribulation Resort & Spa is proud to have been awarded with a Green Star rating.

The standards for Green STARS were developed in a partnership between AAA Tourism and Green Globe under the guidance of the Australian Government established Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre.

Some of the key initiatives the Cape Tribulation Resort & Spa have undertaken are (to name a few):

* Environmentally-friendly water treatment and septic system
* Native flora regeneration program
* Mini-bars have been removed from all rooms and have been replaced with a wholesale order system. (Guests are provided with a list of beverages available for purchase, selected beverages are then delivered to the Room)
* Telephones will be removed from the Rainforest Retreats, ensuring the ultimate Eco experience without distraction. (Emergency Phones will be available for use in close proximity to Rooms)

To be awarded a Green STARS endorsement a property must achieve the designated minimum point score against the set of practical environmental criteria. For full details of the criteria, download Green Star Guidelines [pdf 65KB]

A magical morning at Cowie Beach

Blue skies, warm sunny days, low tides which stretch out for hundreds of metres - a magical morning at Cowie Beach. We had the beach to ourselves for a couple of hours, wandering across the sand flats, herding soldier crabs, and enjoying the warmth on our backs. Cowie Beach is about 30 minutes drive north of Cape Tribulation, on the Bloomfield Track.

Mason's Store and Cafe Opening Times

Masons Store

New Opening Times

From Wednesday 01 July 2009


9:30am to 7pm

Takings in the early morning do not justify
opening early at this point.

Mason’s Café

Open daily

10:00am to 5pm

Who is looking at who?

This White Lipped Green Tree Frog was discovered recently on a Mason's Nightwalk. At times it was hard to work out who was the spectator as the frog moved its head from side to side, checking out the walkers. Everyone was able to get fantastic shots, and this specimen was a really bright green.

White Lipped Green Tree Frogs can be seen any time of year, but are easier to spot in the green season, when they migrate to castal swamps at Cape Tribulation and breed in their thousands. The croaking sound like aboriginal clicking sticks from a distance.

Mason's nightwalks are on real jungle trails, with boardwalks or concrete paths. It is real jungle all the way. The guide carries a spotlight and all guests are given rechargeable flashlights.

Why not try the excitement of a Mason's Nightwalk when you come to the Daintree?

Jungle Surfing Awarded Advanced Eco Certification

Jungle Adventures Cape Trib are proud to announce that their products Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours & Jungle Adventures Nightwalks have been awarded Advanced ecotourism level Certification under the ECO Certification Program through Ecotourism Australia. Through a rigorous assessment process, Ecotourism Australia awards this prestigious certification to “Australia's leading and most innovative ecotourism products, providing an opportunity to learn about the environment with an operator who is committed to achieving best practice when using resources wisely, contributing to the conservation of the environment and helping local communities”.

Jungle Surfing and Jungle Adventures Nightwalks take visitors flying through the rainforest canopy by day and along the bustling forest floor at night. “Our team are passionate about our unique environment and we all recognise that our livelihood and the future protection of the Daintree depends on conservation and sustainability” said General Manager Sheena Walshaw. “So we’re absolutely committed to achieving best practice in environmental, social and economic responsibility.”

“Travellers today are looking for assurance that their great experiences don’t come at the environment’s expense, and so they should. The ECO Certification Program provides that assurance, and we’re really proud to have achieved the Advanced level Certification. It’s not an easy process, but it’s great to know ‐ and for our customers to know ‐ that we’re doing the right thing for the future of the planet.”

The definition of ecotourism adopted by Ecotourism Australia is: "Ecotourism is ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on experiencing natural areas that fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation". The ECO Certification logo means that you are guaranteed to experience a genuine and authentic tour, attraction or accommodation that looks after the environment. The ECO Certification program assures you that certified products are backed by a commitment to sustainable practices and provides high quality nature‐based tourism experiences.

New Rainforest Experience in the Daintree

Finally, a rainforest experience that showcases the best of the world's oldest surviving rainforest - without modification! Travelers to tropical north Queensland are directed into a variety of 'Daintree Rainforests' featuring artificial structures including boardwalks, vehicle-based tours, bike-riding, horse-riding, bunjy-jumping, parachuting, hang-gliding, zip-lining, cable-gondolas ... the choices are incredible. But the greatest difficulty would seem to be the getting into pristine rainforest without any gimmickry at all.

Genuine old-growth rainforest, spectacular in its grandeur is presented not through the construction and maintenance of a formal trail network, but rather through the knowledge and memory of the inhabitant guide.

Over twelve months of familiarisation has brought a new concept of a longer, more intensive guided tour to fruition. So far, perhaps only a dozen small groups having undertaken the experience by day, and a mere four single bookings at night. The rewards are quite clearly beyond those that have become so familiar to us from our formal network of presentation trails. Unadulterated wilderness has been particularly gratifying for a determined minority of travellers.

At about the halfway point in the experience, a rather tricky creek crossing requires the concentration of the party to descend a 10-metre embankment down a steep decline. Much thought will need to be given to this aspect of the experience, but in the meantime a somewhat precautionary scramble has to suffice.

Interested persons, wanting to experience this spectacular and inspirational rainforest should contact Cooper Creek Wilderness for more information or to lodge an expression of interest through our booking page.

Weather is fantastic

Despite all the media hype, the weather at Cape Tribulation has been generally fantastic in February. While it is true that some areas, notably Ingham and Karumba have suffered massive floods, we have not.

Ingham is well south of Cairns, near Townsville, and Karumba is on the west coast of Queensland, nowhere near here. The picture was taken on the Valentine's day weekend, a couple of kilometres east of Cape Trib, and shows the wonderful calm conditions, and blue skys. The fish were biting too!

While it is true that March can be a very wet month here, I urge anyone thinking of coming here to ring first and ask about the weather on 07 40980070, rather than relying on the media.

Striped Possums seen mating

Matt, one of Mason's Tours guides, has recently broken his Striped Possum drought in specatacular fashion!
On the estuary section of his walk he heard nioses similar to the calls of Flying Foxes, but closer inspection revealed that it was two Striped Possums mating.
The group was able to watch the two possums for some time. It was a lucky sighting as they are more commonly seen in the winter months.

The photo was supplied by a guest on one of our nightwalks

Mason's Cafe Opens

Mason's Tours are pleased to announce the opening of Mason's Cafe. The cafe has been operational for some years but was previously leased and traded as Myall Creek Takeaway. Run by Sharon Mason, the cafe serves burgers, fish and chips, sandwiches,wraps, shakes, fresh juices and much more. Sharon is commited to having daily specials, and offerings so far have included Thai Fish Cakes, Salt and Pepper Calamari, Lasagne (including a yummy vego version), and Chicken Pasta salad.
Mason's Cafe sells Tichum Creek Coffee, grown on the Atherton Tableland, west of Cairns. 'Mario's Blend' is delicious, and the ground coffee can be purchased on site if you wish to take some home. Local Daintree Tea is also served, and likewise can be purchased on site.
All cakes and biscuits served on Mason's 4WD Tours are prepared in the Cafe, and being freshly baked are proving popular. Ann Mason has trained Sharon to make all the old favourites such as Banana and Walnut cake so look out for the family recipes on your next Mason's Tour.

Sharon has also begun serving more decadent home made cakes at the cafe!
Mason's Cafe also can cater to groups who want lunch as a one off or on a regular basis. Please phone 40980016 to order. Our Green season hours will be 1030 to 1600, but this may vary so ring to check if you are not sure.
Mason's Cafe is 34km north of the Daintree Ferry midway between Cape Trib Resort and Spa and PK's Jungle Village