Daintree Village Heritage Walk now available on I Tunes

Just out on the Australian Short Walks App.
The Daintree Village Heritage Walk, free after downloading the Australian Short Walks App from the App Store $1.99

Other Daintree area walks include Mossman Gorge, Mossman Historic Walk, Port Douglas Coastcare Walk and Port Douglas Historic Walk.

All walks are FREE after initial download of short walks app.

Download here

Smart Card enables Cairns locals to free ferry travel

Read the council press release

Pick up your application form for a Daintree Smart Card now from the CRC offices.

As an Early Bird Incentive Cairns residents who make application for their Smart card before 1st December and who use their smart card at least once during the trial period will be in the running to win a Panasonic Blue ray Home Theatre System valued at $1,099 kindly donated by Tourism Tropical North Queensland.TTNQ

whales on the fringing reef

Close to the beach, migrating whales are scratching themselves on the reef,to remove their barnacles. Kayakers were treated to a great view of the whales swimming underneath the boats. Walkers on Myall Beach had a ringside seat to the whales spouting and cavorting.

Kingfishers in the Daintree

Everyone's favourite 'the Kingfisher'.
Colourful, with huge bills and full of character, ranging in size from the Little Kingfisher at 12cm, to the Laughing Kookaburra at 48cm.
 We are so fortunate here in Daintree, as seven out of Australia's ten kingfishers are either residents or visitors to the Daintree.
Over the cooler winter months, the Sacred Kingfisher is a regular, feeding in the fields of the Daintree Valley. Often seen on fence posts or power lines, they feed on insects and small reptiles. More turquoise in colour than the dark blue of the Forest Kingfisher, which also feeds in a similar manner and is more common.

A favourite with birdwatchers is the Little Kingfisher - tiny, elusive and a difficult bird for international birders to see in other parts of Australia. The Daintree River and it's creeks and even local still ponds are well known spots for this gem. Being 'true' kingfishers they only eat fish and other small aquatic animals.
At low tide on the Daintree River, you may be lucky enough to see one of these gems.

Fruit-Doves in the Rainforest

The tropical lowland Daintree Rainforest has three brightly coloured fruit-doves, Superb, Rose-crowned and Wompoo, all of which are eagerly sought after by birdwatchers. Surprisingly difficult to see, they feed on fruit, usually high in the rainforest canopy.
This beautiful male Superb Fruit-Dove was lucky to survive, and make a good recovery, after hitting the window of a farmhouse in the Daintree Valley. It is normally difficult to see those beautiful colours in the rainforest. While reasonably common, good views are often just be chance.
Thanks to Donna Davis for the images.

Have an Eco Easter

Showcasing the oldest continuously surviving tropical rainforest in the world, tourism operators in the Daintree fittingly offer some of the most environmentally friendly experiences in the country. Not only are many attractions and accommodations in the Daintree ECO-certified, signifying their commitment to sustainable practices and high quality nature-based tourism experiences, but in many cases Daintree businesses use solar and hydro sustainable power. In fact, the Daintree Coast north of the river is home to Australia’s largest sustainable energy community. So if the only guilt you need this Easter is for all the chocolate you eat, then the Daintree’s the place to go. The internationally acclaimed Daintree Discovery Centre has been acknowledged as an Ecotourism leader for many years, with carbon offset programs and award-winning operations, but other local businesses are now joining them at the forefront of sustainable tourism. Following an independent audit by Cairns environmental consultants The Missing Link, Jungle Surfing is now proudly carbon neutral, with their tiny carbon footprint requiring just 140 trees to be planted annually to offset emissions. Jungle Surfing staff and friends last month planted the trees themselves in Cape Tribulation as part of the company’s Community Revegetation Project. Having last year established a nursery of native plants, many of which are endemic to the Daintree, this year the project literally came to fruition with more than 2000 free seedlings provided to local individuals and businesses along with expertise, advice and some essential elbow grease to plant the trees. For more information on Jungle Surfing’s environmental initiatives, or for free trees to plant to give yourself a carbon neutral holiday, please contact environment@junglesurfing.com.au For more information on ECO certified products in the Daintree, please go to http://www.destinationdaintree.com/daintree-ecotourism

The 'wet' season - best for birds and birding!

February was the wettest on record in Daintree Village with 1640ml of rain, bringing the year's (2 months!) total to 2117ml by the end of the month. 

March has arrived though and the weather has improved and visitors are coming. The 'wet' season is always best for birding, despite the sometimes-rainy conditions. The summer migrants are all still here, including the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher. The Little Kingfisher and Azure Kingfisher are also more visible as the breeding season come to an end. Both have been seen on the pond at Red Mill House in recent days. Also in the garden is Australasian Koel, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Yellow Oriole and others. A short, late afternoon walk with guests along Stewart Creek Rd from Daintree Village was very productive with Channel-billed Cuckoo, Little Bronze Cuckoo and female Australian Koel, plus a range of birds foraging for insects in the afternoon sun - Grey Whistler, Spectacled Monarch, Leaden Flycatcher, Fairy Gerygone, Graceful, Macleay's and Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Mistletoebird, Olive-backed Sunbird, Spangled Drongo, and Varied Triller. Others, chasing fruit, included Brown-Cuckoo Dove, Figbird and Wompoo Fruit-Dove. A lovely walk and a great introduction to the UK birders who had just arrived.

Cape Trib is back in business after Cyclone Yasi

Cape Tribulation was on the very edge of Cyclone Yasi when it crossed the coast south of Cairns, last Thursday. We had minimal damage. Because the businesses operate on solar power and generators, there has been no disruption, and many businesses are now cleaned up and ready to go.

Tours now running -
Ocean Safari
Masons Tours
Jungle Surfing
Exotic Fruit Tasting

Plenty of places now open to stay
Cape Trib Beach House
Cape Trib Farmstay
PKs Jungle Village
Cape Trib Camping
Cape Trib Exotic Fruit Farm

The rainforest is looking wonderful - the reef is looking beautiful.  The road to Cape Tribulation has been cleared, the ferry is operating and there is no problem with roads being flooded, now that the new bridge is in place over Cooper Creek. Port Douglas and Cairns are now open for business, with minimal damage.

Visit Destination Daintree for more info about itineraries, accommodation, and activities

Colour and movement

Fast flying and extremely colourful, the Rainbow Lorikeet is a favourite bird for locals and visitors alike.
One of the more vocal birds, Rainbow Lorikeets are well known for the array of colours seemingly splashed over their bodies. 

The Rainbow Lorikeet has a wide distribution; found in various parts of Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Not restricted to rainforest areas, the Rainbow Lorikeet enjoys parks and gardens as well. The Rainbow Lorikeet possesses two toes facing forward and two backward for balance and ease of grasping, and grow to over 30 cm in length.Whilst mainly nectar feeders, these birds are extremely adaptable, eating fruit, berries, seeds, and even insect and their larvae if required. At this time of year, when blossom is hard to find, the fruit from the Umbrella Tree is a favourite.