With vistas to rival the Great Ocean Road in Victoria and California’s Big Sur, on a Cairns to Daintree road trip in North Queensland, you can enjoy a triple treat of reef, rainforest and respect for the ancient wisdom and culture of the Kuku Yalanji people.
The 115-kilometre drive can easily be done in under two hours but with this many experiences tucked into the bends in the road, you’ll want to ditch the schedule and lean into the journey.
If the $1 oysters on Sundays at Ellis Beach Bar and Grill aren’t enough to make you pull over for a peek at Ellis Beach, five minutes north of Palm Cove, the palm-tree lined sands surely will. A swimming net enclosure is in place from November to May to keep you safe from stingers.
Don’t mistake this for any regular lookout – here it’s the hang gliders who make the view all the more enticing for a pit stop. Pull over at Rex Lookout during your Cairns to Daintree road trip for 180-degree views of Trinity Bay, taking in Wangal Djungay (Double Island) to the south.
Book well ahead for lunch worth lingering over, or a private Thai cooking class, at Oaks Kitchen & Garden. Created by Ben Wallace and Rachael Boon, with produce plucked from their organic working garden, this hatted, tin-roofed restaurant is destination dining at its finest.
To truly connect to Country – especially now that the Daintree has been handed back to its traditional custodians, the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people – stop during your Cairns to Daintree road trip for a guided Ngadiku Dreamtime Walk at Mossman Gorge Centre. A smoking ceremony to ward off bad spirits leads the way for a lesson in bush foods and culture, which all serves to deepen your respect for this pristine waterway at the entry to Daintree National Park.
Finish your Cairns to Daintree road trip with a couple of nights at Daintree Ecolodge and spend your days immersed in the sights, sounds and tastes of the rainforest. Bayans (or treehouses) peek out from the green canopies to encourage guests to reconnect with nature and relax the mind, body and soul, whilst the onsite Julaymba Restaurant utilises homegrown and locally sourced produce to create delicious meals.
