Daintree Tourism News

Many reasons to visit FNQ in Green Season!

TRAVSTAR NEWS - Daintree-Cape Trib News Feed

As locals, we all know that the weather is beautiful here year round and when the rain comes we all love it!!  Our rainforest animals all wander about, our rainforests come alive and our nights are a symphony of frog songs.  Rivers and waterfalls go wild and life is great!

Sure, there may be a slightly higher chance of rain but it's fun wandering around in the warm rain.  Take yourself out of your comfort zone!

People have called me to tell me about the size of the raindrops that bounced off the pavement.  It creates a memorable experience and a sense of adventure. You have never experienced rain until you experience it in the wet tropics and hey World Heritage Rainforest needs torrential rain to keep it growing! We need our beautiful rainforests to remain lush and alive.

Staying in the rainforest in wet weather is brilliant!  It's absolutely beautiful, not to mention the numerous waterfalls that appear during this time.

All activities take place year round in FNQ, we love playing in the rain!

• Activities such as ATV & Bungy are great fun!
• Spectacular heli rides over the Barron Falls.
• View the clouds and mist as you journey on the Skyrail Cableway to Kuranda.
• Awesome rafting adventures on the Barron and Tully River.
• Great accommodation & tour deals to be had!

Despite the travel information you may reading in planning your holiday to Far North Queensland, not every day is a wet weather day. We have some beautiful days and quite often the rain only passes through at night, which is a relief to calm the humidity.

This time of year is the best time to snap up some superb tour and accommodation deals, so what are you waiting for?!

Barra in Season

TRAVSTAR NEWS - Daintree-Cape Trib News Feed

Barramundi is back on the menu in Far North Queensland. The barra open season started yesterday, with fishers permitted to take barramundi along Queensland's east coast from midday. The season started in the Gulf of Carpentaria on January 22.

Queensland Boating and Fisheries Partrol District office Karl Roebuck said the closed season protected sticks at vulnerable times during their spawning cycle. "With the season reopening, I would encourage anglers to refresh their knowledge of the rules before hitting the water", Mr Roebuck said.

Barramundi is a highly prized species. Living in the rivers and coastal waters of Tropical Australia, they are very popular as both a sports fish and a table fish. Goes well with lemon and roasted macadamias. The taste is similar to Coral Trout.

What's in Season?

TRAVSTAR NEWS - Daintree-Cape Trib News Feed

Rambutans, also known as Hairy Lychees, rambutans originate from Malaysia and Sumatra. The name comes from the Malay word ‘rambout’ meaning hairy.

Oval to oblong in shape, rambutans grow in large clusters on the tree and are excellent for decorative purposes. The vivid red, variegated or sometimes yellow coloured fruit is covered in soft spines. The flesh is sweet and transparent or white and has a mild acid flavour which is very refreshing. It contains one seed.

Look for a firm brightly-coloured fruit that shows no signs of bruising. Its spines should be firm, without being brittle. Dehydration and rough handling will result in blackened spines, however the fruit is generally OK to eat. Fresh fruit can be refrigerated wrapped in plastic for five to seven days and may be kept at room temperature for two or three days.

Rambutans are best eaten fresh. To prepare, cut around the centre of the fruit with a sharp knife, penetrating the skin only. Lift off the top half of the skin, leaving the fruit in the half shell, like an egg in an egg cup. It can be added to fruit salads, served with ice-cream or made into sorbets, jams, salads, cheese or meat platters, as an addition to either sweet or savoury kebabs or simply served fresh to follow savoury dishes.

Daintree Gets New Nature Refuge

TRAVSTAR NEWS - Daintree-Cape Trib News Feed

A new Nature Refuge has been created in the Daintree rainforest through a declaration by the Queensland Parliament.

Lot 22 Camelot Close at Cape Tribulation was purchased by not for profit organisation Rainforest Rescue in April 2007. “That’s when the work began to create the Nature Refuge” said Kelvin Davies CEO of Rainforest Rescue.

