Weekend Away Day One

Friday morning at 7.30 we set off heading North towards the Cape York Peninsula. We turned off the Captain Cook Highway before Mossman, and took the ferry across the crocodile-infested Daintree River. From there we started climbing through the rainforest, stopping on the way at the Alexandra Range Lookout, from where we had spectacular views over the rainforest and down to the mouth of the Daintree River.

Next stop was at a cafe where breakfast was disappointing, owing to it being closed. The beach there was similarly deserted though, which meant a walk and photos in the morning sun while being ‘croc-wise’.

A little further up the road was Madja, in the Cape Tribulation National Park. This was a chance to take half an hour out for a walk through the rainforest. You follow a boardwalk so you’re at forest floor level, and above the water and mangrove swamp. The trees and other vegetation is varied and densely packed, and you hear rather than see most of the inhabitants. 

The misconception among many people who haven’t been to Australia is that it’s full of things that will try and kill you. Saltwater crocodiles will, but it’s nothing personal. You’re just a food source. Spiders, snakes, etc would rather stay out of your way and will only attack if threatened, and bites or stings are often unpleasant rather than lethal. There are exceptions, but they want to avoid you as much as you want to avoid them. A lot of the indigenous wildlife has also evolved to merge into its surroundings so it can watch you without you being aware. Even when you know something’s there, as at the wildlife sanctuary, it can be difficult to see. Take a look again at the photos of the freshwater crocodiles and how something that size can be difficult to spot and you’ll see what I mean.

Just up the road we then came across a cafe that was open, so stopped for a bacon and egg roll. It was delicious. They must teach kids at school how to make them and how to take pride in them as I haven’t had a bad one yet, and everyone seems to have their own variation, whether it’s the bread, maple-glazed bacon, sweet chilli sauce and so on. It’s a far more useful life skill than learning how to decline french verbs, in my opinion. Unless you’re French, possibly.

We got the picture of the six-legged huntsman spider there as well.

Anyway, suitably refreshed and after another rainforest walk we moved on again, past the sign informing us that the tarmac would end and a thirty kilometre gravel road would begin shortly, just as far as Cape Tribulation. This was named by James Cook after he crashed his ship into the reef offshore, and probably wasn’t the first thing he thought of when he realised he’d need to pull in somewhere to repair the damage. Protocol would dictate though that when reporting to George the Third on his return to England he couldn’t just refer to it as ‘that f***ing reef’! Whoever was on lookout in the crows nest probably didn't get a very good review that year. It's also likely that if he'd taken the kings shilling they'd have wanted change!

It was at Cape Tribulation that Conor spotted a golden orb spider, also known as a banana spider as backpackers tend to find them when they’re picking bananas. There’s a photo below so that you know what to avoid next time you’re fruit shopping.

After that the journey was a mixture of gravel and tarmac, climbs and descents, through stunning scenery along the Bloomfield Track until we arrived at the rural aboriginal town of Wujal Wujal. This means ‘many falls’, apparently highlighting the many sacred falls in their landscape. The road sign announcing your arrival specifically states ‘No Alcohol Permitted’. You are able to carry it if it’s out of sight, for personal use, and you’re travelling through. If the locals know you’ve got drink it could be stolen, including by violent means, and if the authorities become aware your car could be confiscated, among other penalties. Some campsites on aboriginal land also restrict the type and volume of alcohol you can have with you. There are various reasons for these controls, which have some support from within the indigenous community, but nothing to go into here.

We’d come to see the Bloomfield waterfall, picture below, where the water cascades forty metres into a pool along the river. The traditional custodians of the land surrounding the Bloomfield Falls are the Indigenous Australian Kuku Yalanji clan.

Back in the car we continued to our campsite for the night, The Lions Den Hotel in Rossville. This is a pub with a camping ground and caravan park in the grounds. There’s no mobile phone signal or Wi-Fi, so it’s ideal for a quiet evening. That said there was live music on Saturday evening, with a singer playing guitar and electric didgeridoo. There’s a sentence I’ve never written before! He was very good, and so was the food. You can also get a hot shower in the morning, and coffee from seven thirty, so it ticks all the boxes.

There are a couple of theories as to how the Lions Den Hotel received its name, one being that it was named after an inn of the same name in Devon. I searched the internet and can’t find one, and the only Lions Den I know of is in Plymouth, Devon, and was once a place for men to sunbathe in the nude - or to meet new partners for friendship, or more. I can’t see the connection.

The pub was largely wiped out in December 2023 by cyclone Jasper, with residents having to be rescued from the roof. The water level reached 2.3 metres, and took away much of their memorabilia and old photographs. However they’ve rebuilt and restarted, and the walls full of visitors signatures shows the effort is much appreciated. Mine is there now as well.

It was a great evening and a perfect end to a busy and enjoyable day. Having ascertained there was no possibility of crocodiles I was happy to sleep on the ground in the swag, and once in it I was soon asleep.

Photos show the area we covered in the three days, Daintree River car ferry, Alexandra Range lookout, closed cafe beach, rainforest walks, six-legged huntsman, unknown green spider, Cape Tribulation beach, Golden Orb spider, scenic view, waterfall, camp site, Lions Den various, man with the electric didgeridoo, my bed