Sited north Port Douglas, for the residents this little coastal settlement it is their own private bit of paradise. Most visitors to the area are generally on their way north to Cape Tribulation and don't drop by to check it out, which is great for those who do because there aren't the crowds that you'll find in and around Port Douglas.
This is where the reef meets the rain forest. Most of the people who come here do so towing a caravan or camper, and they are well catered for with on site kitchen, laundry and hot running showers that makes it feel like home. The campsite is right on the beach so you get to see the sunrise/set either from the comfort of your spot or right on the beach a short walk away. Every house in Wonga is close to the beach with some holiday homes right on it. A holiday here is inexpensive and enjoyable if you like to be away from the mass tourism centres of Port Douglas and Cairns.
Stretching from Rocky Point, at the southern access of Captain Cook Highway, to the Daintree River in the north, Wonga Beach is easily accessible and has the best beach walk in the district. As with all the beaches on his coastline, these are not beaches where you would swim unbathe year round due to the presence of crocodiles and box jelly fish. This is more than made up for by shoals of fish feeding and small crabs, making it a great place to just potter about on the beach. It's an absolutely beautiful place and a must to visit.
In the early summer months the mangos ripen and fall from the trees near the esplanade areas of Wonga Beach and alongside most roads. They are almost always on public land and free for the taking.
What brings birdwatchers to certain areas are new birds for them to see. If they are endemic to that area or are rare so much the better. So what has Wonga Beach got to offer visiting birdwatchers? The tree main species that will attract them are; Little (Goulds) Bronze-Cuckoo, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot and the Beach Stone-curlew. This cuckoo is one of the smallest cuckoos in the world and, in Australia, can only be found on the north-east coast of Cape York. The Fig-Parrot is also very small and has an even smaller range whilst the Beach Stone-curlew has a larger range but is fairly big. All three can be found here.
On the corner of Wonga Beach Road and the Daintree Road is a telecommunications tower with an Osprey's nest on it. This nest has been there for years and there is often activity and vocalisations at it. There is enough room on Wonga Beach Road to park the car and wait a while to see what happens.
Pumice is the only stone that floats. In 1985 there was a volcanic eruption under the Coral Sea that cascaded huge amounts of pumice onto the sea's surface. The trade winds deposited it along Queensland's north-eastern coast where it can still be found above the high tide mark along Wonga Beach.
There are three boat launching ramps in the Daintree valley; one is at Rocky Point at the southern end of Wonga Beach. This ramp is exposed to the elements more than the other two. It can be nice and calm at dawn when you launch but when you come back in the afternoon it could be almost impossible to retrieve your boat safely. At this part of the coastline the sea contrasts sharply according to the weather, season and time of day. Early morning in Summer with the sunrise and no wind gives that South Pacific feeling whereas in winter in the middle of the day the sea is choppy and turbid with the stirred u silt. Caltex Wonga Service Station has a surprising array of boat equipment as well as bait and tackle and ice to keep your catch chilled.
During their winter, on the spring tides, there are very low afternoon tides and the coastal reef is exposed for a short while. The reef does not look as spectacular as the outer Great Barrier Reef but is much more robust and can tolerate the more turbid conditions experienced during the winter south-east trade winds.
Rocky Point
The latest 'South Pacific' film was shot just south of Rocky Point. The shire has hosted other films such as 'The Thin Red Line' in the Upper Daintree Valley, 'Paradise Lost' and Steven Spielberg's pacific World War ll series.
Unlike other parts of Daintree, Wonga Beach has both mobile telephone coverage (Telstra, Optus & Dodo) and Broadband. Public access to Broadband is at Pinnacle Village Holiday Park.
The sea you look towards from Wonga Beach is where the Battle of the Coral Sea took place in May 1942, between the Japanese Navy and the US Navy supported by the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. It was the first time in history that a naval battle took place where the opposing navies could not see each other and a major turning point in the World War II. There is a bomb memorial in the Whyanbeel Valley near Wonga Beach.
