DAINTREE, QUEENSLAND

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A small tourist centre for some of North Queensland's most beautiful tropical rainforest.
Location: 111 km north of Cairns; 56 km from Port Douglas
Origin of name: derived from Daintree River, which was named by George Dalrymple (1826-1876) explorer, public servant and politician, on 6th December 1873, after Richard Daintree (1832-1878) geologist and photographer.
Brief history: explorer George Dalrymple discovered the Daintree River in 1873 and wrote at that time; "no river in North Australia possesses surroundings combining so much of distant mountain grandeur with local beauty and wealth of vegetation" and this still holds true today. Daintree was first settled in the late 1870s and early 1880s by timber cutters who logged the large stands of cedar trees then found in the rainforest. They were followed by dairy and beef farmers, though today the mainstay of the local economy is tourism.
Natural features: McDowell Ranges; Daintree River; Daintree National Park
Built features: 'Big Barramundi'; Daintree Rainforest Discovery Centre
Heritage features: Timber Museum