Mossman Gorge
Daintree National Park
Directions - From the centre of Mossman, located north of Cairns and Port Douglas, take Johnston Road west for 4.5 kilometres until you reach the Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre. Access to the walk trails is via regularly scheduled buses (booking required), that run between 8am and 5pm every day of the year, except Christmas Day.
The Hike - With one more day in Far North Queensland, I had saved one of the best experiences for last, a visit to Mossman Gorge to check out the walk trails on offer there. With an unseasonably wet week, today was looking much better, although still a little cool and cloudy for the morning at least. Due to fly out that evening, I had a few hours in the morning to check out this popular location, before meeting the family back in Port Douglas for a late breakfast.
I had really enjoyed driving north from Port Douglas over the last few days, with the cane fields and inland mountains providing a nice backdrop as you tootle along the highway. Mossman is a short drive from Port Douglas, and has a more genuine feel to it, as it's less holiday town and more everyday working town. Following the signs from Mossman, I was soon at the Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre, ready to take one of the shuttle buses (ticket required) up to the gorge. This is the only way to access the gorge and the walk trails, and if the money is being used to maintain the area, and provide local jobs, then I'm happy to pay. Being well before tourist o'clock, I had a shuttle to myself and got chatting with the driver, who was a friendly guy that was more than happy to answer my questions. Arriving at the top of the hill, I jumped out and set about starting my walk.
There are a few trails in the area, catering to casual tourists and those that are looking for something more than a bit of boardwalk to a lookout. Today I would be combining the River Circuit Track with the Rainforest Circuit Track to form a 4.4 kilometre loop, that I was confident I could finish in time to make breakfast with the family. That meant arriving back at the start within 1.5 hours, no easy task given how slow I walk these days when the scenery is good. As you can see from the photos, this was a challenge as everything was looking amazing, all throughout the walk. The first part of the walk is along boardwalk, taking you over a small creek, before more boardwalk raised above the rainforest floor. This provides a different perspective, and an opportunity to see parts of the rainforest you might not notice from ground level.
Interrupting one of the guided walks that you can partake in, I dodged through a corridor of umbrellas and made my way towards the Mossman River Lookout right on the edge of the water. This really showcases the power of the river that has carved steep valleys into the hills, along with being a pretty tranquil spot in the dry season. Heading up a set of stairs, I was soon at the suspension bridge over Rex Creek. Always good fun to cross, the suspension bridge also provided a vantage point to see the rapids along Rex Creek. Climbing more stairs along the edge of the creek, you soon reach the Manjal Dimbi Lookout. With the misty weather hanging around, I couldn't see Manjal Dimbi from here but was hoping it would clear on my return. It didn't take long to reach the start of the Rainforest Circuit Walk and this would be the start of a gradual climb up to the highest point along the trail. Immediately the scenery was high quality thanks to luscious rainforest and some hefty boulders glistening in the morning dew.
Reaching an intersection in the trail, there is a little side quest to the left leading down to the edge of Rex Creek. Scrambling down the rocks, this is worth the effort as you get some epic views looking up and down the rocky rapids. With the canopy stretching over the creek, along with some large boulders in the water, this was one of many highlights on the Rainforest Circuit Trail. It was hard to pry myself away from this spot but there would be much more to discover later on. Back on the main path, the slow ascent is not really noticeable, with plenty of thick boi trees to keep you distracted. There are some large boulders all throughout this next section to discover, with one providing a small overhang that looks like a little cave. With the trail being mostly flat on both sides, it was fun to come across a section on a bit of a slope, as it allows you to look down into a sea of greenery. While I was loving the gloomy overhead conditions, as it makes the lighting much more even, it took a steady hand to make sure the images weren't super blurry (a trade-off I'm quite happy to accept).