Madja Boardwalk
Daintree National Park
Directions - From the Daintree Ferry, drive north along Cape Tribulation Road for 27 kilometres, parking when you see the signs and car park for the Madja Boardwalk. The trail head is on the southern side of the road, with an information shelter at the start of the walk.
The Walk - With a moody and damp day spent exploring the wonderful Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in Daintree National Park, the next stop after visiting the Kulki and Dubuji Boardwalks was the Madja Boardwalk. Meant to be the penultimate walk on the itinerary for the day, this ended up being the final one due to the Jindalba Walk being partially closed for maintenance and upgrades. Nevertheless, I was ready to explore another of the shorts walks that allow you access to some special areas of the Daintree, although Caris was not as keen after getting drenched on the last walk.
Leaving the car park with hopes of a dry walk, I made it maybe 100 metres before the heavens opened up once again, and I decided to retreat back to the car. From what I had seen, this was going to be another enjoyable walk, and after a brief wait, watching the rain bucket down on the windscreen, I was back out there ready to go. After a brief jaunt through the rainforest (Madja means rainforest), you arrive at the edge of Oliver Creek, which was looking a treat with a thousand of shades of green glistening in the jungle lining the edges. Continuing along the path, the thick boi trees provided excellent subjects to photograph, along with the numerous varieties of fungi thriving in the decaying matter on the forest floor. Moving slowly and trying to take in as much as I could, there was plenty to see along the edge of the boardwalk. While trying to get in a favourite shot of mine (close-up of a fern from side on), I noticed something on the frond, which turned out to be a Green Tree Ant. Reaching the start of the mangrove section as you near the intersection of Noah Creek, the boardwalk gains railings to make sure you don't fall into the mud below.
Information boards along here tell you of all the interesting plant and tree species found in the Daintree, with one of the more noticeable one being the Basket Fern that forms a pretty large structure, so is hard to miss. Now raised well above the mangroves, it's fun to look down at all the weird and wonderful shapes that are formed by the extensive root systems in the muddy ground. Arriving at an intersection, there is a side quest on your left to reach a lookout over the larger Noah Creek. Unfortunately it was around this spot that my camera succumbed to the humidity, and I had to wait it out while a foggy spot inside my lens cleared. This was no bad thing, as I leant against the edge of the boardwalk and stared out over the mangroves, looking for the little creatures that call this place home. With a fully functional camera, I re-joined the loop section and was in awe for the rest of the walk, as it meanders through more mangroves and then back into the lush rainforest. Had I have known that the Jindalba Walk was closed, I may have done another loop here. With the walk over, we drove back through the dense rainforest to the ferry, happy to have finally experienced the Daintree in all its wet, humid and green glory.
Final Thoughts – This was the most enjoyable of the three short walks I did in Daintree National Park, with a good mix of rainforest, creeks and mangrove providing some stunning photo opportunities.
While the weather may not have played ball, that's just part of the fun.
If you're visiting Cairns or Port Douglas, then I recommend driving up and checking out this stunning part of the world. Hopefully by now the Jindalba Walk has reopened and showcases yet another aspect to the Daintree.
Get out there and experience it!!!
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