Mossman Gorge
Mossman Gorge is located within the southern Daintree National Park, 77km north of Cairns. We explored the Gorge recently with our two young sons (ages 1 and 4) as well as investigating the new Mossman Gorge Visitor Centre.
The Visitor Centre is an ecotourism initiative of the local Kuku Yalangi people. We enjoyed a light lunch in the Mayi Café and browsed the Indigenous art gallery before catching the shuttle bus ($9) for the family to the Gorge.
Artwork in the Indigenous gallery at the Mossman Gorge Visitor Centre
Mossman Gorge is the most famous rainforest walk in far north Queensland. It is beautiful, and the infrastructure, such as boardwalks and bridges optimise the experience. As we visited on a Sunday the pathways were quite busy and there was competition for a clear view at the most photogenic points along the route. The pathway is not stroller friendly, and I was glad we had brought our infant carrier as Bub 2 was determined to climb every stair and boulder on his own. A broken limb seemed a certainty until I strapped him into the carrier. Bub 1 easily negotiated the walkways independently.
Mossman Gorge
The age of our children meant that we didn’t participate in a Ngadiku Dreamtime Walk, a supervised walk with an Indigenous guide. The Dreamtime walks offer visitors the opportunity to gain insight into local Indigenous culture and can be arranged at the Visitor Centre. I suspect if our children were old enough to participate in one of these our visit to the Gorge would have been even better.
As a North Queensland local, I can’t help but think that other spots, such as Crystal Cascades in the Redlynch Valley near Cairns, and Babinda Boulders an hour south of Cairns provide a similarly beautiful rainforest experience without the crowds. However the Mossman Gorge Visitor Centre provides local Aboriginal people with important employment and training opportunities and there is value in supporting this. The staff we encountered at the Centre treated our boys beautifully, and as other parents will know, the way to a parent’s heart is through their children.
To make the most of your own visit to Mossman Gorge, discuss the best trail to take with young children at the Visitor’s Centre prior to setting out.
