Tropical Queensland
The world's oldest rainforest plunging into the planet's largest coral reef: between Cairns and Cape Tribulation, two World Heritage wonders touch — crocodiles included.
Suggested stay — 4 to 5 nights
North of Cairns, the coast road winds towards a pairing unique on Earth: the Daintree rainforest, 180 million years old, runs literally down to the beaches where the Great Barrier Reef begins. You cross the Daintree River on a cable ferry (mind the timetable), walk the canopy boardwalks watching for the cassowary — a great blue prehistoric bird and true lord of these forests — and the sealed road ends at Cape Tribulation, where Cook ran aground in 1770.
The reef is reached by boat from Cairns or Port Douglas: favour the outer reefs (Agincourt, Opal) over the mass-market pontoons, or a snorkelling day at the Frankland or Fitzroy islands. Two non-negotiable tropical rules: from November to May you swim only in a stinger suit inside the netted enclosures; and every river or estuary is presumed home to a saltwater crocodile — the yellow signs are not local colour.
Don't miss
- A day on the outer reefs from Port Douglas (Agincourt) or Cairns
- The Daintree ferry, the canopy boardwalks and the beach at Cape Tribulation
- Mossman Gorge and its clear water in the forest, with the Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal custodians
- An early-morning crocodile cruise on the Daintree
Our tips on the ground
- Choose a limited-numbers boat (under 50 passengers) for the reef: the AUD 30-50 premium is soon forgotten, the difference in experience never is.
- From November to May, stinger season means suits and netted swimming zones: box jellyfish and Irukandji are potentially lethal, not anecdotal.
- North of the Daintree ferry there's no signal, no reliable fuel and a narrow road: fill up in Mossman and drive in daylight — cassowaries cross.
Our flagship guide — €29
Guide available“Australia on Your Own”, the complete edition, is out
10 chapters: day-by-day itineraries, driving and transport, a costed budget and checklists — the same method as our Namibia guide.
The guide is currently written in French — an English edition is in the works.
Before you go
Readers' questions about Tropical Queensland
Cairns or Port Douglas as a base?
Cairns for the choice of boats, the prices and the buzz; Port Douglas, an hour further north, for the charm, Four Mile Beach and proximity to the Agincourt reefs and the Daintree. By van, the ideal is both: reef trip from one, then head up to Cape Tribulation with two nights in the forest.
Can you swim in tropical Queensland?
Yes, under two rules: in the sea, only inside the netted enclosures and in a stinger suit from November to May; in rivers and swimming holes, only where swimming is explicitly allowed (Mossman Gorge, Tablelands waterfalls like Millaa Millaa) — never in an estuary or a lowland river, saltwater crocodile territory.