Where to stay north of Port Douglas for rainforest, wildlife, good hiking?
Oct 26th, 2006, 06:42 AM
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Where to stay north of Port Douglas for rainforest, wildlife, good hiking?
DH & I are going to Australia in late August 2007. Planning a few nights in Sydney at the start, then flying to Cairns and would like to explore Mossman/Daintree & north for around 4 days prior to spending 5 days at South Long Island Nature Lodge. Last time we were in Australia we stayed in Port Douglas and did the Wavelength daytrip to the reef (fantastic), a day at Kuranda, a day with David Armbrust (great) and a day hiking in Mossman Gorge which we absolutely loved. We never got to spend any real time north of Mossman, so this time we would like to stay up there someplace and explore the Daintree rainforest & parts north. We would like to keep the accommodations cost around $200 AUD/$150 USD or less per night for this part of the trip if possible, so Silky Oaks & the like are not in the cards, although we are willing to spend a little more for something really special. Not looking for nightlife or shopping or a beach experience for this part of the trip -- more interested in wildlife viewing, hiking, photographing the forest and birds, etc. We do like good food and comfortable lodging with bath ensuite, and a king sized bed would be nice, but we are not looking for ultra-luxury. We tend to prefer medium-sized accommodations (not huge resorts) so in general we lean towards nature lodge-type places although we are open to considering B&Bs too. Some of the places I've been looking at are Daintree-Cape Tribulation Heritage Lodge, Daintree Wilderness Lodge, Sea Change-Daintree B&B at Newell Beach, Red Mill House B&B, Papillon B&B, Mossman Gorge B&B, and Cockatoo Hill (although the latter is a little more than we would like to spend). I would appreciate any comments the experts here have on any of these places, what the differences are, experiences good or bad, and suggestions for other places we should be looking at or considering. Thanks in advance.
Oct 27th, 2006, 04:09 PM
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Hi Lisa,
A lot will depend on where you would prefer to be based and I'm sure others will be able to provide information on the properties you mention.
Papillon and Mossman Gorge B&Bs are both near Mossman Gorge with it’s rainforest walks and swimming holes – 20 mins north of Port Douglas and 40 mins south of Daintree Village.
Sea Change B&B is further north, at quiet Newell Beach, 30 mins south of Daintree – lovely beach, no big shops or restaurants and no rainforest. Red Mill House is in tiny Daintree Village, south of the Daintree River – Daintree is a birdwatchers’ paradise with river cruises and guided walks for wildlife-spotting and photography. See www.daintreevillage.asn.au for more information on this region.
Daintree Heritage Lodge, Daintree Wilderness Lodge and Cockatoo Hill Retreat are all north of the Daintree River and thus surrounded by world heritage-listed rainforest with boardwalks, interpretive centre, etc.
I hope this has helped!
A lot will depend on where you would prefer to be based and I'm sure others will be able to provide information on the properties you mention.
Papillon and Mossman Gorge B&Bs are both near Mossman Gorge with it’s rainforest walks and swimming holes – 20 mins north of Port Douglas and 40 mins south of Daintree Village.
Sea Change B&B is further north, at quiet Newell Beach, 30 mins south of Daintree – lovely beach, no big shops or restaurants and no rainforest. Red Mill House is in tiny Daintree Village, south of the Daintree River – Daintree is a birdwatchers’ paradise with river cruises and guided walks for wildlife-spotting and photography. See www.daintreevillage.asn.au for more information on this region.
Daintree Heritage Lodge, Daintree Wilderness Lodge and Cockatoo Hill Retreat are all north of the Daintree River and thus surrounded by world heritage-listed rainforest with boardwalks, interpretive centre, etc.
I hope this has helped!
Oct 28th, 2006, 06:54 AM
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Thank you for your response -- I think we will eliminate Sea Change B&B from the list even though it looks very nice, since we are not looking for a beach experience for this part of the trip. The rest are still in the running...anyone else have thoughts on any of these?
