Getaway finds 5 of the best things to do in Queensland
Walkabout Adventures
Kuku Yalanji country is the planet’s only spot where two world heritage sites meet: the Daintree Rainforest (the oldest rainforest in the world) and the Great Barrier Reef. To get the complete picture, book in with Walkabout Adventures and have a local Aboriginal guide walk you through it.They’ll share intimate knowledge and insights about native plant use, medicines and foods, tell Dreamtime Stories, guide you out to go mud-crabbing (and serve them up for a delicious lunch!), while you gain a unique insight into the history, culture and traditions of the First Nations Australian Aboriginal people. walkaboutadventures.com.au
Dine at Silky Oaks Lodge for Lunch
Perched within the Daintree Rainforest, you’ll find a one-of-a-kind place to eat: The Treehouse Restaurant. Part of the Silky Oaks Lodge, the restaurant is only open to lodge guests for breakfast and dinner, but lunch reservations are possible and highly recommended. Set within the wild backdrop of the rainforest where birds, cicadas and enchanting cobalt blue Ulysses butterflies flit, it’s a magical venue. And the food is just as majestic. Utilising their thriving kitchen garden (home to more than 100 plant types, including red dragon fruit and Mt White finger lime), the food is fabulously fresh. Highlights include kingfish tataki, duck larb or barbecued tiger prawns, which can be washed down with tropical sorbets. silkyoakslodge.com.au/dine
Silky Oaks Lodge, in the Daintree Rainforest. Photo / Supplied
For an immersive, up-close experience with the local critters and creatures, plan an afternoon at Wildlife Habitat. The advanced eco-certified wildlife sanctuary offers visitors the opportunity to interact with native Australian animals in cleverly recreated environments. Across five different zones (Wetlands, Rainforest, Savannah, Nocturnal and Woodlands) you can hand-feed wallabies and kangaroos, spot frogmouths, kookaburras and the legendary Southern cassowary, plus snakes and crocs, and, of course, get your photo with a koala. Or, try one of their unique experiences: a WildNIGHT Nocturnal Tour, Breakfast with the Birds, or, if you’ve got the nerve, the Swim with the Salties (salt-water crocodiles, that is) experience. wildlifehabitat.com.au
Quicksilver Cruises
You simply cannot visit Port Douglas without taking a trip out to the world’s best-known reef: the Great Barrier Reef. And you’re in safe hands with Quicksilver Cruises, Australia’s most awarded reef cruise operator, who have been in operation since 1979. With a focus on eco-tourism and sustainability, you’ll take a smooth ride out on the Wave-piercer Catamaran (ideal for those who get seasick), to the Agincourt Reef – a jewel-like ribbon on the very edge of the Great Barrier Reef. Transferring from the catamaran to the large pontoon, you’re spoilt for choice as to how to enjoy the reef. From scuba-diving, snorkelling or helmet diving to glass-bottom boats or a visit to the underwater observatory, there’s truly something for everyone. quicksilver-cruises.com
Take a tour with Quicksilver Cruises from Port Douglas to the Great Barrier Reef where you can go helmet diving. Photo / Tourism Tropical North Queensland
Devil’s Thumb Distillery
A surprising gem to come out of the pandemic, the distillery opened after a couple of locals pondered what to do to lift their spirits (pun intended) in lockdown. Surrounded by sugar cane fields, with the Far Northern Milling Co (and its 120 years of cane crushing experience) on their doorstep, they dreamed up the Devil’s Thumb Distillery. Named after the peak it sits on in the Daintree Rainforest, towering over Port Douglas, Mossman and beyond, the distillery not only has a sensational view, but already makes some of the most delicious rums and gins in the world (it won World’s Best Navy Strength Gin at the 2022 World Gin Awards). They offer up a sensational gin masterclass, or tasty pours at their unfussy cellar-door bar, where you can also order grazing boards. devilsthumbdistillery.com
