Campervan Travel to Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation

The drive from Cairns to Port Douglas is just 60 kilometres long up the Captain Cook Highway, but due to its winding nature expect it to take over an hour in your campervan. The length doesn't matter though, it just gives you more time to appreciate the spectacular views that greet you around each tight corner! The coastal drive is one of the most scenic in Queensland, if not Australia, with the azure Coral Sea on the one side and the thick rainforest on the other, the green and the blue merging into each other! Port Douglas is in fact the only place in the world where two World Heritage listed jewels exist- the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree National Park.
The town itself has an air of sophistication. Maybe its the perfectly maintained golf course that greets you as you drive in, or the modern resort style architecture that dominates the buildings, but this place comes across as very clean and upmarket. The streets and the beach are well kept and tidy, but they still maintain that infusion of surf and beach culture that reminds you that you're on holiday, so just kick back and relax!
Port Douglas is very oriented towards the tourist, so the range of accommodation on offer caters to all budgets. We booked our campervan into a powered site at the Glengarry Caravan Park, part of the Big 4 group, and were impressed with its facilities and convenient location. There is plenty of backpacker accommodation in the town, but just as many if not more luxurious hotels and apartments, making it an ideal spot for a honeymoon.
The two main drawcards to Port Douglas are the Daintree and the Great Barrier Reef. Since we have done our scuba dive and snorkell on the reef down in Cairns, we are going to concentrate on exploring the Daintree and Cape Tribulation. But first lets see what the town itself has to offer!
Four Mile Beach is the premier beach in Port Douglas, and its silky sands are just a few minutes walk from the town centre. The thick rainforest that converges onto the beach hides all development, making it feel as if you are totally cut off from the modern world. It's long length makes it perfect for long walks or jogs, and you are certain to find a secluded spot to call your own. Just remember to pay heed to the stinger warnings in the summer months!
Basically our time in this town was just spent relaxing. My daughter Jeny would not let us get away without having a browse of the many shops here, and it seems everything is available here! Designer shops stand next to local arts and crafts stores, so you are bound to find the perfect souvenir here. There are plenty of restaurants, cafes and eateries here, and we had a great meal at Zinc, where there is a fun atmosphere.
There is no doubt Port Douglas is a special town, and I cant see many tourists leaving here disappointed. The couple of days we spent relaxing on the pristine beaches here gave us time for our excitement to build for our trip into the Daintree National Park and up to Cape Tribulation.

* Scuba Diving the Great Barrier Reef
* Swimming in a natural pool in the Mosman Gorge
* Playing a round of golf in Port Douglas
* Going crocodile spotting on the Daintree River
* Catching the Kuranda Scenic Rail to the top of the Atherton Tablelands
* Catching the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway down again!
* Seeing a cassowary wandering along the beach at Cape Tribulation
* Deep sea fishing for the infamous Black Marlin swimming in these waters
* Bird watching in the thick forests of the Daintree National Park
* Feeling the spray from the thunderous Barron Falls
* The Cairns nightlife!
* Paddling to the uninhabited and remote Snapper Island from the Daintree Coast
* White water rafting down the fast and furious Tully River
* Sky diving from 14000 feet above the rainforest
* Seeing the deadly species at the Australia Venom Zoo in Kuranda
* Exploring Aboriginal culture at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Centre in Cairns

For our first foray into the Daintree National Park we planned a visit to the Mossman River Gorge, which is close to the town of Mossman that lies about twenty minutes drive from Port Douglas. From the Gorge we were planning to go deeper into the park, where we would hire a tinny and go out for an afternoon on the water, and hopefully see some crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks.
Mossman Gorge is an incredibly scenic place. About 4 kilometres outside of Mossman, there is a carpark here where we left our campervan to walk to the creek. The gorge views are amazing, and there are a number of walking trails taking you through the thick rainforest. The most popular of these walks is the Gorge Circuit, a 3 kilometre loop which takes you through some towering rainforest and then across a suspension bridge over the river. The giant fig trees with their snaking roots give the forest an almost primeval feel in some parts, and there is lots of wildlife and plenty of birds to make the walk that much more interesting. On completing the loop you can cool off in the waters of the Mossman, and there are picnic facilities in shady settings on the banks that are the perfect spot to wind down for a while. Its a great way to spend a morning, top it off with a picnic lunch and then continue on with your day.
Continuing on with our day meant driving up to Daintree Village, a tiny little village built on the banks of the Daintree River. There is not much there aside from a restaurant, curio store, a few houses and a public toilet, yet there is something very appealing about this laid back and serene place. We bought a drink or two and tracked down the boat hire man, who gave us a tinny at a very reasonable rate. My son Derek was rearing to go with his fishing rod, and we had a relaxing afternoon cruising up and down the river, albeit with little angling success! We did manage to see a crocodile moving from the bank into the water, so at least part of our mission was completed. The river is exceptionally beautiful, and an afternoon spent cruising up and down its smooth waters is definitely not an afternoon wasted! We returned to Port Douglas satisfied, and ready for our trip to Cape Tribulation the next day.
The drive up to Cape Trib is only about 80 kilometres, but in our campervan it took close to two hours to complete. you have to take a ferry ride across the wide Daintree River, which is an exciting experience! The road gets very windy and narrow, and the last section especially is quite precarious, surrounded by thick forest on each side. That said it is a very beautiful drive, and you really get an appreciation of the landscape and the vegetation in this part of the world. We had only planned on staying here the day, but were so taken with Cape Trib on our arrival that we decided to stay overnight. We booked into Cape Tribulation Camping, a great spot close to the beach and with good modern facilities.
Staying a night here gave us the opportunity to explore the high headland and the beautiful beach of Cape Trib, and we also went on a guided rainforest tour which we found a pleasant way of getting close to the wildlife of the forest.
Cape Tribulation comes highly recommended. Its a rainforest retreat that really feels like the real deal- thick, lush, remote and oh so natural!

Join me in our next lens as we continue on with our travels to Richmond and Mt Isa.