Oct 30th, 2006, 10:18 PM
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Cockatoo Hill is gorgeous anbd very Balinese. Is run by a French couple who initially wanted to establish in Bali, but instead decided on the Daintree. It is very quiet and serene compared to most of the other resort style places. Lovely rooms and pool. Centrally located, but like most places north of the Daintree River, you will need a car.
Nov 1st, 2006, 03:09 PM
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Lisa,
When in the Daintree my wife and I stay at Red Mill House and north of the river we stay at Heritage Lodge. If you are after wildlife why not consider the Atherton Tablelands as it has more to offer and fewer tourists. Have a look at www.yunbaburra.com for accommodation. yungaburra is a delightful village with a range of accommodation styles and some good restaurants. The wildlife at some of the lodges is great and there are plenty of walks for all levels.
When in the Daintree my wife and I stay at Red Mill House and north of the river we stay at Heritage Lodge. If you are after wildlife why not consider the Atherton Tablelands as it has more to offer and fewer tourists. Have a look at www.yunbaburra.com for accommodation. yungaburra is a delightful village with a range of accommodation styles and some good restaurants. The wildlife at some of the lodges is great and there are plenty of walks for all levels.
Nov 1st, 2006, 03:10 PM
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Nov 5th, 2006, 08:44 PM
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We stayed at the Heritage Lodge and really enjoyed it. It is nothing fancy but you are in the rainforest. There is a resident cassowary and my husband was out early in the morning and had the luck to see it. There are also rat kangaroos and bandicoots and a riflebird on site. We really liked the area, however I also second the suggestion about visiting the Atherton tablelands. Take a spotlighting tour there and you are sure to see lots of possums and other wildlife We went with Jonathan Munro who takes you to his own property and has access to other private land as well.
Sara
Sara
Nov 6th, 2006, 02:07 PM
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Last May we stayed at the Cape Trib Exotic Fruit Farm, www.capetrib.com.au and loved it. Upscale dinning near by, just check the web site. There is a resident cassowary & chick, trails to the beach, wild boars( I saw one)and birds galore. They have only 2 houses on stilts, so it's worth reserving early. Way resonable price for what you get.
Nov 9th, 2006, 08:25 PM
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Lisa you might also check out http://www.daintree-specialised-tours.com/
Nov 13th, 2006, 02:03 PM
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There's always likely to be bugs and critters in any tropical rainforest accommodation - house geckoes are the most common. They run up walls and over ceilings, and no, they won't fall on you when asleep. Another common house visitor is the green tree frog, both are valued as they play a great role in keeping down any troublesome insect without resorting to the use of chemical sprays and baits. Green tree frogs just love munching on cockroaches.
Nov 13th, 2006, 05:25 PM
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Yes, would most certainly recommend Cape Trib Exotic Fruit Farm - but do book early - they're often full.
Wild boars mentioned above are what are known locally as feral pigs, very destructive to rainforests. Another introduced pest, along with cane toads, rabbits, foxes, Indian myna birds, feral cats, etc
Wild boars mentioned above are what are known locally as feral pigs, very destructive to rainforests. Another introduced pest, along with cane toads, rabbits, foxes, Indian myna birds, feral cats, etc
Nov 13th, 2006, 05:37 PM
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I have stayed at Red Mill House B&B and really enjoyed it. We are planning on staying there again next Nov/Dec when we visit. They are wonderful hosts and were great in helping plan outings along with providing a really comfortable place to stay and a wonderful breakfast.
Nov 13th, 2006, 06:05 PM
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Yes, Red Mill House is another great one - its at Daintree Village on south side of Daintree River - Cape Tribulation Exotic Fruit Farm is north of the river which is crossed by Daintree Ferry (vehicular); there's no bridge over Daintree River.
Nov 14th, 2006, 03:10 PM
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Did not have a problem with bugs. However, during the night you can hear all kinds of nocturnal critters on the tin roof, not scary, just a bit noisy. My husband slept thru it all! They have a "tasting/ lecture" on exotic fruits almost every day. We didn't attend but I bought some preserves, in retrospect I should have gotten twice as much.
