‘It’s bloody terrible’: Daintree Village emerges from record deluge

Daintree Village was without power and water for seven days when Cyclone Jasper made landfall – but in true Far North fashion, drenched locals managed to get together for a beer at Daintree Pub. Watch the video.

Daintree Village was without power and water for seven days when Cyclone Jasper made landfall – but in true Far North fashion, drenched locals managed to get together for a beer at Daintree Pub.

Lifetime resident Ellenor Jorgensen and her partner David Martin drove to Mossman for supplies on Wednesday morning, when she was able to get in touch with family for the first time since December 13.

The site of the Daintree Village jetty on December 20, 2023. Picture: Supplied

“It’s bloody terrible, you can’t get to Upper Daintree, big landslides and trees over and fixing the jetty will take months and months and months.

“It’ll make you cry, just looking at the jetty.

“The jetty has all gone, you go down there and you are driving on sand,” she said.

“Daintree people are pretty tough people, the locals, it takes a lot to bring them down.”

The site of the Daintree Village jetty on December 20, 2023. Picture: Supplied

“We’ve had no water, no power and no phone since the cyclone but the power came on last night,” she said, adding that many were still without power in the district.

Several houses in the district suffered extensive flooding.

“Everyone seems OK, the pub opened on a couple days for a few hours and everyone gathered there,” Ms Jorgensen said.

“Everyone is pretty well, council got heaps of bottled water in to the hall and the SES has been around counting heads.”

Stewart Creek Rd at Daintree Village. Picture: Armin Von Keyserlingk.

She said she could not recall being cut off for such a long time.

The river reached 9m, wiping out infrastructure at the adjoining caravan park.

Her son Vaughn Jorgensen, on a farm property further up the river, will go without power for months, she said.

“Everyone is washed away – Vaughn came down and he’ll borrow our generator, his phone is flat and there’s no service up there,” Ms Jorgensen said.

Daintree Village on December 19, 2023. Picture: Supplied

“I didn’t hear anyone say they didn’t have food, and they went around to see if anyone needed medication.”

Ms Jorgensen said further south, around the turn-off to the Daintree ferry, residents were throwing saturated furniture out.

“It’s a mess, and how are the cruise operators going to get down – the water is still over the boat ramp at the ferry.

Daintree Village jetty before the flood. Picture: Supplied

“It’s going to be impossible to do the cruises, it’s just ridiculous, lucky it is our low season,” she added.

“Part of the road, at Humbug Ridge, was washed away,” she said of their trip to Mossman.

Originally published as ‘It’s bloody terrible’: Daintree Village emerges from record deluge