Rainforest stories

Looking to experience the Daintree’s natural beauty, and indigenous heritage, in the lap of luxury? This is the place.

Beautiful: a guided walk in Mossman Gorge

On the edge of the Daintree National Park, fully clothed and in front of a group of strangers, Tom Creek is working up a lather. Scrunching a wad of sarsaparilla leaves in his palm, he dips the shards into the clear waters of a nearby creek and begins to rub the verdant mush into his skin. Within seconds, a white soapy lather covers his forearm, to the astonishment of his curious crowd.

As a boy, Tom was often in trouble for spending too much time in the rainforest near his home north of Cairns. Now his backyard has become his livelihood and he spends his days guiding visitors through protected rainforest, pointing out native flora, calling out to wildlife and revealing the ways in which the Kuku Yalanji people have co-existed with nature for 50,000 years.

Tom Creek

We are at Rex Creek, a rock-strewn stretch of fast-flowing water on the edge of Mossman Gorge and the World Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest. Despite the area’s international renown, for locals like our guide Tom the serenity that has settled over the forest this morning, a mix of birdsong and a steadily gurgling creek, was not always thus.

Hundreds of thousands of guests visit the area each year, but for a long time few left with knowledge of the area’s deep indigenous heritage. Mostly visitors would speed along the roads that connect the town of Mossman with its famous gorge, enabling the tiny Mossman Gorge Aboriginal Community to capture only one per cent of that rapidly passing trade. After years of community toil, in 2012 Mossman Gorge’s cultural centre opened, directing visitors to the gorge via a central hub that in turn showcased the local culture and its connection to land. Ten years on, a visit to the area has become imbued with a distinctly indigenous flavour.

Niramaya resort

With the road to the gorge now closed to the public during the day, cars are directed to the cultural centre, which also houses a gallery of vibrant indigenous art, and through its on-site training school runs a cafe featuring native ingredients. From here, shuttle buses take visitors to the gorge (swimming is no longer encouraged), or better still to a nearby stretch of forest for an immersive wander that begins with a smoking ceremony and ends with damper and tea.

Tom is an engaging informant. “Unlimited free wi-fi and internet” he jokes as he demonstrates an ageless communications technique: rhythmically hitting a rock against the buttress of an old red cedar. Each knock clearly resounds through the forest. He points out stone-like cassowary plums and the poisonous hairs on the bright leaves of the stinging tree. While there is no sign of the young cassowary spotted bathing just off the path a few hours earlier, we have this patch of rainforest to ourselves for well over an hour. Accompanied by the call of native pigeons, it is a uniquely Australian experience.

A room at Niramaya

So is the drive back to our accommodation, along a scenic road edged with sugarcane fields to coastal Port Douglas. The accommodation at Niramaya resort is billed as villas, but the moment you turn the key at your private retreat, stepping into a tropical courtyard that in turn reveals a series of stunning pavilions and gardens for your exclusive use, it’s clear that “compound” might be a more accurate description.

Architecturally designed and generously spaced over huge tropical gardens, the location feels more like Palm Springs meets Bali. Inside, the one- to five-bedroom villas each have their own pool. My villa opens to a central courtyard. Stepping stones over a small pond lead to a breezeway with a pavilion to one side containing a well-stocked kitchen and an enormous lounge/dining room. Other pavilions contain bedrooms, the master with a spa bath and dressing room. There’s also an outdoor shower and multiple outdoor sittings areas, including an enclosed day bed bedside the pool. If you don’t fancy cooking, the in-house restaurant serves breakfast beside the communal infinity pool.

Niramaya’s pool

Perfect for: Holidaymakers seeking rainforest, beaches and indigenous heritage.

Must do: If you can be lured away from your Port Douglas villa, palm-fringed Four Mile Beach is a 10-minute walk away, an idyllic spot for a swim (depending on stinger season) or a languorous walk.

Dining: Wrasse and Roe, in the main street of Port Douglas, specialises in sustainably harvested seafood, including local barramundi cooked in one of three ways. At Niramaya, a limited breakfast menu can be pre-ordered and delivered to your villa; the restaurant is not currently open for dinner.

Getting there: Qantas flies daily between most major cities and Cairns. Shuttles, taxis and ride shares are available from Cairns airport for the one-hour drive to Port Douglas. The drive from Port Douglas to Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre takes about 20 minutes.

Bottom line: For Mossman Gorge, regular shuttles ($13.05 per adult for an unlimited day pass) leave the cultural centre for the gorge every 15 minutes from 8am to 6pm. Dreamtime tours from $86.50 per adult. Niramaya Villas (niramaya.com.au) from $850pn for a one-bedroom villa (rates vary).

mossmangorge.com.au