Truckloads of rubbish were taken to the Cow Bay transfer station or further south on trailers. Then the weeds were tackled with a consistent approach requiring multiple follow up visits. Finally 500 trees were planted in the clearing to complete the restoration process.

The Nature Refuge agreement between Rainforest Rescue and the Queensland Government will ensure the land is protected forever and has the exclusive purpose of nature conservation. The kuku yalanji people of the Daintree were asked to give a name to the property choosing the ‘kulki anga’ Nature Refuge. In the kuku yalanji language kulki anga means ‘Cape Tribulation home for wildlife’.

The property is covered in lowland tropical rainforest and has the Tribulation Creek running through it. Being located within a Cairns Regional Council ‘rainforest residential precinct’ the land could have been developed for housing if not purchased by Rainforest Rescue

The new Nature Refuge has plenty to catch the eye. Cassowaries, Bennetts Tree-kangaroos, Striped Possums, Orange-footed Scrub Fowl and other wildlife regularly visit and there are some spectacular trees. The high conservation value of the property has been confirmed by a very large list of plants recorded in a survey. The 2.12 hectare property has an amazing 185 species of trees & shrubs in addition to 24 species of ferns. The largest tree is an ancient Strangler Fig measuring over 11 metres circumference at chest height and an impressive specimen of Hope’s Cycad stands at 6 m in height.

To make a donation and help buy back the Daintree phone 1300 763 611 or visit www.rainforestrescue.org.au

Winner on a World Stage

Daintree Discovery Centre - Daintree Discovery Centre News Feed

Daintree Discovery Centre – Winner on a World Stage

Cairns, Tuesday 3 November 2009

The Daintree Discovery Centre has just been awarded a prestigious international award for ecotourism at the 70th Skal World Congress being held at the Palace of Arts in Budapest, Hungary from 1 – 6 November 2009. The Centre’s tourism submission entitled ‘Sustainable Ecotourism’ was declared the winner of the 8th Annual Skal International Ecotourism Awards in the category of ‘General Countryside’.

Directors Ron and Pam Birkett were presented with the award during the Opening Ceremony overnight.

Competing against tourism businesses from 48 countries around the world, the local Daintree attraction has now been internationally recognized as leading the world in Ecotourism best practice.

The Centre is being specifically recognized for implementing a rigorous Carbon Offset / Bio-sequestration program as a means of minimizing its carbon footprint.

The Daintree Discovery Centre has been informing and educating visitors to the Daintree for more than 20 years.

According to Director Pam Birkett, to be selected as the world’s leading ecotourism business in this internationally prestigious award is something all Australians should be proud of.

‘It’s wonderful to be recognized on the world stage and to know that our best practice ecotourism business in the Daintree is more than competitive with other projects in the world.’

Daintree Eco Lodge wins tourism ‘Oscar’

Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa - Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa News Feed

November 11, 2009

Outclassing entries from Kenya, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Mozambique and Malaysia, North Queensland’s Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa has won the title of World’s Best Eco Lodge at the 2009 World Travel Awards.

Announced in London over the weekend, the Queensland business also took out the award for Australasia’s Leading Green Hotel.

Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor says the award wins are a stunning result for the Tropical North Queensland property.

"The World Travel Awards are described by the Wall Street Journal as the 'Oscars' of the global travel and tourism industry," Lawlor says.

"The win follows a vote by 183,000 travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organisations in more than 160 countries across the globe,” he says.

This latest accolade follows the lodge’s win in the 2009 SpaFinder Readers’ Choice Awards, where it beat out 15,000 competitors to take out World’s Best Environmental Spa and World’s Best Boutique Spa categories.

According to Lawlor, Daintree Eco Lodge’s string of prestigious awards is helping to raise awareness of Queensland and boost the State’s tourism.

