Meet Your Guide - Andy Garrity

Words by Jamie Jansen

Just past Daintree Village lies Cassowary Falls, a 260-acre private paradise. Reaching the falls is an adventure in itself; you’ll find yourself on a UTV, splashing through creeks and winding over hills before the forest opens to a majestic waterfall in the middle of the rainforest.

It feels like a total escape and, for owner Andy Garrity, it’s a sanctuary he and his wife Liz have spent years opening up for others to enjoy.

Andy’s background is a striking contrast to the lush Daintree. Before navigating rainforest tracks, he lived several lives as a commercial diver, miner, and high-production dairy farmer. 

For a decade in Western Australia, he ran one of the state’s biggest dairy operations, producing nearly 10 million litres of milk a year. It was a life defined by relentless pressure and the kind of exhaustion that eventually forces a choice.

“In 2013, Liz and I were working 100 hours a week under huge stress,” Andy says.

“We literally Googled ‘natural water and rainfall in Australia’ to find the best place to be. The Daintree was the only place where the annual rainfall was actually increasing."

Liz was ready to move immediately, but they struck a deal: she’d stay in WA for two years to finish selling the business if she could build her dream pool at the new property. Looking at the stunning result today, Andy laughs that she definitely got the better end of the bargain.

When they arrived, the property was at the very beginning of its transformation. The house and chalets had been closed for years, and the land was a struggling cattle farm. Initially, Andy planned to run cows, but the intense tropical seasons made micro-farming too risky.

“We had to look at other things,” Andy says. “We decided to do the chalets up, and we’d just finished them when COVID hit. It nearly destroyed the place, but we managed to float the company through.”

What emerged is a unique hybrid of a working farm and a peaceful sanctuary focused on rainforest regeneration. By clearing non-native trees, the couple has created a space where guests can truly disappear into the green.

The tour itself started as a simple shuttle for chalet guests to reach the waterfall, but Andy’s personality turned it into something much bigger. He isn’t your typical, textbook-quoting guide. Instead, he’s a storyteller who leads with a healthy dose of “being yourself”, making sure the experience feels more like a day out with a local than a formal tour.

He still laughs about one of his first tours. “An eccentric American man asked for my number to give me a five-star review. I grew up with no phone reception or computers.

"I said to him, ‘What the hell's a Google review?’ We’ve come a long way.”

That “long way” has involved navigating more than just a learning curve with technology. The property has faced its share of tropical challenges, from severe droughts to the massive impact of Cyclone Jasper.

But for Andy, the reward comes when the guests take in the falls for the first time. He especially loves seeing the transformation in guests who arrive a little unsure, maybe a teenager who’d rather be on their phone or a parent who isn’t quite an “outdoors person.”

“When they start smiling, I know I’ve done my job,” he says. “You see them finally relax and realise they’re having a great time. They leave with a real memory, and that’s what it's all about.”

While Andy is the face of the tours, he’s the first to admit Liz is the backbone. A qualified chef, she manages the business and delivers hot English breakfasts to the chalets. “We’re a team,” Andy says.

As the business has grown, Andy has built a hand-picked team of guides. His philosophy is simple: it’s all about positive energy. “Every guide has a different style,” Andy explains. “It’s about finding the best in yourself and sharing that. Receiving that energy back is what keeps me going.”

For Andy, the move from the dairy sheds of WA to the waterfalls of the Douglas Shire wasn't just a career change; it was a total lifestyle shift. He’s found a place where he no longer feels the need to escape.

“I love being on the property and rarely want to go somewhere else.

"I don’t even want to go on holiday; I’m already in the most beautiful spot.”

Visitors to Cassowary Falls take that feeling home. Whether through the stories or the simple peace of the rainforest, they walk away with a bit of that “bloody nice” energy the Garritys have worked so hard to cultivate.

cassowaryfalls.com.au