Mossman to Daintree Village: A Virtual Journey
By Daphne Titus-Rees
www.daintreevalleyhaven.com.au

From rainforested hillsides, through green fields of sugar-cane down to pristine golden beaches - this beautiful and diverse region is truly the Gateway to the Daintree.

The small sugar town of Mossman, just south of the Mossman River, is the commercial hub of the farming and tourism region between Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation and from Mossman north the road passes sugar-cane farms set against a backdrop of the rainforested McDonnel Ranges of Daintree National Park. There are a number of scenic side roads which take the visitor off the beaten track to meander through the cane-fields towards the ranges.

Picturesque Mossman Golf Club sits by the turnoff to Newell Beach, truly a "jewel in the heart of the shire". Newell Beach is a get-away from the hustle and bustle with a beautiful beach and breath-taking sunrises and a great spot for the recreational fisherman being situated between Mossman River and Saltwater Creek, and both have boat ramps.
A little further north, the turnoff at Miallo leads to the beautiful Whyanbeel Valley with its' farm

s, tropical fruits, famous open-air theatre, glass-blower's studio and Australian outback show. Along Bamboo Creek Road inspect the historic memorial to the Japanese bombing raid in 1942.

Rounding Rocky Point and the Coral Sea laps gently right up to the road. There is little surf in the far north as the fringing Great Barrier Reef prevents large ocean swells from reaching the shoreline. Past the public boat ramp Thornton's Peak rises in the distance, part of the Alexandra Range north of the Daintree River.

Several turnoffs lead to Wonga Beach - another beautiful long white-sand beach. Enjoy long walks on squeaky-clean sand, perhaps fish for prawns straight from the beach or go for a horse ride at the nearby equestrian centre.

Look for the model cassowary family at the service station! The road now passes between cattle paddocks, and a huge commercial fish-farm where the famous Barramundi are bred. These delicious fish, along with many other species, are abundant in the rivers and coastal fishing grounds and are one of the most sought-after catches for the fisherman. Be sure not to leave without enjoying a barramundi meal, available at many of the region's restaurants.

Just before you reach the café opposite the right-hand turnoff to the Daintree ferry and Cape Tribulation (do not take this turnoff as the road to Daintree Village continues straight ahead), there is a small Information Bay.

The road ahead becomes even more scenic as it winds through the rainforest of the Dagmar Range, part of Daintree National Park. Suddenly there are glimpses of the magnificent Daintree River -a definite photo-opportunity from one of several roadside lookouts.
After crossing the bridge over mysterious-looking Barratts Creek, a favourite haunt of crocodiles, your journey is almost complete and the final stretch into tiny Daintree Village, perched serenely on the southern bank of the majestic Daintree River with a glorious backdrop of Thornton's Peak, winds through a landscape of undulating cattle farmland interspersed with luxuriant tropical vegetation.
By Daphne Titus-Rees - www.daintreevalleyhaven.com.au

Sugar Cane Industry
By Daphne Titus-Rees
www.daintreevalleyhaven.com.au

June to November is cane-crushing season for the local sugar industry and it is when the area is a hive of industry with huge mechanical cane-harvesters at work in the cane-fields, road trailers and small railway locomotives hauling the cut cane. You may have to stop occasionally at one of the many rail crossings which criss-cross the roads while one of these trains, pulling many cane wagons, trundles its way to the Mossman Sugar Mill. Perhaps a good photo opportunity!

The first sugar cane was grown in southern Queensland in 1862 and gradually the industry spread northwards. Sugar cane has been grown in fertile pockets of the tropical north coast of Queensland since the 1870's.

The early pastoralists had begun exploring inland in the 1850's, but kept clear of the the coast fearing malaria and other tropical fevers, but in the 1860's the first settlers arrived on the Daintree coast. Chinese labour was employed in clearing the vegetation, the Chinese having originally worked in the goldfields which for a time flourished in the hinterland but, with the decline of the gold, they gradually turned to agriculture.
Between 1863 and 1904, 60,000 South S

ea islanders, known as Kanakas, were forcibly brought to Queensland to work on the sugar plantations and, until legislation was passed in 1904 banning their further employment, they formed the bulk of the workforce. Their loss caused a significant labour shortage and Japanese and also Indian workers were later employed until, after World War I, many Italian migrants arrived. Many more Italians came after World War II - they worked hard to save for their own land and many of their descendants are successful cane-farmers here today.

In the early days cane was harvested by hand and moved by horse-drawn wagons to the tramways, which were established at the same time as the construction of the Mossman Sugar Mill in 1897. The development of harvesting equipment revolutionised the industry and today all the cane is cut and processed mechanically. There is an interesting memorial to the early cane-cutters in George Davis Park just north of Mossman.

The first lands selected for cane production were north of the Daintree River and on the river flats around Daintree Village but following the establishment of the Mossman mill transporting the cut cane from these, then inaccessible, areas was found to be unviable. Today the whole coastal region from south of Port Douglas to the turnoff to the Daintree Ferry is a major cane-growing area and during the June to November crushing season it is a hive of industry.

Sugar cane is grown from mature cane stalks, which are planted by special machines, and is ready for harvest 12 months later. Originally the cane was burnt before harvesting but nowadays in the tropical north it is generally cut 'green'. Giant cane-harvesters cut the cane by removing the leafy tops of the cane stalks, cutting the stalks off at ground level and chopping the cane into small lengths which are immediately loaded into wire bins drawn by a tractor alongside the harvester. Each full load is tipped into huge cane bins for eventual transport by either cane-truck or by railway to the mill. The remaining roots then produce new shoots and several crops may be grown from the same stock before ploughing and replanting is necessary.

From June to November visitors driving through will see the harvesters at work and must also watch out for the cane trains where the rail tracks cross the roads. In some areas huge cane trucks will be busy ferrying the cut cane to the mill.