Cape Tribulation
Forest meets beach.
Paul Holloway from Birmingham, United Kingdom — CC BY-SA 2.0 · rheins — CC BY 3.0 · Iraphne R. Childs — CC BY 4.0
The only place in the world where two UNESCO World Heritage Sites meet: the Daintree Rainforest, among the oldest living forests on Earth, and the Great Barrier Reef, at Cape Tribulation, where the forest runs down to the sand. Visitors cross the Daintree River on a small car ferry, where crocodiles live and can be watched on guided river cruises, then the road climbs through dense forest past lookouts and short boardwalks among giant trees and ancient plants. The forest is home to the cassowary, a huge flightless bird with a helmet on its head, and rare frogs and butterflies. At Cape Tribulation wild beaches are fringed by forest, and a boardwalk leads to a lookout over the bay. The area is free, with fees for the river ferry and croc cruises. Swimming in the sea is dangerous because of crocodiles and jellyfish, so heed the warnings; a full-day guided tour is the best way to go.
Forest meets beach.
On the Daintree.
Among ancient trees.
North of the Daintree River, about an hour and a half from Port Douglas
No, crocodiles live in the area and jellyfish appear in season, so heed the warnings.