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January 10, 2012
History of Noah Creek property -Noah Valley- Daintree Rainforest
Located in the heart of the Daintree Rainforest, Noah Creek is entirely world heritage listed, being one of the largest privately owned world heritage reserves in the Daintree Rainforest – Wet Tropics Area and covering approximately 600 acres including Mount Emmett.
Some of the trails in Noah Creek offer exclusive access into untouched lowlands and mountainous rainforest areas. With some endangered species of plants and animals only known to this valley and the adjacent and nowhere else in the world, it is a very special place and hence a key piece of world heritage reserve.
Stories of local indigenous people tell that the valley was originally inhabited by a tribe that believed that the valley was the birth of their world. The meandering creek representing the serpent in the creation stories, with the head represented by the island (Struck Rock) just off the coast of Thornton’s Beach. Numerous artefacts have been located on the property such as cutting stones, grinding stones and various other tools. Significant sites also include the volcanic bouncing stones at the point north of Thornton’s Beach, well known as sacred ”women’s place” and talk of a ceremonial aboriginal corroboree dance ground on the Mount Emmett table top plateau.
Unfortunately the bouncing stone beach is now closed to the public. Too many stones were being souvenired. Interestingly many returned after stories of bad luck were attributed to their removal. Even today, the valley, especially inland, is considered to be a highly spiritual place. Local Kuku Yalanji people have told us that their people will not enter the area until special ceremonies are conducted asking permission for entry from their ancestors.
Prior to the 50′s access to the area was very restricted, no roads existed and there was no ferry over the Daintree River. The area virtually untouched with the exception of some small scale logging of cedar trees. Access and removing of timber out was by horse cart and barges by sea to the nearest rail transport at Port Douglas. Amazingly remnants of these small barge docking operations are still visible at the mouth of Noah Creek.
Joan and Ray Hancock were the first people to take up a ”Special Lease” at Noah Creek. The saw mill at Noah Creek was built by the Hancock’s. The old Lister diesel engine driving a belt to turn the saw and the train tracks used to manually run bogey carts pushing logs through the cutting saw.
The Hancock’s also tried their hand at cattle farming however the harsh damp wet environment meant the venture was of limited success.
The Hancock’s sold the lease in the early 70′s. At this time only a small car ferry existed to cross the Daintree, taking approximately 6 cars. The dirt track from the ferry took around an hour and half to get to Noah Valley, with approximately a dozen farm gates to open and close between the ferry and Cape Tribulation. In places, 6 foot high guinea grass grew up the middle of the road.
David Heweston stumbled upon the Daintree Rainforest area and the Noah Creek property while backpacking up the East Coast of Australia in the 60′s. Having spent some time in New Guinea and having developed a passion for tropical rainforest, he met the Hancock’s and immediately felt connected to the Noah Creek property. After some time the Hancock’s decided to move on and in the early 70′s they sold the lease to the Heweston’s.
In the late 70′s and 80′s the attitude towards clearing and subdivision of this area had completely turned around to preservation. This was the time of the infamous blockade at Cape Tribulation and introduction of world heritage reserves and land buy back schemes. Noah Creek was included in the World Heritage Listing in 1988 and some portions sold back to become National park soon after.
Tony’s Tropical Tours is proud to be able to showcase this very special part of the Daintree Rainforest to our guests. Our relationship with Noah Creek world heritage listed private property surpasses 10 years and our exclusive private rainforest walk is still unearthing new and interesting and unknown species of flora.
We welcome you on an all day tour visiting this world heritage listed private property in the heart of the Daintree Rainforest.
 Noah Valley Old Mill Site - Daintree Rainforest  The Old Mill Site - Noah Valley - Daintree Rainforest
December 4, 2011
During his recent visit to Australia, US President – Barack Obama amused us by including some Aussie slang in his speech during his State dinner in Canberra.
Quoting:
“When Julia and I meet, we listen to each other, we learn from each other. It`s not just a lot of earbashing…( ear bashing: non- stop chatter- nagging),” he said.
“Through a century of progress and struggle we have stood together, in good times and in bad times. We’ve faced our share of sticky wickets…”(sticky wicket: A difficult situation).
Aussie Slang and Translations
The use of the Australian slang must have been lost amongst many overseas visitors listening to the speech, which got us thinking -
“How much does the overseas visitor really understand about our language?”
