The Daintree River flows out of the Daintree Valley at Wonga Beach
The Daintree River mouth, Wonga Beach Daintree Valley.
"no river in North Australia  possesses surroundings combining so much of distant mountain grandeur with local beauty and wealth of vegetation"

The

DAINTREE VALLEY

S 16 deg 20 min
E 145 deg 30 min

            Attributed to George Elphingstone Dalrymple 1873
            and echoed 121 years later by Graham Pizzey.

WONGA BEACH Most people enter the Daintree Valley at Rocky Point whilst driving along the Captain Cook Highway north of Cairns. Catching sight of the Coral Sea again is often breathtaking and the first part of the valley that is seen is Wonga Beach>> with Snapper Island just distant. The sea view has it's moods and ranges from crystal clear glass in the spring and early summer months to white caps during the south-east trade winds when the inshore can be quite turbid.
The mountain range that points to Snapper Island was named Alexandra after the Danish princess who became the Princess of Wales and the mountain range that the highway now follows is called Dagmar after Alexandra's younger sister. If you stop at Rocky Point and look carefully along Wonga Beach you will see a break in the vegetation which is the mouth of the Daintree River some 10 kilometres distant.

See: Wonga Beach walk

Wonga Beach is a small beachside community that has not been overwhelmed by the tourism juggernaut.  The Caltex Service Station at Wonga Beach has an ATM and the only fuel in the valley. It also has the biggest range of groceries and fast food.

Daintree Valley Road Conditions
The Captain Cook Highway is 2-lane sealed all the way to the Daintree Village. Just after the village, Stewart Creek Road, the only road out of the village, becomes gravel and is un-fenced. Cattle roam freely.

Until recently there was a letter to the local newspaper in this spot. The letter, titled:
Inferior roads pose danger to motorists.
went at length to say how un-safe this stretch of road is and how many accidents had happened there in recent times. I thought at the time that the writers should be commended for making these safety points to the public. When the writers of the letter saw it duplicated on this Daintree Information website they asked for their names and their accommodation business name to be removed, which was done. Now they have asked that the letter itself be removed which as you can see has been done.
Port Douglas & Mossman Gazette
Page 2 Letters 16 Dec 2004


If you have a rental car it would be wise to check your hire car agreement to see if your insurance is still valid on un-sealed roads, and drive carefully.

 

DAINTREE VILLAGE is at the end of Dagmar Range 18 kilometres from Wonga Beach. The photograph below shows the shops in the main street and the famous Daintree River. The sealed road at the top of the cliff overlooking the river is Stewart Creek Road, one of the best birdwatching walks in our district. Stewart Creek Road becomes gravel after 500 metres. The village is small and quaint with 3 cafés, general store with a liquor outlet, caravan park and some souvenir shops. Accommodation is in the camping, cabins and B&B line. There are picnic spots, a walk, a free gas Bar-B-Q, boat ramp and jetty which is the start point for a dawn wildlife tour.

See: 101 things to do in Daintree

An aerial view of the Daintre Village showing the Daintree River and Stewart's Creek Road.
Aerial photo showing the Daintree Village and Daintree River.

A view of the Daintree River from the Riverview cabins.

This view of the Daintree River is from the Riverview Cabins just above the jetty and boat ramp with access from the main street of the village.

Daintree Tourism Information