Mossman Gorge, 20 km north of Port Douglas in far north Queensland, is part of the World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest. The Kuku Yalanji people, whose ancestors have lived here for thousands of years, manage the gorge and the visitor centre.
A walk through the gorge begins on a wide boardwalk raised over creek beds and the forest floor. The path leads to a suspension bridge over the Mossman River, swollen after unseasonal rain has fallen in the mountains.
When the boardwalk ends the track becomes rougher, rocks and tree roots create hazards for the unwary and at times the path almost merges with the forest.
The circuit passes ancient stands of trees and strangler figs which have long ago taken over their hosts. On the forest floor, richly coloured fungi glow like jewels. The sound of the river rushing over massive granite boulders combines with the song of unseen birds hiding high in the canopy.
With pristine waters and lush vegetation, this rainforest landscape is the much the same now as it was when the Kuku Yalanji lived here. It’s almost as if they’ve just walked by.
Looks a hot and humid area Carol, is that right? Any problems with mosquitoes?
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Instead of the usual four seasons there are only two in the north – the wet and the dry. The dry season is pleasant, mid 20s and the wet season is hotter, low to mid 30s. It isn’t humid in the dry season but come the wet season and the humidity is very high. It’s funny how quickly you get used to it though. We lived in Darwin in the 1980s and the first wet season we really felt it but the second wet season we hardly noticed. There are problems with mosquitoes but we didn’t see any when we were there in July.
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It looks so beautiful – and I love all these board walks that are being put in now to allow non-trampers like myself to visit these places and do minimal damage to the environment. 🙂
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The boardwalks are so pleasant to walk on.
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That’s amazing that the kuka people are still managing this stunning rain forest
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I agree.
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This is an amazing and beautiful place, Carol. And these lovely pictures do it justice 😀
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Thanks Dianne. We really enjoyed the day we spent there.
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It is a lovely place. Your photos bring back many good memories of my visit to Australia in 2003.
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I’m pleased you’re enjoying them Jude. It’s nice to revisit happy memories.
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It looks beautiful, and I like the fact that it is the people whose ancestors have lived there for thousands of years who manage it.
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It’s a very special place.
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Such a beautiful place and your photos have captured that beauty.
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