Mossman Gorge

The prevailing lifestyle in the Daintree is pretty laid-back. We ate several meals at a nearby open-air restaurant called Lync-Haven which was typical of the businesses in the area. When we asked the waitress on our first visit if we could pay with a credit card, she glanced at the sky and said "It looks pretty clear today. Give it a try."

An eclectic mix of tables and chairs spilled out the door and across the lawn. The sign advertised a 5 PM wallaby feeding, but we were never around at that time. The owner has several parrots which fly around free during the day and return to the safety of their cages at night, and he also has several pet snakes which he scatters about on the lawn on days when the weather is pleasant.

The parrot in the picture below was seriously injured when she flew into a car, but she made a miraculous recovery and developed a strong bond with the owner. She is apparently jealous of his wife, though, and bites her whenever she has a chance.

After enjoying our final Lync-Haven breakfast, we began our drive south to Palm Cove where we would spend the next two nights. Our first stop was the Walu Wugirriga Lookout just before the ferry.

Mossman Gorge is located in the southern part of Daintree National Park. To get to the gorge, you park at the recently built eco-tourism visitor and interpretive center complete with cafe, art gallery, and retail shop and board a shuttle bus which navigates the narrow twisty road into the park. Guided Dreamtime Walk tours are given by aboriginal guides, but we chose to wander about on our own.

The shuttle bus let us off near a raised boardwalk and after walking a short distrance through the forest, we came to the rapidly flowing pristine waters of the Mossman River.

We watched the river rush through the huge boulders upstream.

Further along the boardwalk, a somewhat bouncy suspension bridge crosses Rex Creek.

Back on the road again, we stopped at Rex Lookout to admire the view.

From our hotel room in Palm Cove, we enjoyed a view of the beach across the road.