Cape Tribulation is one of the iconic places in Australia’s European history. It was here that Captain James Cook, who had successfully navigated the H.M. Barque Endeavour through the treacherous waters of the Great Barrier Reef, was finally beaten by the reef. The vessel ran aground, limped its way to Cooktown, and was there for a number of weeks while repairs were made. It was the first time Europeans had settled, albeit briefly, on the east coast of the continent. Today Cape Tribulation is a popular destination for tourists making a northerly day trip from Cairns and Port Douglas. It is an opportunity to enter the tropical wonderland that is the Daintree National Forest. For the more adventurous it is the beginning of one of the most outrageous journeys on the planet – a road which should never have been built – which runs from Daintree to Cooktown. Why, never built? Because this is cyclone country and every year when the rains come they wash the red and yellow soils into the once-pristine waters. Still, for all its failings, the road is spectacular and the experience of driving through the rainforest is unforgettable. Equally unforgettable is a stay at Bloomfield Lodge, a remarkable and exclusive resort in the rainforest with superb views across the Coral Sea.
CAPE TRIBULATION BASKS IN THE GLOW OF THE DAINTREE RAINFOREST, ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST MAGNIFICENT NATURAL WONDERS.
Originally known as the Cape Tribulation National Park, and covering 16,965 ha, this area is now the Daintree National Park and covers 56,500 ha. It is an area of breathtaking beauty with mountain ranges rising sharply behind the narrow coastal strip and dense rainforest reaching to edge of the beaches. With a bewilderingly rich variety of flora it is now recognized as the last extensive stand of undeveloped lowland rainforest in Australia (and possibly the oldest rainforest on earth) with such ancient species of fern as the beautiful flowering Idiospermum australiense and the Angiopteris, the world’s largest fern. The rainforest is estimated to have existed for over 100 million years.
THINGS TO DO CAPE TRIBULATION
Cape Tribulation in Daintree National Park
Originally known as the Cape Tribulation National Park, and covering 16,965 ha, this area is now the Daintree National Park and covers 56,500 ha. It is an area of breathtaking beauty with mountain ranges rising sharply behind the narrow coastal strip and dense rainforest reaching to edge of the beaches. With a bewilderingly rich variety of flora it is now recognised as the last extensive stand of undeveloped lowland rainforest in Australia (and possibly the oldest rainforest on earth) with such ancient species of fern as the beautiful flowering Idiospermum australiense and the Angiopteris, the world’s largest fern. The rainforest is estimated to have existed for over 100 million years.
Cape Tribulation Lookout
At Cape Tribulation, the National Parks and Wildlife Service have installed a 400 m cement path and boardwalk, known as the Kulki Boardwalk, through the rainforest to the headland where a lookout point provides excellent views across Cape Tribulation Beach.
Dubuji Boardwalk
Dubuji Boardwalk runs for 1200 m from the Myall Beach Car Park through rare tropical lowland rainforest with mangroves, fan palms, strangler figs and flowering palms. A muddy mangrove creek supports unusual fauna including fruit bats (look for them nesting upside down in the trees), brilliant tropical birds, tree snakes and spiders. The signage is informative.