With this in mind we thought we`d write a short blog (survival guide) on Australian Slang, Phrases and Translations to help you understand our lingo..(lingo: language)
Arvo: Afternoon
Banger/ Snag: A sausage
Barbie: Barbecue
Beer o`clock/ wine o`clock: Anytime you feel like a drink
Beat around the Bush: Not getting to the point of a conversation
Big Smoke: A city (any city)
Blowie: Blow fly
Bottle shop/ Bottle O: Liquor shop
Brekkie: Breakfast
Brizzie/ Brisvegas: Brisbane, state capital of Queensland
BYO: Bring Your Own grog
Cozzie: Swimming costume
Chemist: Pharmacy
Damper: Bread made from flour and water
Deadset: True, a sure thing
Exy: Expensive
Fair dinkum: True
G’Day: Hello
Gone Troppo: Used when someone goes slightly mad during our warm humid tropical months
Good onya: Good for you, well done
Greenie: Environmentalist
Grog: Liquor, beer
Loo: Toilet
Maccas: McDonald`s
Mate: Buddy, friend
Mossvegas: Mossman Town (location of Mossman Gorge)
Mozzie: Mosquito
Newso: Paper Shop
No worries: No problems
Ow ya goin: How are you going
Quack: Doctor
Rapt: Pleased/ delighted
Roadie: A beer you buy to take away with you or before leaving the establishment
Roo: Kangaroo
Sanger: A sandwich
Schooner: Large glass of beer
Servo: Petrol station
She’ll be right: It’ll be fine/ok
Slab: A carton of 24 bottles or cans of beer
Smoko: Smoke or coffee break
Sunnies: Sunglasses
Ta: Thank you
Togs: Swim suit
Vee dub: Volkswagen
Veggo: Vegetarian
Whinge: Complain
Woop Woop: A name given to a town that is far away/town unknown.
XXXX: Pronounced Four X, a Queensland beer.
Daintree Rainforest – Aboriginal Kuku Yalanji People
The first human inhabitants of the Daintree rainforest were the Aboriginal people. They were known as the Kuku Yalanji people. There are many words and phrases that have been adapted in the Daintree Rainforest by our Indigenous Daintree Custodians
The word ”Bama” (pronounced Bumma) means: An Aboriginal person
Marrdja is a Kuku Yalanji word meaning rainforest or jungle
Dubuji :meaning place of spirits
Jindalba: meaning foot of the mountain
Wujal Wujal: meaning many falls also known as The Bloomfield Falls
Enjoy the few we`ve chosen for you and we hope to see you on a guided tour to The Daintree Rainforest and Bloomfield Falls for a more personal experience.
 Thongs: Flip Flops Courtesy of Australia Geographic  Aerial Ping Pong: Australian Rules Football - Courtesy Daily Telegraph Aerial Ping Pong: Aussie Rules Football
Thongs : cheap rubber sandals/flip flops
October 30, 2011
On Friday the 21st October 2011, we were honoured to win the prestigious Port Douglas Magazine Tourism Awards for the Best Rainforest Tour.
This is our second consecutive win and we are once again very proud to be recognised as the number one rainforest tour company by the people that count – our guests. The award is a celebration of hard work, dedication, passion and commitment by all our guides. Without their enthusiasm on a daily basis this award would have not been achieved.
Over 5100 votes from 26 countries were counted by the team of tourismportdouglas and to be named in the final five in our category was quite gratifying but to win it two years in a row was nothing short of excellent. To have guests from all the world vote for us is very humbling and we thank them all. The award is especially welcomed and will boost our confidence overall and encourage us to keep striving for excellence in customer satisfaction.
Thanks again to all our guides. This is a team effort and without them we couldn’t have achieved this.
 Award for the best Daintree Rainforest Tour One particular guest took the time to vote, then send us a quick email to let us know.
Hi Tony and the team at Tony’s Tropical Tours.
I wanted to send you a quick note to let you know how much we enjoyed our Bloomfield Falls tour with you. The stops at the Bloomfield Falls, Daintree Rainforest, Cape Tribulation, Stingray Bay, Noah Valley included some of the best scenery we experienced in Australia. The entire day was carried out very professionally, the lunch was the best that we had on any tour in Australia and your knowledge of the rain forest and good humour added to the day. A sensational day and one which we both wished we could repeat.
We also took your advice and did a self drive to Mossman the following day. It was amazing how much we remembered of what you told us on tour and how many things we were able to recognize. Thank you again, you’ve opened us up to another world.
Sincerely
Loren Harris
October 6, 2011
The Great Barrier Reef township of Port Douglas is alive with festivals and activities to keep most restless traveller entertained.
