Page 68 - Port Douglas Magazine 31

DAINTREE

DELICIOUS

he Daintree Rainforest should be a “must do” on the holiday Penny, about the health benefits of kefir and kombucha. Now sampling
list of anyone visiting the Port Douglas and Daintree region. a Jamu shot, she was excited to extend her knowledge about turmeric and
Famous for its natural beauty and abundance of wildlife, it the additional benefits of a plant-based lifestyle. Meanwhile our youngest,
really should be no surprise that it also provides a fantastic who had been obsessed with coconuts ever since we had arrived in the
T environment for goodness to grow and flourish! Tropics, had found Beach Harvest. Another local, Casey, was chatting to
This Shire is well known for its fields of sugar cane, but it’s also home to our daughter about her family coconut hunts whilst she was nodding and
some of the finest cocoa grown in the world, rare and exquisite tropical busily loading up dad with some gluten free snacks for the trip, including
fruits, iconic Daintree Tea, award-winning barramundi and goat farms, a Coconut Chips and some dried mango.
tropical fruit winery, boutique ice creameries, markets, rustic farm stores The locals were friendly, happy to have a chat and you certainly felt the
and so the list goes on. fresh produce had been grown with love. Under the full shade of the trees
Yes, the Daintree food secret is finally out! this was a lovely start to our food trail adventure.
Putting a community grant to good purpose, locals Sheena and Leigh have Hopping back in the car laden with bundles of healthy treats, our next
brought together what can only be described as a “tempting bite” known as destination was Wonga Beach and Hooka-a-Barra. Our friend’s son Angus,
the “Daintree Food Trail”. all of age eight, was a mad keen fisherman and this was his choice for
Envisage diverse and delicious foods, farm gates and food experiences the day. Not really knowing what to expect I have to say this stop was
an absolute highlight of our day. We belly laughed every time one of us
that will educate, are fun, suitable for all ages and of course tantalise the had a bite and thought we had the “Big One” on our line. It certainly
taste buds every step of the way. Whether you have a day (as we did) or a quashed my preconceived idea that fishing required patience. Not in this
weekend (our travelling buddies) you get to take your pick, sample a few or lake! Every single one of us caught not one, but several, fish helped along
everything, effectively make your own itinerary – and it’s all easily accessible by our resident expert Mark. True to form, Angus proudly took the title of
within a two-hour drive of Port Douglas. Fisherman of the Day with his monster Barramundi and a smile that lasted
It was easy to download the map and our planning officially started on the rest of the day.
Friday afternoon, at the local pub “The Courty” over a cold brew whilst Our next stop was Cape Tribulation, famously known for “where the
the kids strolled up the street to their new-found favourite Capinnina, aka rainforest meets the reef”. The plan was a beach walk followed by picnic
the gelato shop!
lunch and then slowly start to weave our way back south. We had heard the
We all agreed an early start was best – the planning was going well already! crossing over the Daintree river was a little different and it didn’t disappoint.
We opted to start in Mossman with the Saturday markets. Fifteen minutes Only a short crossing, we drove onto a floating platform, “the ferry.” While
from Port Douglas, we knew we had found the right place when we arrived the car was pulled across by steel ropes, the kids were eagerly crocodile
under a canopy of Raintrees. Magnificent. (Apparently, they are lit up at spotting out of the window. Crocs were not to be on this trip but they were
night. Note to ourselves: Come back for a look, must be magical). The entertained nevertheless by the small finch hitching a ride on the ferry gate.
markets were already abuzz. We decided to give ourselves 45 minutes.
Delivered safely to the shores of the Daintree, we had our longest stretch
Our sporty teenager made a beeline straight for the Kefir Queen. Apparently of driving and we really enjoyed every little bit of it. Just over an hour’s
already a follower on Insta, she engaged quickly with the queen herself, drive to the beach we were blown away by the beauty of one of Australia’s

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