FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX: Daintree

We left Port Douglas early and continued north making our way towards the Daintree River. We had a private fishing excursion with Dave, who Malcolm found online. Dave was a typical Aussie, chillaxed to the bone. We met at the public wharf 400m up from the river crossing where his boat was moored waiting for us. We hopped in, zoomed around the Daintree River ferry, dropped our crab traps off and proceeded downstream to fish. We were forewarned that while the Mossman River was clear of crocs, the Daintree was full of them. The children dutifully kept their limbs well within the boat.

Dave got his 6 rods going and we were good to go. The 4 hours flew by with plenty of bites, and some good catches. Dave was fantastic with Jonah, patiently sharing fishing tips and tricks. Jonah was one incredibly happy boy. We also sighted some big birds, notably a white eagle and the great billed heron. On our way back to the wharf, we excitedly lifted the crab trap, elated to see a mudcrab, only to be disappointed that it was 1cm shy of meeting the legal limit! Dave had kindly skinned and filleted our catch, ready to be grilled or battered to our desire! All in all, a great morning! We drove a short distance to the local pub in Daintree Village where they cooked our fish for us accompanied by chips and salad. Best fish and chips evah!

Dave's boat on the wharf

No one else in the River

Bream. Our first fish for lunch!

A juvenile trevally

The very tasty Javelin fish

The mud crab that was too small and missing one nipper!

Skinned and filleted. Thanks Dave!

What could be better than fish and chips you caught yourself?

Our home for the next 3 nights was the Daintree Ecolodge. We had booked the “Cultural Package” which included a lunch hamper, a river cruise as well as a cultural tour of either Mossman Gorge or Cape Tribulation. About 3 weeks ago, we had contacted the resort to enquire about the timing of the excursions so that we could plan our days, only to be told they would be based on availability of the local providers. Say what?!?! We were not TOLD to “book” the tours. After many emails and phone calls that did not lead anywhere other than terrible attitude from the resort staff and frustration on our part, a manager finally rang. He apologised and said that he would sort something out and call us in a week. Surprise! No phone call. Surprise! They had no records of all our previous conversations pre-arrival!! They only got lucky because of the cancellations resulting from Sydney coronavirus outbreak. We honestly told them that this was not how a luxury resort should be run. If they wanted to charge the prices that they did, they would have to up their game. With our excursions sorted, we could finally go to our rooms. Rant over…

Our 2 rooms

Comfortable and beautiful inside

The balcony

Modern bathroom

Our lunch hamper. They could have asked us when we actually wanted it...

We dumped our bags and walked the short waterfall trail on property. It was short, but humid and there were lots of mosquitos. The waterfall itself unfortunately was not the most scenic. The whinging children did not add any positive vibes to the experience. We gladly turned on the air-conditioners and had a shower before heading back to Daintree for dinner. There were only 2 food places, the café or the pub! The pub was having pizza night so the pub won again. There aren’t many accommodation options in this part of the world. There are the campgrounds which are occupied by serious 4WDers and the budget crowd, the 2 star motels which would fit right into a crime podcast and the “glamour” places which are nice enough, but don’t really cut the mustard compared to upmarket places in other parts of the world. Dave, the fisherman, has just invested in a new, clean duplex on the edge of town that he now rents via Air BnB. That looks like a good option for next time.