It’s 6:30 am, and I’m lying in a hammock on my deck at Silky Oaks Lodge, listening to countless birds wake up the rainforest and watching the dappled light of sunrise brighten the sky over what feels like my own private patch of the Daintree. I can also hear water rushing over rocks on the Mossman River, about 100 feet below my cabin. Not a bad way to wake up in the morning.
Silky Oaks is a luxury lodge perched on the edge of the Daintree Rainforest, about 20 minutes north of Port Douglas in the far northeastern corner of Queensland. After passing through the small farming community of Mossman, you turn left off the highway, wind through cane fields (much better to see by car than on foot – cane fields are teeming with snakes – our host here said you couldn’t pay him enough money to walk through one), past forested hillsides, and over a couple of one lane bridges, until you start to climb into the rainforest and enter Silky Oaks. You leave your stress at the bottom of the hill; it’s all about relaxation and a slower pace here. The property is set amongst acres of dense tropical rainforest – the Daintree is a World Heritage listed area, and one of the largest tropical rainforests in the world – with several hiking trails and loads of wildlife. It’s all framed by the Mossman River, a gorgeous, crystal clear and swimmable river (a.k.a. no crocs) at the base of the hill.
Despite the remote location, you definitely aren’t roughing it here. Our cabin – called a Riverhouse (others are called Treehouses, further up the hill) – has a stereo system, a well stocked mini bar, and a large Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom next to a picture window overlooking the rainforest. So, though you might feel like the Crocodile Hunter when you’re outside, you can transform into Thurston and Lovie Howell when you’re inside. There are no TV’s or in room internet, though, reinforcing what’s obvious; in a place like this, you should be leaving your connectivity behind for a few days. Which I’m about to do right now….
Silky Oaks is a luxury lodge perched on the edge of the Daintree Rainforest, about 20 minutes north of Port Douglas in the far northeastern corner of Queensland. After passing through the small farming community of Mossman, you turn left off the highway, wind through cane fields (much better to see by car than on foot – cane fields are teeming with snakes – our host here said you couldn’t pay him enough money to walk through one), past forested hillsides, and over a couple of one lane bridges, until you start to climb into the rainforest and enter Silky Oaks. You leave your stress at the bottom of the hill; it’s all about relaxation and a slower pace here. The property is set amongst acres of dense tropical rainforest – the Daintree is a World Heritage listed area, and one of the largest tropical rainforests in the world – with several hiking trails and loads of wildlife. It’s all framed by the Mossman River, a gorgeous, crystal clear and swimmable river (a.k.a. no crocs) at the base of the hill.
Despite the remote location, you definitely aren’t roughing it here. Our cabin – called a Riverhouse (others are called Treehouses, further up the hill) – has a stereo system, a well stocked mini bar, and a large Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom next to a picture window overlooking the rainforest. So, though you might feel like the Crocodile Hunter when you’re outside, you can transform into Thurston and Lovie Howell when you’re inside. There are no TV’s or in room internet, though, reinforcing what’s obvious; in a place like this, you should be leaving your connectivity behind for a few days. Which I’m about to do right now….
Oh, and a Cassowary update: I've crossed Cassowary Creek and read a giant billboard-like display on Cassowaries in Port Douglas, yet the prized Cassowary sighting continues to elude me...
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