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TROPICAL BRILLIANCE

NORTHERN QUEENSLAND IS THE STAGE FOR AN ADVENTUROUS ROAD TRIP BETWEEN COASTAL TREASURES, A WORLD HERITAGE RAINFOREST AND THE CULTURAL AND GEOLOGICAL WONDERS OF THE DRY INTERIOR

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS DON FUCHS

Northern Queensland sets the stage for an adventurous roadtrip

OUR VOICES DROP to a hush as though stepping into a cathedral. Yet this masterpiece — inspiring a feeling some might call spiritual — is made by nature, not man. Slender grey trunks of fan palms rise to a thick canopy, filtering light in an eerie glow.

This large stand of palms is one of many highlights on a road trip through Far North Queensland, starting in Cairns, the region’s main city. This is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and its terrestrial wonders, including 1200 square kilometres of Daintree Rainforest, the largest block of tropical rainforest in Australia.

This ancient forest (180 million years old) is rich in wildlife, with 30 per cent of all the frog, reptile and marsupial species in Australia, 65 per cent of the country’s bat and butterfly species, 18 per cent of all bird species, and 12,000 insect species. Dense vegetation presses in on the narrow winding road, shaded by tree tunnels. It is eternal twilight in this primaeval forest. Roadside signs warn that cassowaries, large flightless birds living in the rainforest, may step onto the road.

Another great ecosystem of the Daintree is mangrove forest, the tidal transition zone between land and ocean. A particularly rich mangrove forest, along the meandering Cooper Creek, is accessible only by boat. Skipper Ernie, a laconic local, hopes large crocodiles inhabiting the waterway might make themselves known to his customers. No guarantee. What is a given, however, is the raw beauty of the scenery. Around the first bend, Thornton Peak, at 1374 metres, the third-highest mountain in the area, rises over the mangroves and forms a supreme wilderness that dwarfs us.

The Daintree’s tourism centre is Cape Tribulation. With accommodation options from camping to resorts, this small community is the base for exploring the surrounding rainforest.

We check into the Ferntree Rainforest Lodge, hidden in dense jungle, then explore the nearby Dubuji Boardwalk. In the evening, we stroll along the deserted Myall Beach, a long sandy stretch fringed by coconut palms. In the background, the dark rainforest-clad mountains soar into rain-heavy clouds. Twilight bathes the land in an orange glow.

In such tropical splendour, it is easy to forget that this is a wild place. Not far from here, at Thornton Beach, Hamilton woman Cindy Waldron was killed by a crocodile while on an evening beach walk in 2016.

At Cape Tribulation, the famous Bloomfield Track starts. Dirt replaces bitumen. Creek crossings add spice and a touch of adventure. A 4WD is required, and in wet conditions, this section of the road trip can be tricky. In the early 1980s, protesters blockaded the road’s construction, fearing the unique rainforest would be logged. Ultimately, these protests led to the protection of large tracts of the Daintree Rainforest, now recognized as one of the most diverse and oldest on Earth.

We stop at Stingray Bay along the Bloomfield Track, where solitary trees sit in the glittering shallow water, creating a surreal landscape. Not far from here, the vegetation begins to change. The almost frivolous lushness of the rainforest gradually morphs into the dry, dusty outback. The Bloomfield Track eventually leads to the small Aboriginal community of Bloomfield and the thundering Bloomfield Falls, accessible by a short track.

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2021-07-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thisnzlife.pressreader.com/article/281719797534678

NZ Lifestyle Magazine Group