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Published: November 24th 2012
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Mossman
16
th September 2012
Leaving Cooktown we were in mixed emotions, as from here we should have been heading North (to The Cape) not south towards Cairns, but, we figured that if we could clear up Trish’s medical issue quickly we would come back up and ‘do The Cape’. Another issue we had was we had to go to Cairns to get the medical help that we needed, a town we have been to many times before on holiday (and enjoyed) but not necessarily one that had been on our radar for this trip. We decided to compromise and head to Mossman to stay and commute as needed to Cairns, sounds like a great plan. A new town, we can explore the Daintree and Cape Tribulation from here and it will be on the way back to the tip of Australia when we are cleared to leave.
Mossman is a real town, not just a tourist destination and had a good ‘feel to it’. We stayed at a small beachside park at Newell Beach; brilliant, helpful and friendly (thanks Warren and Jenny). Nestled amongst sugar cane fields and with an awesome backdrop of steep rainforest clad mountains, Mossman
Newell Beach, 7klm from Mossman
Newell Beach Caravan Park was across the road, magic spot. gives you a great first up impression. The Sugar Mill dominates the town with the cane trains running through the centre of the only major intersection in the main street. We visited the markets and all the coffee shops as well as ticking off a couple of main items on our list of ‘to do’s’.
We wanted to drive the Bloomfield Track that links Cooktown with Mossman via the Daintree and Cape Tribulation, but when we set off to do this trip, from Cooktown, we only made it as far as the Lion’s Den Hotel (see Cooktown Blog). Here was our chance to do it again from the southern end, so we set off early one morning and after crossing the Daintree River headed in to look at Cow Bay Beach before following the bitumen to Tribulation Beach, passing Alexander Bay, Thornton Beach, Noah Beach and Coconut Beach along the way. Apparently this is the world’s oldest surviving rainforest and if that is correct we probably missed identifying some amazing flora, but to us it was just one big beautiful green and inspiring rainforest that was picture perfect around every corner and equally as impossible to photograph adequately to
Mossman
Market day in Mossman. do it justice. And to top this amazing forest off, it bordered amazing bays and pristine beaches. After leaving Tribulation Beach the road quickly becomes dirt and after crossing Emmagen Creek it is 4WD only from here on. Not so many years ago this track was a 4WD must do, but now because the track is so popular it is regularly maintained and the only issues you will have is in the wet getting through some of the creek crossings or if you are towing anything that restricts your turning circle or is heavy on your vehicle. There are still some significantly steep parts to the track and although they have been mostly concreted, they are still a climb of 1:3. The track takes you through some incredible rainforest and mountain country where the creeks flow as clear as crystal and in the wet would be something to else to behold, if you could get there! Civilisation is reached when you come down out of the forest into a valley where you first glimpse the Bloomfield River, a hundred odd metres down over the side of the track, (which was incredibly dusty and corrugated at this point). It then follows
the river along to the community of Wujal Wujal before heading back into magnificent rainforest and mountains again to take you on to Rossville, and then a bit further north to Helenvale and the Lion’s Den Hotel. The Bloomfield Track is still a beautiful drive, even if the adrenalin pumping 4WD action of yesteryear has been taken away by regular maintenance to the Track, and is one we were glad to have done.
Mossman Gorge was our other highlight of our stay here, this was fantastic! Like the Daintree, Mossman Gorge is also World Heritage listed and the park is run by the traditional owners, the Kuku Yalandi people, whose culture is thought to be around 9000 years old. The new interpretive and information centre is amazing providing employment and doubling as a training facility for the community. We did the 3klm loop track which took us through incredible green rainforest above the gorge and to other small creeks and waterfalls. The plants, ferns and trees you see are incredible; the stillness in the air and the humidity under the canopy was stifling.
You will recall at the start of this blog we stayed at Mossman as an
FNQ (Far North Queensland)
Is this not one of the best coastlines in the world...you bet it is! alternative to Cairns and were going to commute to Cairns for whatever was needed to correct Trish’s eye problems, well, like all good plans……! We ended up commuting every 2 days to Cairns, a round trip of nearly 100klm and with things becoming more complex we decided to move to Cairns to be closer to specialists and then come back up North when all was clear. We really enjoyed Mossman as a town and our time here, and will stay here again at Newell Beach as an alternative to the overcrowded and busy Cairns, (which we still love!).
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Ronald Dunn
non-member comment
Congratulations Mathew
Congratulations to Mathew. TT Reunion went well. About 35-40 turned up. Look forward to your arrival. Where will you stay or will you go travelling again. Merry Xmas and Happy New Year.