"Tourism Queensland markets four distinct themes which capture a range of Queensland tourism experiences and destinations: 'islands and beaches', 'natural encounters', 'adventure' and 'Queensland lifestyle'," he says.

"As part of this approach, Tourism Queensland in part focuses on eco and Indigenous tourism experiences directly through a range of PR, marketing and development activities and works with tourism operators throughout the state, including Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa."

TTNQ Tourism Awards Winner

Red Mill House - Red Mill House News Feed

Saturday 31st October 2009

At the TTNQ Tourism Awards ceremony in Cairns on Saturday night Red Mill House in Daintree was awarded best Hosted Accommodation, becoming the first Daintree Village business to be successful in these major industry awards.

Owned and operated by Andrew and Trish Forsyth, Red Mill House is a five room, traditional bed and breakfast, offering a high degree of personal service to guests and focused primarily on nature enthusiasts and birdwatchers.

While accepting the award at the lavish black-tie dinner Andrew Forsyth thanked the team at Red Mill House and also TTNQ staff for their support and for embracing birdwatching as a niche market.

 “We are very excited and proud to receive this award” said co-owner Trish Forsyth.  “It’s a difficult category for the judges and to be chosen is a huge honour. Recognition of ours and other Daintree tourism businesses is great for the region.”

Magic of the Daintree

Daintree Secrets - Daintree Secrets News Feed

Splendid Isolation: Crocodile-free swimming holes are just a few steps down from the veranda of the Daintree Secrets holiday house...

I was up in the Daintree recently to check out some of the ways in which you can have a luxurious and private experience while appreciating the magic of the region.

Well, someone has to do it, so why shouldn't it be me? I found ways in which you can get the best of both worlds. You can chill out completely, avoid package tourists, eat five-star food and be lulled to sleep by a private river and the sound of birds.

The first surprise was Daintree Secrets, a private house at road's end where the house and property are yours alone, whether you're a honeymoon couple or a group of friends.

There are three bedrooms, sleeping up to seven people, and it's self-catering – buy your groceries on the way up from Cairns, cook yourself a feast, and eat it on the wrap-around veranda where a magnificent river rushes just below you.

It's only a few steps down to the paved surrounds of two safe swimming holes, one of which is home to turtles, eels and myriad fish.

You won't find another private pool quite like them – and they are guaranteed croc-free.

Daintree Secrets is not just for the well-heeled. Even in high season it costs only $330 a night for four guests. That works out at $82.50 a night each, and you'd pay that much in a decent motel.

Alison Cotes - The Sunday Mail

Cassowary spotted

Daintree Discovery Centre - Daintree Discovery Centre News Feed

Two years after the launch of the Daintree Discovery Centre’s Carbon Offset/Bio-sequestration project a cassowary has been spotted doing his ‘bit to assist’ revegetating the denuded block.

Cassowaries assist in seed dispersal by spreading rainforest seeds via their droppings and are known eat the fruit of some 248 different types of rainforest trees. As an accredited Wet Tropics visitor Information Centre, the Daintree Discovery Centre also carries Advanced Eco-Tourism Accreditation.

Best Australian Spa & Health Retreat

Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa - Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa News Feed

Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa, in tropical north Queensland, has just been voted Australia’ s Best Spa and Health Retreat Experience.

An international panel of  Premier Aussie Specialists voted 20 Best Australian Experiences for the leading global magazine, Travelling In Australia. The 14 finalists in Best Spa and Health Retreat Experience category are an extraordinary collection of bespoke Australian Spas and Health Retreats.

The experiences on offer at Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa are in harmony with nature, in the essence of nurture and combined respectfully with the culture of the local Kuku Yalanji rainforest Aboriginal people.The setting is in a special lush valley, nestled in the world’s oldest rainforest (135 million years old, 65 million years older than the Amazon) and only 40 minutes north of Port Douglas.

Earlier this month Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa added to it’s World Recognition when named by Tatler UK in the World’s Best 101 Spas.

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