Daintree rainforest accommodation
| country: | Australia |
| location: | Daintree rainforest, Queensland |
| price: | From AU $140 - AU $160 per room per night, based on two people sharing |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
description
Come and stay with us in our bed and breakfast accommodation right on the edge of our World Heritage Daintree Rainforest - two very private, high-set, pole-framed timber cottages, each with an ensuite, balcony and a stunning view to Mt Sorrow.
Relax on the bed and breakfast balcony; listen to the water flowing over the rapids in the creek; enjoy an exotic tropical fruit breakfast based around our own organic farm produce; and walk in our rainforest and along the beach. We do not receive mobile phone coverage, so you can truly escape. We are committed to environmental conservation: we can offer you solar power; private World Heritage Daintree Rainforest; an organic permaculture orchard; and genuine local hospitality.
Come and share our lifestyle for a short time, by staying in our bed and breakfast accommodation. As mentioned, part of our property (approximately 8 acres/3 hectares) has been included inside the boundary of the World Heritage Daintree Rainforest.
This means our rainforest is protected for future generations, and is considered to be of very high quality. You are welcome to walk through this forest following our marked trail. You will meet no other tourists, as it is privately owned land. If you prefer, we can arrange a fully guided walk in this forest with an experienced rainforest guide.
Both cottages are right at the edge of the daintree rainforest, and you will be interacting with the wildlife that passes through. Guests have been able to watch Cassowaries wander down the creek while eating their breakfast on the balcony. There will be insects and spiders in the vicinity, but the cottage has insect screens.
Guided day and night walks in the Daintree Rainforest. Exotic fruit tasting. Diving and snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef. Sea kayaking the coastline and the fringing reef. Beach activities. Hiking, exploring the rainforest. Horse riding
Relax on the bed and breakfast balcony; listen to the water flowing over the rapids in the creek; enjoy an exotic tropical fruit breakfast based around our own organic farm produce; and walk in our rainforest and along the beach. We do not receive mobile phone coverage, so you can truly escape. We are committed to environmental conservation: we can offer you solar power; private World Heritage Daintree Rainforest; an organic permaculture orchard; and genuine local hospitality.
Come and share our lifestyle for a short time, by staying in our bed and breakfast accommodation. As mentioned, part of our property (approximately 8 acres/3 hectares) has been included inside the boundary of the World Heritage Daintree Rainforest.
This means our rainforest is protected for future generations, and is considered to be of very high quality. You are welcome to walk through this forest following our marked trail. You will meet no other tourists, as it is privately owned land. If you prefer, we can arrange a fully guided walk in this forest with an experienced rainforest guide.
Both cottages are right at the edge of the daintree rainforest, and you will be interacting with the wildlife that passes through. Guests have been able to watch Cassowaries wander down the creek while eating their breakfast on the balcony. There will be insects and spiders in the vicinity, but the cottage has insect screens.
special things to do and see here
Guided day and night walks in the Daintree Rainforest. rooms, food and facilities
Each cottage sleeps 2-3, and features: how to find us
By plane: Nearest airport - Cairns (2 hours and 15 minutes drive north)By car: From Cairns or Port Douglas (1h 30mins), drive north on the highway. Cross the Daintree ferry (ticket prices is $18 return) and drive for 45 minutes. Access is 2 WD. You do not need a 4 WD to reach us, as there is now a sealed road all the way.
how this holiday makes a difference
 Come and share our lifestyle for a short time, and stay in a private cottage on the edge of the rainforest. We are committed to environmental conservation, and can offer you an experience you will never forget - solar power; private World Heritage Daintree Rainforest; an organic permaculture orchard; and genuine local advice and hospitality, to ensure you get the most from your stay. We employ three local young women on a casual basis to help us with the housekeeping and the fruit tasting tours. We grow our own fruit and vegetables on the farm. What we don't have we buy from the farmer's market in Cairns, 2 hours to the south which we visit once a week. There are no local people to do repairs. We do all our own repairs. If we can't fix it, then it goes to the nearest town which is Mossman 1 and a half hours south. There is no mains/grid power. We are committed to being as energy efficient as possible. Our power is solar panels and batteries with a generator back up. We implement as many energy saving strategies as possible and ask our guests to help us do this. Each cottage has: There is no air conditioning and no electrical appliances which generate heat can be used, such as an electric jug. All the sheets and towels from the cottages are washed in a commercial laundry for greater efficiencies. We do live quite happily with no dish washer and no air conditioner, and guests are pleasantly surprised at how effective the rainforest is, in providing natural air conditioning. We have developed an information sheet for guests who wish to travel by public transport. We have also produced an information sheet which describes all the options for exploring the area, without a car. We also have two mountain bicycles available for guest use at no charge. We try to reduce, re-use and recycle wherever possible. There is no garbage disposal service. Once a month, recyclables are transported to the recycling depot. Some of our strategies: There is no town water supply. All our water is pumped from an underground stream about 30 metres below the surface. This uses diesel fuel to pump the water so we try to limit the water usage. Some of our strategies: We provide a full orientation when people arrive and explain all the tour options so that they can choose tours which best meet their needs, and then we do the booking for them, as their mobile phones don't work. We support local tour operators in the area, and encourage our guests to support those locally owned rather than those run by large companies. We provide an information booklet which shows them how to explore the local area attractions on foot. There is also a local map which is provided during the orientation. We support the following charities by providing prizes - 2 nights in the B&B - to raise money at fund raising events in raffles: When we first came to the area in 1988, the boundaries for the new Wet Tropics World Heritage Area were being determined. The decision had been made not to include private property within the boundaries, as this was too difficult politically. We wrote to the Wet Tropics Management Authority and asked that they include our property within the World Heritage area. They agreed, and the boundary was adjusted so that all our rainforest now lies within the protected area. Less than 1% of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area is made up of private property. We have now entered into a Co-operative Management Agreement with the Wet Tropics Management Authority to manage our land, to ensure its protection. This has been an important decision for us, and it means that whatever happens after we die, the land will be protected. Approximately half of our property (4 ha) is in the World Heritage Area. We have built our B&B cottages right on the edge of the world heritage area, overlooking the creek, and provided self guided walking trails through the forest so that our guests can enjoy the forest. We have chosen to set up an organic farm and apply the philosophy of permaculture. We needed to develop a system which copied the rainforest and provided a supply of nutrients to the orchard trees in rotting material and vegetative matter. To this end large numbers of legume trees and legume ground covers were planted through the orchard to provide a nitrogen supply for the plants. We are currently undergoing organic certification for our orchard, and do not use chemical fertilizers on the farm, as these are water soluble and can be washed out on to the Great Barrier Reef.  We provide farm produce from our farm for breakfast for the guests. This includes a tropical fruit platter, free range eggs, and herbs and greens from the vegetable garden. Ecotourism is the lifeblood of the Daintree Coast, and we encourage visitors to stay for a few days in the area, rather than visit just for a day, through our B&B pricing structure. We encourage our guests to visit local attractions and do local tours with local guides, so they contribute to the well-being of the local community. The Bed and Breakfast operation enables us to have a more secure income by spreading the risk over several different activities on the farm. This enables us to live in the area, rather than having to move to a large city to seek work. Guests staying with us share our lifestyle and experience our commitment to the environment first hand. They develop an appreciation of living in an area of high environmental value, and reducing their own impact on that environment. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |