Daintree Rainforest Tour
We travelled to Cairns to gain some respite from a chilly Canberra winter. In early August, the days in Cairns were around 25C and simply superb. This trip was a little different from our regular camping trips, as we luxuriated in a resort for a few days. Whilst soaking up the sunshine, we decided to look around the area.
For our first day trip out of Cairns, we headed up to the Daintree Forest. It was a great choice, and we found a small personalised eco-tour conducted by Peter and Sally Maher from their cattle grazing property. Ceri and I prefer to avoid the madness of large organised bus-type deals, and the friendly Maher’s with their Argo 8 Wheeler appealed to us. The Daintree River, rainforest creeks and the Daintree National Park bound the property. What a fantastic place to live!
Bookings are made at the Daintree Village, and the tour leaves from their property five minutes away. Peter unloaded the 8-wheel low-impact ARG, O, and we hopped aboard to begin our Daintree Rainforest Tour. As we made our way across the farm, we passed a few of their beautiful Braham cattle and Egrets who share a symbiotic relationship with these beasts.
The cattle stir insects while grazing, and the birds follow in their wake, harvesting the bounty. We then began climbing up through old logging tracks, right into the rainforest canopy with spectacular panoramic views over the valley and river below. Peter stopped now and again and explained various aspects of the vegetation and forest. As the advert says, this is the Ultimate Off-Road Experience and getting there is half the fun!
The Daintree Rainforest
The Daintree Rainforest is a tropical rainforest near Daintree, Queensland, on the coast, north of Cairns, in the low, far north of Australia. At around 1200 square kilometres, the Daintree is Australia’s largest contiguous rainforest. Named for Richard Daintree, part of the forest is protected by the Daintree National Park and drained by the Daintree River.
The Daintree Rainforest contains 30% of Australia’s frog, marsupial and reptile species and 65% of Australia’s bat and butterfly species. 20% of bird species in the country can be found in this area. All of this diversity is contained within a site that takes up 0.2% of the landmass of Australia.
The Daintree Rainforest’s addition to the World Heritage List in 1988, in recognition of its universal natural values, highlighted the importance of this rainforest.
The Daintree is an outstanding example of the major stages in the earth’s evolutionary history, an example of significant ongoing ecological and biological processes, and superlative natural phenomena. It contains essential habitats for the conservation of biological diversity. The Daintree Rainforest is over one hundred and thirty-five million years old – the oldest in the world. Approximately 430 birds live among the trees, including 13 species found nowhere else in the world. The primitive flowering plant Idiospermum australiense is also endemic to the Daintree.
The Argo 8 Wheeler
For those interested in the mighty little machine that took us on the Daintree Rainforest tour, it features:
- Power to all wheels for optimum performance in challenging terrain
- One-piece ergonomic handlebar steering control
- State-of-the-art automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT)with high and low range forward and reverse
- Contoured dash design and densely padded foam front bench seat
- Excellent approach and departure angles to quickly overcome obstacles
- Innovative design and space for up to 6 passengers
And comes with the following standard equipment:
- Hydraulic vented disk brakes for ease of operation
- Full skid plate for lower body protection
- Front & rear axle bearing extensions for increased axle & bearing life
- Convenience Group (12-volt outlet, cup holders, grab handle)
- Voltmeter, hour meter, temperature gauge, low oil pressure light
- 25″ Rawhide III tires with an aggressive tread pattern and lug size
- Emergency/Parking Brake
Daintree Rainforest Tour is a great way to see the countryside!
Contact:
Peter and Sally Maher
Upper Daintree Road, Daintree, Qld, 4873
Phone: 0409 627 434
Email: petersally5@bigpond.com
While in the Cairns area, we went ballooning, took a tour of the Great Barrier Reef and did some fishing and a trip up to Kuranda Village.