Exploring the North

We did a nice drive yesterday up the coast to Cape Tribulation and then along the 4WD Bloomfield track up to Bloomfield falls.

The coastline in this area is stunning. From Cairns to here, the road follows right next to the coastline, with the beach one side and the rainforest the other. North of here, once you cross the Daintree car ferry, and all the way up to Cape Tribulation, you are literally driving through the rainforest just metes from the beach.

We continued after Cape Tribulation and did the 30km 4WD-only Bloomfield track. The conditions, at the moment, are pretty easy. The road was dry, so not slippery and the really steep parts are now concreted. The river crossings were also quite low. Still a nice drive with nice views and beautiful creeks.

Bloomfield falls was pretty impressive. And we got to see our first Aussie croc in the wild! We stopped here for lunch – and are enjoying the convenience of the car fridge to keep everything cool.

As it turned out, Wonga Beach has been a great place to base ourselves to explore this area over the past few days. We had originally wanted to stay in Port Douglas, but school holidays and peak tourist season has meant we have found it difficult to get a booking along the coast.

Wonga Beach is where the Daintree River reaches the ocean and is centrally located to all the Daintree sights. It is a huge, palm-lined beach perfect for afternoon beach walks. And the caravan park was grassy, with huge trees and lots of birdlife, including the resident peacocks.