Course and features
The river rises on the slopes of the Great Dividing Range within the Daintree National Park below Black Mountain at an elevation of 1,270 metres (4,170 ft) AHD . The river flows in highly meandering course generally north, then east, then south and then east, through the rainforest where the water is fresh. At this convergence point, an abundance of wildlife congregate, particularly fish. The river is joined by two minor tributaries before flowing through the Cairns Marine Park through thick mangrove swamps where the water is highly saline; and then empties into the Coral Sea, north of Wonga Beach. The mouth of the Daintree River opens onto a giant sandbar that shifts with each changing tide. The river descends 1,270 metres (4,170 ft) over its 127-kilometre (79 mi) course.
The Initial Shop Before You Go Down To The Waiting Boat.
See the website: Bruce Belcher’s Daintree River Cruises
Especially see all the many gallery photos ….. Awesome!
The Path To The Waiting Boat.
On The Boat going Down The Daintree River To Look For Crocodiles.
A crocodile resting in some shallow edge water.
Mangroves along both sides of the river.
Mangroves need air for living. They are growing in mud on both sides of the river. There is no air in saturated mud so the mangroves have upturned “breathing roots” known as pneumatophores. These portions of the root grow upward until they project some centimeters above the low-tide level. They have small openings called lenticels in their bark so that air can reach the rest of the plant’s root system.
A beautiful tangle of mangroves limbs.
A small baby crocodile in the mud on the bank. A closeup shot of the upturned “breathing roots” known as pneumatophores.
The actual boat we traveled in …. it was very roomy, personal, and not overcrowded. Having Bruce Belcher and the team made the one hour trip very personalized. Bruce knew so much about the river.
To see the next activity we were involved with over the week we were up on the Atherton Tablelands, see this post:
|Daintree National Park; Cairns Marine Park|