Although Port Douglas is famously known for its laid back lifestyle, many locals are every bit inspired by sports, fun in the sun and a lot of play in between. We’ve put together a segment of what’s on and what’s to come in the Port Douglas and Daintree area to assist with your planning.
The Port Douglas Outrigger Canoe Club: Marlin Coast Challenge : October 15 2011 - Ellis Beach to Port Douglas race.
 Photo Courtesy - Tourism Port Douglas and Danitree Taste of The Tablelands: 16th October 2011 – A festival showcasing the best their region has to offer in the way of fine foods, wine, farmer’s produce, music and arts and crafts.
Sunset In the Park Music Festival: 30th October – 2pm start – Proceeds to charity.
 Backstage at The Sunset In The Park Festival - Photo Courtesy of Tourism Port Douglas Portoberfest: 29th October – is a popular one day beer festival
 Portoberfest - Photo Courtesy Tourism Port Douglas Australian Crocodile Trophy Cairns: 18th to 27th October 2011
1,200 kilometres, 12,000 metres of elevation. From Cairns to Cooktown over corrugated fire trails and the outback. Called the “hardest MTB adventure race in the world” by most, this year will see internationally renowned cyclists and champions as well as some of Australia’s most determined compete.
Whitelion Jungle Ride: 29th of October 2011 – Ride along where the rainforest meets the reef from Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation and back – a truly spectacular experience. Sealed road all the way, 180kms return ride.
Coral Spawning: Brilliant display on the reef for the avid diver occurring in November.
Port Douglas Marlin Challenge: 2nd to 7th November 2011 – A real escapade in fishing.
Great Barrier Reef Marathon: 12th November. The Festival will provide a unique running experience combining the elements of 4 Mile Beach, the Daintree Rainforest, a course taking in the historic access Bump Track with a in Port Douglas.
The Cairns Sit Down Comedy Club : 16th December 2011. Every month the Cairns Sit Down Comedy Club serves up the best local, domestic and international stand-up comedy and cabaret acts that they can lay their hands on. Check their website for up to date information.
We hope that when you visit Port Douglas you thoroughly enjoy your stay and plan a day to spend with us on a Daintree Rainforest Tour. Here’s what our recent guests had to say:
…Just wanted to leave a bit of feedback to compliment your tour, especially Chris, who went above and beyond as our guide. He seemed to know everything about the ecosystem and history of Daintree and made sure everyone on our tour felt a part of what was going on and giving us plenty of time at each site. We’ve been on tours all around the world and Chris was hands-down the best guide we’ve ever had. The tour (A) itself was fantastic as well, a full day, but neither too long nor too short. The river cruise and stream swim were a good way to break up the day and ice cream was the perfect way to end it. Thank you and thanks to Chris! Cheers, Larry and Angela California, USA
September 1, 2011
Looking to visit the beutiful Daintree Rainforest for a day tour and looking to book today? Read what some of our happy tourists have said after spending the day with Tony`s Tropical Tours in this stunning area of Tropical Queensland.
Guest Feedback after a visit to the Daintree
“We spent a month in Australia visiting places like Melbourne, Brisbane, Darwin, Australia zoo, Jet Ski safari in Whitsunday islands, Sky Rail to Kuranda, diving on the great barrier reef. Even Hong Kong & Singapore. Can honestly say your trip was the highlight of our holiday. We’ve never seen a rain forest before, so we found it breath taking. So glad we stayed in Port Douglas, which is so close to this amazing eco system. I even swam in Mossman river, got it all on video. We enjoyed it so much, we travelled to Mossman the following day for a second helping. Our guide, was a very well informed his knowledge on plant life was amazing. Who knows, we may even return in a couple of years.
Anyway, thank you for opening our eyes to another world”.
Steve & Stephanie
Brentwood Essex UK
Click here to read more testimonials from previous visitors to the Daintree Rainforest.
Like Steve and Stephanie, join us for a day trip to this World Heritage Listed region. The Daintree Rainforest is a sight to behold. Ring us today at Tony’s Tropical Tours to book your next Daintree Rainforest Day Trip.
With the weather warming up in the Tropics, The Hercules Moth has been recently sighted in the Daintree Rainforest, more so around the Cape Tribulation.
The Hercules Moth is among some of the most impressive moths in the Daintree Rainforest. It is the largest species of moth in Australia and one of the largest in the world.
The main colour of a Hercules Moth is brown. Both male and female have triangular transparent ‘windows’ and a white triangle edge.
