Inside Daintree Ecolodge in Far North Qld

More than a year after Tropical Cyclone Jasper inundated the Daintree Ecolodge, the property has been revitalised. See the photos, and the immersive cultural experience, here.

The Daintree Ecolodge is a boutique stay in Far North Queensland.

It’s the sound of the world’s oldest rainforest humming in the background — the gentle symphony from the chirping wildlife and flowing water — that makes you wish you never had to leave.

And keeps you coming back.

This is the Daintree Ecolodge, nestled about 100km north of Cairns in Far North Queensland.

It’s one of the few places in the world where two world heritage sites meet; the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree rainforest.

Intrepid Travel bought the lodge in 2023 just before Tropical Cyclone Jasper crossed the coast at Wujal Wujal, becoming the wettest system in Australia’s history, in December.

In just three months after water inundated the property up to its roof, it reopened following a mammoth community effort.

Daintree Ecolodge has been revamped since it was inundated with flooding following Tropical Cyclone Jasper.

More than a year on, the property has been revitalised with First Nations and sustainability experiences, with conservation efforts to protect the Daintree.

Intrepid Travel accommodation general manager Celine Hurelle said without the community effort, it wouldn’t have been able to open so soon.

“When we acquired the property we knew it was in a cyclone area, and we knew there was a calculated risk from that aspect,” she said.

“We had implemented a management plan so that we were ready and prepared to act when the crisis hit ... but we already had relationships with a lot of the contractors because we had planned to work with them on a regular basis. When the cyclone hit we had accelerated and deepened the work we had planned to do with them.”

The boutique stay conservation efforts to protect the Daintree.

The boutique stay has 15 tree houses, with plans to add five more, and is home to a natural waterfall and self-guided trails.

Experiences include Indigenous basket weaving, cooking and cocktail classes, yoga and a popular wellness spa.

Excursion packages include an Indigenous cultural walk, snorkelling and scuba diving, and trips to the breath-taking boulder-strewn Mossman Gorge and Daintree River.

Intrepid also partners with Rainforest Rescue which has planted more than 350,000 trees in reclaimed sugar cane fields.

The reception and foyer at Daintree Ecolodge.

Giving back to the community was at the core of the business, Intrepid Travel ANZ managing director Brett Mitchell said.

“It’s about experience rich,” he said.

“It’s about social connection. That’s what good touring does, it brings people together.

“It’s trying to bring all of it together — social connection, leading locals, learning about different culture and being active in experiences.”

Following the success in Daintree, the company plans to buy 20 boutique properties across the globe over the next three years.

In June Intrepid announced the purchase of two new properties – the 20-room Edge of the Bay resort in Tasmania, Australia and another in Morocco.

There are several self-guided walks at the lodge.

“As a business we take 250,000 clients to over 100 different countries all over the world,” Mr Mitchell said.

“Our key source markets are Australia, New Zealand, Canada, US, UK, Germany ... it’s really become a global travel business. Only around 45 per cent of our total business comes out of Australia; 30 odd per cent comes out of North America and 30 odd per cent out of the UK.”

Last year Intrepid marked a record financial performance, delivering its largest ever profit of $50.9m, including $693m in bookings and $626m in revenue.

Its ambitious 2030 strategy is to reach 600,000 customers and $1.3bn in revenues.

Rooms include an outdoor area that can be closed off from the master bedroom.

Mr Mitchell said the business did not want to waste a crisis on the back of Covid-19.

“Coming out of Covid was a great opportunity for the business, and to think about what’s the next five, seven years (look like),” Mr Mitchell said.

“We were very lucky in a lot of ways going into Covid. As a business privately owned, we didn’t have any debt. We had a really strong balance sheet and we don’t use client funds.”

The company is also B Corp certified; a commitment of more than 9000 businesses that adhere to high and verified standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.

“Here (in Far North Queensland) it’s about engaging our customers and staff with the environment, the culture and the community,” Ms Hurelle said.

“It’s also built into our due diligence when purchasing properties; making sure that we can have a positive impact to the community ... it’s partnering with small businesses and then growing alongside them in a way that fuels our growth as well.”

Guests can overlook a water when eating, with private dining also an option.

As part of that, Mr Mitchell says one of the business’s main conversations is how does it continue to decarbonise?

“How do we do it in our office? How do we do with staff travelling? How do we do it in our tours?” he said.

“We’ve eliminated something like 5000 flights from all our internal itineraries by redesigning our product.

“And a part of that is closer to home travel; trying to expand domestic and start to expand low footprint itineraries so walking, cycling ... that removes fossil fuel.

“It’s difficult because it’s challenging us commercially. Some of our best-selling product has some of the biggest emissions, so as a business we are challenged to try to find that balance.”

It’s one of the reasons why Intrepid is pivoting towards becoming a travel lifestyle brand — by offering more experiences.

“We want to find ways to play a more meaningful part in our community’s lives on a more regular basis,” Mr Mitchell said.

“And when you start to extrapolate that, it means product. How can we create and innovate in more areas that are strong in our belief but can help the customer?”

Intrepid Travel chief executive James Thornton said the company’s approach to accommodation was underpinned by a commitment to preserving culture, fostering connection, supporting communities and boosting travel’s economic contribution within communities.

Ms Hurelle added: “At the heart of this strategy is Intrepid’s accommodation philosophy: to offer an immersive stay that acts as a gateway to explore the destination and connect meaningfully to its community, culture and environment, while providing a comfortable base to relax.”

And what better place to do that than in the Daintree in Far North Queensland?

The writer was a guest of Intrepid Travel

Originally published as Inside Daintree Ecolodge in Far North Qld