Cape Tribulation
Reach Cape Tribulation, the remote headland named by Captain Cook in 1770 where his troubles began with the Great Barrier Reef, the beach where the ancient rainforest trees grow directly to the waterline creating the only place in the world where two UNESCO World Heritage sites physically meet.
- 1
Daintree Ferry
Cross the Daintree River on the hand-pulled cable ferry, the only way to reach Cape Tribulation by road, the two-minute crossing over the tidal river marking the transition into one of Australia last great wilderness areas where the mobile phone coverage ends and the road becomes gravel.
- 2
Cape Tribulation Beach
Walk Cape Tribulation Beach where the palm trees and the tropical hardwoods of the Daintree Rainforest grow to within meters of the high tide mark, the beach entirely natural and undeveloped, the combination of the ancient forest behind and the Great Barrier Reef visible on the horizon creating the most dramatic beach setting in Australia.
- 3
Kulki Boardwalk
Walk the Kulki Boardwalk from the Cape Tribulation picnic area to the headland where the short boardwalk through the rainforest to the viewpoint above the beach provides the classic Cape Tribulation panorama of the forest meeting the reef coast, the viewpoint the most photographed spot in the Daintree region.
- 4
Myall Beach
Visit Myall Beach, the longer and more isolated beach near Cape Tribulation accessible by a rainforest boardwalk, the beach a nesting site for marine turtles and a crocodile habitat making it an area where swimming is not advised but the wildlife watching from the beach is exceptional.
- 5
Emmagen Creek
Swim at Emmagen Creek where the freshwater stream crosses the beach north of Cape Tribulation creating one of the few safe swimming spots in the area, the creek mouth surrounded by rainforest vegetation and the clear freshwater contrasting with the saltwater of the Coral Sea beyond.
- 6
Remote Experience
Experience the genuine remoteness of Cape Tribulation where the limited accommodation, the lack of mobile coverage, the crocodile and marine stinger warnings, and the basic facilities create one of the truly wild destinations accessible by road in Australia, the sense of entering a functioning ecosystem rather than a managed tourist site.
Walk this route with audio
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