Males can have a wingspan of up to 20cm, their hindwing is longer with a tapered tail. Although the male is smaller than the female, it has more vibrant colourations than the female.
The female Hercules Moth does not have the tapered longer tails however it boasts the largest wing area of any moth in the world. The wingspan can be up to 27cm. from tip to tip.
The adult female emerges from the chrysalis without mouthparts as her brief life does not include feeding. After she emerges she will emit pheromones to attract a male.
After mating, the female lays 80-100 eggs on the leaves or stems of some Daintree plant species. She dies shortly after that as she can only live only as long as her fat deposits last.
The Moth eggs hatch in 8-14 days depending on the temperature.The spectacular pale-blue/greenish caterpillars which are adorned with yellow spikes can grow to a length of 12 cm ( near 5 inches) They
feed on leaves of several rainforest trees but prefer those of the Bleeding Heart tree, Homalanthus nutans. and Glochidion spp. (Cheese tree).
This picture of a Hercules Moth was taken near Cape Tribulation rest rooms. If you are fortunate to see one of the moths in the Daintree Rainforest, please do not try and touch or displace them. Remember everything in the Daintree Rainforest is there for a reason. We live in a precious environment so please help us to protect all that is within so that it will be there for others to enjoy. Book your Daintree Rainforest Day Trip and view this precious environment for yourself.
Daintree Rainforest Day Tours
Looking to view the beautiful Hercules Moth for yourself? Book your day tour to this beautiful region of North Queensland, the Daintree with Tony’s Tropical Tours. We will show you this stunning area in all its glory so you can see for yourself why the Daintree Rainforest is indeed World Heritage Listed.
Ring us today at Tony`s Tropical Tours to book your next adventure into the beautiful Daintree Rainforest.
August 22, 2011
Many visitors select Port Douglas as their number one holiday destination for a number of reasons. Our warm tropical weather, the laid back character of the town, great restaurants and uncrowded beach makes this North Queensland town a very special destination.
Other reasons why Port Douglas is chosen above other holiday destinations is:
1. The Great Barrier Reef
2. The Daintree Rainforest
With these two destinations at our doorstep and both being world heritage listed and adjacent to one another, it makes it the only place in the world where two world heritage areas meet and the two most popular attractions.
The Great Barrier Reef
Enjoy the unforgettable experience on The Great Barrier Reef featuring the largest coral reef system in the world. Visitors can enjoy a trip to The Great Barrier Reef daily from Port Douglas and a number of boats are available to suit every requirement.
One of the most unforgettable experiences has to be swimming alongside Dwarf Minke Whales.
Port Douglas boasts three companies that hold special permits to allow guests into the water to swim alongside these inimitable creatures.
There are strict guidelines which the tour operators must adhere by when nearing the Dwarf Minke Whales . The boat must cut its engine and guests (normally in groups of ten) are allowed to jump in the water holding onto a floating line that is cast from the boat.
Dwarf Minke Whales are naturally inquisitive and tend to swim close to proximity of the snorkellers and are totally non threatening. The encounter is an unforgettable experience and can last for over an hour before they decide to move on.
Although sighting of the Dwarf Minke Whales are never guaranteed, the best months to encounter the inquisitive Dwarf Minke Whales are during our winter months and at the moment we are having one of the best season for sighting them.
As the weather begins to warm in our water again, another opportunity arises, to view the magestic Humpback Whales as they frolic in the our waters, breaching and slapping their pectoral fin and tail. The Humpbacks have already made their presence in our waters and are appearing on a regular basis.
 Minke Whale taken from day trip with Poseidon The Daintree Rainforest
The Daintree Rainforest is showing off……..Although wildlife spotting is never guaranteed the Daintree Rainforest is coming alive this season.
 Daintree Flora - Satin Ash Photo Courtesy David Humphries
During our winter months, wildlife spotting can be at its best, with regular sightings of cassowaries, saltwater crocodiles, lace monitors, birds, boyd’s forest dragons, musky rat kangaroos, platypus and the ever elusive bennett’s tree kangaroo, to name a few.
The temperature in the Rainforest is normally slightly cooler than in Port Douglas, this is due to the protective canopy layer of tall trees. Some varieties are flowering an fruiting prolifically at present which in turn is providing food for the birds, mammals and other wildlife of the rainforest. Two beautiful varieties this winter have been, The Cauliflory Fig and the Satin Ash.
