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Wow....what an awesome day! Awoke to much sought after sunshine to put a smile on our dials! Had brekkie, made some rolls for lunch and packed up - saying farewell to Clifton Beach by about 9.15am. Was lovely seeing the sun shining on the palm-tree fringed beach - out to Double Island and "Scout hat island"...
We were soon heading north on the Captain Cook Highway destined for Mossman Gorge. The recommendation that this would prove to be one of Queensland's most scenic drives certainly did not disappoint! The road meandered around and hugged the coastline at times or alternately was flanked by sugar cane fields.
We took a slight detour before Mossman to "Thala Beach nature Reserve....we thought we would just have a quick coffee not realising it was a beautiful resort built amongst the trees and coastline...bungalows in and around the trees and a reception and dining area set high above the coastline with amazingly spectacular views. Not a bad stop for a morning coffee!
Not long till the township of Mossman and then the turn off to Mossman Gorge. The car park was busy but didn't take us long to get our shuttle bus tickets for the ride from the Visitors Centre to the start of the rainforest walk. Our next couple of hours were spent trekking through incredible rainforest - majestic sun filtered canopies, dense vegetation, babbling running water interspersed with sounds of thundering water.....then vistas of the Mossman River pounding over Boulders and rocks. There were people braving the elements to attempt to swim....not heeding warnings against it! A great experience and so worth the visit!
Drove back through the little township of Mossman, grabbed some cold drinks and stopped at a picnic area on the outskirts of town for lunch.
We continued on through the Daintree National Park with the road again following the waters edge or meandering slightly inland. Followed the road to Daintree village and stopped at Bruce Belchers Daintree River Cruises - Deb & Greg Butlers recommendation. Just in time for the 2.30pm cruise - and proved to be great! An hour of cruising the mangrove-edged Daintree River with our boatman and guide, Ray. They guaranteed croc sightings ...and didn't disappoint.....9 in total.....from the massive 35 year old Scarface and 23 year old Lizzie, to a relatively new born ...tiny ....with evidently a less than one percent chance of survival! Spotted some interesting bird life too - egrets and beautifully colourful Kingfishers. Great informative and entertaining commentary.
Decided to continue on the extra 10 or 15 minutes to Daintree village to check it out as we may not get the chance on our return. Quaint little hamlet - literally a handful of shops including a van and villa park on the river, with pub and general store across the road. Had a beer (Great Barrier Reef Two Turtles Pale Ale) and a cider and bought a couple of bottles of wine before driving back to the road junction and heading north to Cape Tribulation. Appears we may have made another positive choice in regard to timing as we had a very short wait for the vehicle ferry to cross the Daintree River. Paid our $26 for the return journey enroute....probably less than 10 minute trip. On disembarking and continuing north we soon realised we were glad we weren't travelling in the opposite direction at this time....the queue of vehicles wound on for ages! Omg!
The road was very narrow and windy and we drove on to find our destination for the next two nights - The Rainforest Retreat Motel. Didn't take too long ...and quite a pleasant Eco-friendly retro style little establishment.....and the owner, Travis was extremely friendly and welcoming. Fairly basic....I have no phone service, no free to air TV...but really quite cute. With our provided torch in hand we ventured across the road a short distance to the Cow Bay Hotel for dinner. Was great! Raym loved his parmy and my Barramundi tacos were great! Great night to end a big day!
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