Cairns & the Daintree Rainforest - Lonely...
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Cairns & the Daintree Rainforest Why Go? Tropical, touristy Cairns is an unmissable stop on any East Coast traveller’s itinerary. Experienced divers and first-time toe-dippers swarm to the steamy city for its easy access to the Great Barrier Reef, while those more interested in sub- merging themselves in boozy good times are well-served by a barrage of bars and clubs. For day-trippers, the Atherton Tableland – home to cooler climes, volcanic-crater lakes, jungly waterfalls and gourmet food producers – is just a short and scenic drive away. The winding road from Cairns to ritzy Port Douglas offers spectacular coastal vistas, but it’s north of the Daintree River that the adventure really begins. The magnificent Daintree National Park stretches up the coast, with rainforest tum- bling right onto white-sand beaches; don’t be so awestruck by the stunning surrounds that you forget to keep an eye out for crocs! Further up, the Bloomfield Track from Cape Tribu- lation to Cooktown is one of Australia’s great 4WD journeys. Best Places to Eat ¨ Ochre (p257) ¨ Lillypad (p257) ¨ Flames of the Forest (p273) ¨ Sassi Cucina e Bar (p273) ¨ Mocka’s Pies (p273) Best Places to Stay ¨ Tropic Days (p256) ¨ Pink Flamingo (p272) ¨ QT Resort (p272) ¨ Mungumby Lodge (p280) ¨ Cape Trib Exotic Fruit Farm Cabins (p279) When to Go May Port Douglas turns on the pizazz for Carnivale. June A costumed re-enactment of Cook’s landing is the centrepiece of the Cooktown Dis- covery Festival. November The reef’s annual coral spawning is a delight for divers. F D N O S A J J M A M J Cairns °C/°F Temp 0/32 10/50 20/68 30/86 40/104 0 4/100 8/200 12/300 16/400 20/500 Rainfall inches/mm Cairns ........................ 250 Cairns’ Northern Beaches ......................261 Islands off Cairns ...... 263 Atherton Tableland.... 264 Port Douglas.............. 269 Mossman ................... 274 The Daintree.............. 275 Cape Tribulation ........ 276 Cooktown .................. 280 Lizard Island .............. 282 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
Transcript of Cairns & the Daintree Rainforest - Lonely...
Cairns & the Daintree Rainforest
Why Go?Tropical, touristy Cairns is an unmissable stop on any East Coast traveller’s itinerary. Experienced divers and first-time toe-dippers swarm to the steamy city for its easy access to the Great Barrier Reef, while those more interested in sub-merging themselves in boozy good times are well-served by a barrage of bars and clubs. For day-trippers, the Atherton Tableland – home to cooler climes, volcanic-crater lakes, jungly waterfalls and gourmet food producers – is just a short and scenic drive away.
The winding road from Cairns to ritzy Port Douglas offers spectacular coastal vistas, but it’s north of the Daintree River that the adventure really begins. The magnificent Daintree National Park stretches up the coast, with rainforest tum-bling right onto white-sand beaches; don’t be so awestruck by the stunning surrounds that you forget to keep an eye out for crocs! Further up, the Bloomfield Track from Cape Tribu-lation to Cooktown is one of Australia’s great 4WD journeys. Best Places to
Eat¨¨ Ochre (p257)
¨¨ Lillypad (p257)
¨¨ Flames of the Forest (p273)
¨¨ Sassi Cucina e Bar (p273)
¨¨ Mocka’s Pies (p273)
Best Places to Stay¨¨ Tropic Days (p256)
¨¨ Pink Flamingo (p272)
¨¨ QT Resort (p272)
¨¨ Mungumby Lodge (p280)
¨¨ Cape Trib Exotic Fruit Farm Cabins (p279)
When to Go
May Port Douglas turns on the pizazz for Carnivale.
June A costumed re-enactment of Cook’s landing is the centrepiece of the Cooktown Dis-covery Festival.
November The reef’s annual coral spawning is a delight for divers.
F DNOSAJJMAMJ
Cairns°C/°F Temp
0/32
10/50
20/68
30/86
40/104
0
4/100
8/200
12/300
16/400
20/500
Rainfall inches/mm
Cairns ........................250Cairns’ Northern Beaches ......................261Islands off Cairns ...... 263Atherton Tableland ....264Port Douglas.............. 269Mossman ................... 274The Daintree .............. 275Cape Tribulation ........ 276Cooktown ..................280Lizard Island .............. 282
©Lonely¨Planet¨Publications¨Pty¨Ltd
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