 Daintree Flora - Cauliflory Native Fig For up to date information visit us on our facebook page
July 22, 2011
“I would just like to thank you for a wonderful day out to Bloomfield Falls and Cape Tribulation on 27 November. In particular, our guide, David R was fantastic – a wealth of knowledge of the world of the rainforest and good fun too! He is definately an asset to your company and made our trip very memorable.Thanks Dave! Ray and Christine.”
Join us on this Cape Tribulation day tour. This Tour leaves Port Douglas at 7.20am and returns at approximately 6.30pm , taking you deeper into the Daintree Rainforest and travelling further North. The Tour offers only one interpretive walk in the heart of the Daintree Rainforest, it does not include the Mossman Gorge due to lack of time in the day.
It does however include 66kms of off road driving, deserted beaches, rugged and scenic landscapes.
Our Cairns to Cooktown via Daintree Regional Map on the left hand side of our ‘home page” will show a ‘broken line’ between Cape Tribulation and the Bloomfield Falls. This is the Bloomfield Track. This part of the journey is 33 kms and takes approximately one hour and fifteen minutes each way of off road driving crossing Emmagen and Woobadda creeks as well as The Bloomfield River.
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Visit beautiful Bloomfield Falls on the Cape Tribulation Day Tour
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Bloomfield Falls – Far North Queensland
Bloomfield Falls Day Tour
The return time is only approximate as much depends on creek and river crossings, ferry queues, weather, Bloomfield Track and road conditions.
The Bloomfield Falls Tour is a long day and may not be suitable for many children. We do not recommend this Tour for young children. The Bloomfield Track can be at times throughout the year be very dusty, jarring and an uncomfortable ride. We do not recommend this Tour for anyone with a back or with hip ailment or the very elderly.
The flow of the Bloomfield Falls can vary throughout the year. During our ‘wet’ season, The Bloomfield Falls are normally running at peak, the creeks and rivers are swollen, making it quite an adventure however during the ‘drier’ parts of the year, the creeks, river and The Bloomfield Falls can at times look rather dismal making the extra length of the journey quite unappealing.
We have in the past cancelled this Tour due to the very dry dusty state of the Bloomfield Track and lack of flow at the Bloomfield Falls and during our ”very wet” conditions have also had to cancel the Tour due to local flooding.
Photos taken of the Bloomfield Falls taken at different times of the year. Note: Weather patterns are different each year and our ”wet” can commence late and end late which can make a huge difference to the flow of the Falls.
Our recommendation is to contact us prior to booking and ask the questions that may concern you and we will do our very best to answer them all and try and place you on the most suitable tour for you and your family/friends taking in the factors mentioned above.
Join our many happy travellers, ring us today and see a part of Australia that you have never seen before.
“We were in awe of the beauty of this part of Australia, what an amazing place and the best day of our holiday. Thank you Tony`s Tropical Tours for introducing us to this special place.”
Click here to read about our other great day trip that visits the beautiful Daintree Rainforest via the Mossman Gorge.
“We absolutely loved the Daintree Rainforest tour. The guide was excellent and the scenery was amazing. We would highly recommend this tour – I can’t imagine a better way to truly experience the Daintree. Thank you so much for a wonderful experience! Kevin K. Braun Southlake, TX USA”
This Daintree Rainforest Tour has two departure times.
The 8.00am departure from Port Douglas returns between 5 and 5.30pm.
The 9.00am departure from Port Douglas returns between 6 and 6.30pm.
Please note that the return times are approximate as much depends on ferry queues, weather and road conditions.
Both departure times offer the same itinerary.
The Tour offers a stop at Mossman Gorge which includes a 35 minutes interpretive walk. The second walk is in the heart of the Daintree Rainforest at Noah Valley, and will take approximately 45 minutes. This Tour does not include any extended off road driving.
We do not recommend that you book this (or any Daintree Rainforest Tour) if leaving the area on the same day via a flight. Please remember that you will need to allow anywhere between one hour to two hours (if leaving by shuttle) from Port Douglas to Cairns airport and also allow check in time when arriving at the airport.
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Tony`s Tropical Tours – Day Trip to Cape Tribulation
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Spectacular Mossman Gorge
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Visit Mossman Gorge with Tony`s Tropical Tours
Tony`s Tropical Tours
Ring us today to book your Daintree Rainforest experience and see a side of Australian that you haven’t seen before.
“Spectacular is a strong word, but the Daintree Rainforest comes pretty close…. and Tony’s Tropical Tours does a great job of introducing the visitor to this amazing part of Australia.”
Click here to read about our Cape Tribulation tour that goes via spectacular Mossman Gorge.
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