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| Cooper Creek |
Travel twenty two kilometres north of the Daintree River to Cooper Creek and embark on a cruise with Cape Tribulation Wilderness Cruises. Cooper Creek leisurely meanders through the rainforest to empty into the Coral Sea at Thornton Beach. The mighty Thornton Peak stands tall above the landscape and acts as a rain-catcher.
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| Thornton Peak |
The cruise starts at the mouth of Cooper Creek. When you are driving through the Daintree Rainforest, watch out for cassowaries.
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| The start of the cruise at the mouth of Cooper Creek |
Mangroves are fascinating. They are nurseries for lots of aquatic creatures, they stop coastal erosion, they filter the water and they trap sediments. The mangroves along Cooper Creek are mainly red mangroves. They have green shiny leaves and prop roots that stand above the water. Their seeds ripen on the tree and long, thin propagules are formed. These eventually drop off and travel with the water to establish a new plant. Look carefully amongst the leaves and you might see a white-lipped green tree frog.
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| Red mangroves - prop roots, long propagules and a frog |
Thornton Peak is often covered in clouds. The scar down the east face was caused by a huge landslide in 2018.
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| The scar on Thornton Peak |
During rain, debris is washed from the rainforest floor and transported by creeks to the Great Barrier Reef where it acts as a fertiliser. No Daintree cruise would be complete without spotting a croc.
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| Spot the croc |
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