Southern Cassowary Trail & Forest Walk
Walk the forest trails north of the Daintree ferry crossing in the best habitat for southern cassowary encounters — the keystone species of the rainforest whose seed dispersal maintains the diversity of the ancient ecosystem.
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Cooper Creek Wilderness Area
The Cooper Creek area north of Cape Tribulation is prime cassowary habitat — the dense rainforest with abundant fruiting trees provides the food resources that support one of the healthiest cassowary populations in the Daintree.
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Cassowary Encounter Zone
Cassowaries are encountered year-round in the Daintree, but most frequently from December to June when females nest and males raise chicks — encountering a male with 3 chicks in the forest understorey is one of the great wildlife experiences of Australia.
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Fruiting Fig Tree
A large Ficus in the forest interior produces fruit year-round — the tree is a gathering point for cassowaries, spectacled flying foxes, and the fruit-eating birds that represent the forest's seed dispersal network.
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Forest Floor Fungi
The Daintree forest floor is covered in fungi of extraordinary diversity — mycorrhizal networks connect the trees underground, and the fruiting bodies that appear after rain are indicators of the fungal richness that underlies the entire ecosystem.
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Rainforest Night Walk
Night walks in the Daintree reveal the nocturnal dimension of the rainforest — tree kangaroos, green tree pythons, and Boyd's forest dragons are all nocturnal, and the chorus of insects and frogs is overwhelming in its volume and variety.
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Emmagen Beach
Emmagen Beach at the northern limit of the road system is the most remote beach in the Daintree — the track ends here, and the rainforest and reef continue north in complete wilderness accessible only by foot or boat.