Visiting the Tropical Oasis of Mossman Gorge

Amongst the Daintree Rainforest we stumbled across this little oasis – Mossman Gorge.

Home to the Kuku Yalanji Indigenous People and a significant part of the World Heritage Listed Daintree Rainforest, Mossman Gorge is part of the oldest, continuously surviving rainforest on Earth.

From Indigenous culture to flora and fauna, there is so much to learn and see in the gorge and it’s such a beautiful place to spend the day exploring.

About Mossman Gorge

Such a peaceful place in the middle of the rain forest, Mossman Gorge is home to a crystal clear river, surrounded by tall trees and containing a pool of water that can only be described as absolutely freezing.

A sacred place to the local Indigenous community, it must always be treated with love and respect. For a deeper insight, the following is taken from the Mossman Gorge website.

“The Kuku Yalanji People are the Indigenous inhabitants of the land and have a history dating back 50,000 years to the earliest human occupation of Australia. They are the true rainforest people, living in complete harmony with their environment. It is part of them and they are pat of it. The Kuku Yalanji culture is built around a deep respect for nature and an intimate knowledge of its cycles. Their knowledge has been passed down through the generations – with the members of the community having learned all they know from their elders, parts, grandparents, uncles and aunties.”

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How to visit Mossman Gorge

There are a few different options when deciding how to experience the Gorge. All options start at the Mossman Gorge Centre, where there is lots of parking available for self-drivers.

The first option is to take part in a Dreamtime Gorge Walk. Conducted by local Indigenous people, the walk takes visitors on a journey along private, gentle tracks, visiting special places and culturally significant sites, past traditional bark shelters and over meandering cool rainforest streams.

Check out all of the day tours to Mossman Gorge

The second option is to catch the shuttle bus from the Mossman Gorge Centre to the heart of the Gorge. For the tiny price of $8.90 AUD for a return trip, the bus drives you the 4 kilometres into the rainforest. Buses leave from both locations every 10 to 15 minutes, very convenient. This way you are able to experience the Gorge at your pace, and take your time exploring everything this beautiful part of the rainforest has to offer.

The third option is to walk from the Centre to the Gorge. Whilst this is obviously the cheapest option as there is no cost involved, it’s important to note that there’s no footpath on the way up to the Gorge, making the walk along the winding road a little dangerous.

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Getting to Mossman Gorge

Mossman Gorge can be found 20 kilometres north of Port Douglas, in the town of Mossman.

It’s an easy drive from Cairns or Port Douglas along the Captain Cook Highway, which is part of the Great Tropical Drive, one of the most famous drives in the Southern Hemisphere.

Mossman Gorge Centre || 212 Mossman Gorge Road, Mossman || Ph: (07) 4099 7000

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