Northern Queensland’s Rainforests & Botanical Discoveries

Meet your Botanical Guide and fellow travellers in Cairns this morning. Begin the tour with a visit to Cairns Botanic Gardens, exploring a selection of garden habitats known for their tropical plant displays, rainforest and wetland habitats, as well as historical gardens. Afterwards, enjoy a visit to Tabu private garden before travelling to Port Douglas in time for this evening’s Welcome Dinner.

Today we travel to nearby Oak Beach and stop in at Pebbly Beach Garden. Explore Thornton Beach and take the opportunity to wander along the Marrdja Botanical Trail to see some of the oldest rainforest in the world. Afterwards, enjoy a refreshing afternoon treat at the Daintree Ice Cream Company, where we sample some of the many exotic fruit flavours from its organic orchard. Afterwards we are joined by the founder of Rainforest 4 Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to buying back land in the Daintree to protect and restore damaged ecosystems. Visit one of their sites and learn about the work they are doing.

Today we make our way to the stunning Daintree Rainforest, the world’s oldest tropical rainforest. Take in the gorgeous views of Mossman Gorge, traverse tropical walking trails and admire waterfalls. Then take a tour with local Kuku Yalanji guides to learn about the Indigenous history of the area. Our afternoon will be spent at the exclusive and highly renowned Botanical Ark, famous for its amazing collection of rare plants from around the world. Most notable are the plants still used by Indigenous groups for their everyday needs.

We leave the coast and head inland to the Atherton Tablelands, a highland region with a mix of rainforest, wetlands and savanna. The area is also home to numerous birds and wildlife species. In the town of Mareeba, we pay a visit to the Golden Drop Winery Mango Farm. Take a tour of the Mango Farm and enter their packing shed to learn all about mango wine production. Next, we visit Jaques Coffee Plantation, where we see its production plant. Afterwards, venture to a local private garden before arriving at our hotel.

This morning, we take a cruise on Lake Barrine, set against the backdrop of a hundred-year-old rainforest. Back on land, head to the spectacular Curtain Fig Tree National Park. The park gets its name from its gargantuan fig tree, whose extensive aerial roots have taken the appearance of a large curtain, dropping 15 metres to the forest floor. This park protects a small area of an endangered type of forest, called mabi forest. This evening, enjoy dinner in a local restaurant.

Explore one of the best-preserved, oldest and longest lava tube systems on Earth, the Undara Lava Tubes. Sir David Attenborough described them as one of the most “unexplored geological features of the Earth”, declaring that Undara should be the eighth Wonder of the World. This afternoon you might like to relax at the hotel or perhaps go on a bushwalk with your Botanical Guide to explore the native plants of the area.

Depart the Atherton Tablelands on a south-easterly drive, our ultimate destination, Mission Beach. Along the way, we pause at Millaa Millaa Falls to see the magnificent waterfall surrounded by lush rainforest. Next, visit Mamu Tropical Skywalk. Set high within the rainforest canopy, the skywalk allows us spectacular panoramic views of World Heritage rainforest, as well as a close-up look at the remarkable tree canopy. Not far from here, Paronella Park harbours mysterious castle ruins and the dream garden of Jose Paronella. Explore this magical property, set amid lush rainforest, which displays some 7,500 plants, trees and ferns that Jose and his wife, Margarita, planted more than 70 years ago.

Take a morning beach walk beneath the Licuala palms. The spectacular walk features a high canopy of Licuala fan palms. Mission Beach has approximately 50% of Australia’s remaining fan palm forest. The fleshy orange fruit is a favourite food of the elusive cassowary. Continue to Tully, one of Queensland’s main sugar-producing regions. In recent times, it has also become an important district for banana growing. Visit a working sugar mill here and learn about the production process. This afternoon, walk among the cocoa fruit trees within a working cocoa plantation, and enjoy a tasting of the region’s award-winning, premium chocolate.

This morning, visit Broken Nose Vanilla farm to learn about this very special and sustainably grown orchid. Later, we stop at Josephine Falls, a scenic waterfall fed by the rains that fall upon Queensland’s highest peak, Bartle Frere. Continue to Butlerspride private garden, near the small town of Miriwinni. See the clever use of vines, including a native pepper vine, Piper retrofractum, throughout the garden. Take a tour with the garden’s owners and see the many plants that enjoy the warmth and moisture of the tropics here. Return to Cairns at around 5.00pm today.