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“Have you heard the one about?”. “Legend has it…”.
“They say…” When a story starts with one of those
statements you know you’re in for a darn good yarn.

The world is full of enchanting pockets where the legend of a place can engulf When there was no going back on the hippie trail the summer of love became a
its reality. Like when Plato told the Greeks of the superior lost city of Atlantis, way of life, utopian communities became a mainstay, popping up everywhere.
or how about the great puzzle of Egypt’s Pyramids - it still isn’t clear to us how It was a paradise that did not discriminate. They were accessible and embraced
they were built. all. These new residents lived from the wealth of the pristine land while showing
With stunning ancient flora and fauna, a buffet full of rich history, and even their gratitude by protecting their unique surroundings from development.
something a little more on the mythical side, there are parts of Cape Tribulation But wait, was it so nice? Sex, drugs, and trafficking? One side of the tale tells
and the world’s oldest living Daintree Rainforest that are shrouded in mystery of these communities to be nothing more than cult communes, shanties where
and lost in time, the area evokes stories from ancient periods to the recent to lost souls would go only to become brainwashed by leaders to allegedly grow
the outstanding and absurd. marijuana amongst the ancient trees and trade it for large sums. It was less
The stories below are the kind that you heard from the mate at the pub who like a utopia and more resembled organized crime; they were known as the
seems to have a story for everything, or my coworker’s dentist’s mailman … “Hippy Mafia”.
well you get the idea. They often strike strong emotional reactions such as In truth, many of these new residents arrived with university degrees in areas
horror, disbelief, but are a rollicking fun time. like science and understood the importance of the rainforest - conservation
With full disclosure there may be no solid facts on any of these or there could was their passion and saving of the abundance of life became their top priority.
be, they are just a few tales that I heard from a friend’s uncle’s taxidermist who When the carnage of development began, they were the voice for the land,
took a trip across the river… fighting bulldozers with protest, preserving where the rainforest meets the reef.
Fact or fiction, here are a few of the urban legends or rather Rainforest Legends
of Cape Tribulation and Daintree. WHERE EVERYONE KNOWS YOUR NAME… BUT NOT REALLY
The isolation of Cape Tribulation and Daintree makes it an ideal place for
KOMBI VANS AND HEADS FULL OF ZOMBIE hide and seek, well without the seek. People can get lost from society and most
importantly hide from the eye of the law, so there are a few stories of new
Dreamers, explorers, and free spirits of the ‘70s were drawn to the “Shangri- identities in the rainforest.
La” of Cape Tribulation – its beauty and remoteness made it a perfect life
approaching place for young people attempting to find harmony within One such story is of a local Daintree river cruise owner and operator who
themselves, understand their place in the world, or somewhere for those who championed the health of the Daintree for more than 30 years.
were just looking for a romp in the rainforest. His sudden death in 2015 saddened and shocked the community. Many were
The pilgrimage of hippies to Cape Trib was discovered when it became the in disbelief when it was revealed that the well-regarded environmentalist and
end of the London-Kathmandu-Cape Tribulation overland trail. This influx of great mate to many had been on the lam for the past 40 years, accused as a US
magic bus spirit seekers could have easily inspired the lyrics from Down Under drug smuggler who allegedly faked his own death then hid out in the Daintree.
“Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie”, by Florida’s Tampa Bay Times had reported that the gentleman, who was known
Men at Work. then as Raymond Grady Stansel Jr, was arrested in June 1974.
Intoxicating freedom and adventure set the path for these alternative wanderers. He reportedly posted bail and while he awaited trial, according to the Times,
Under the crimson sun and the beacon of the full moon, they ate from the his lawyer announced his client had disappeared in a scuba diving accident, his
richness of exotic fruits hanging from trees and drank from coconuts - drum body never recovered.
circles and guitar singalongs in the smoke of trance, yoga, meditation, and Known to the community as a tourism and conservation pioneer as well as a
running around naked on the beaches were the activities of choice. good man, a good father and partner, he kept a low profile sharing the wonders
of the Daintree to people around the world on his croc cruises.
PORT DOUGLAS MAGAZINE 51