Anny Chih

Big Barramundi Garden Restaurant at Daintree Village

On my way up to Cape Tribulation on Tuesday, I made an unplanned stop at Daintree Village. I had thought that I needed to go through the village to get to Cape Trib because the only sign that pointed to Cape Trib pointed in the direction of a ferry terminal and I didn’t know you had to cross a river to get there. This is what happens when you don’t follow a map.

Travellers – please see the note on the bottom on how to get to Cape Tribulation from Cairns.

Daintree Village consists of a small handful of restaurants and stores, and is primarily a meeting point for the various river tours in the area. I didn’t feel like going on a river tour because I was already melting in the heat even with the air conditioning on. If this is Queensland’s “Winter/Spring” I don’t want to know what their Summer is like! I did feel like getting something to eat though since I hadn’t had breakfast and all my food had gone rotten from the heat.

Mmm... CROC!

I decided to go to the Big Barramundi Garden for lunch mainly because they have a giant fish in the front (these tricks work on me). I’m glad I did though because they had CROCODILE BURGERS!! Normally I’d have a little bit of hesitation about eating animals like crocodiles because they’re not exactly abundant. But, (and this should make all you endangered animal activists out there *cough cough* Sara *cough* feel a little bit better) I noted that there was a crocodile farm about a half hour before Daintree.

The croc burger was de-lish! And no, it doesn’t taste like chicken. It has a different flavour and texture that I quite like. The meat was tender, moist, had a very slight chewiness to it, and it was lean. It’s hard to describe the chewiness of it because “chewy” and “rubbery” makes it sound bad when really the slight chewiness and rubbery bite to it was very pleasant and very very slight. There was one chunk that had an obvious section of croc fat and I was worried it wouldn’t taste good, but it didn’t taste fatty at all! I’d eat croc again.

Tips for Travellers on Getting to Cape Tribulation

There are two routes you can take to Cape Tribulation from Cairns. One takes you over a river on a ferry along the coastline ($11 one-way or $20 return), and the other is longer and takes you all the way around the inland route, past Mount Carbine, Lakeland, Cooktown’s detour and down through the Bloomfield Track (no ferry).

1. 

   Ferry Crossing Terminal

   You can only take the Bloomfield Track if you have a 4WD vehicle. There’s a sign posted just past Cape Trib that says so. Your car rental company might have restrictions that say so too (Wicked Campers does).

2. If you only have a 2WD or it has recently rained (the Bloomfield Track is sometimes closed when it gets wet because some parts are subject to flooding), the only way to get to Cape Trib will be over the river on a ferry.
3. If you have a 4WD and you’re going to go past Cooktown or want to take both the inland and coastal route on your way to and from Cape Trib, it’s recommended that you take the inland route up, and visit Cape Trib on your way back down. The inland route is paved highway which makes it easier for your car to go up and it’s supposed to be less scary coming down the unpaved Bloomfield Track. I think it’s a bit scary either way.
4. Why take both the inland and coastal routes? The coastal route up to Cape Tribulation is a must because it’s stunning. The inland route has some great look-out points and is the safer option to get to Cooktown or further North. Plus, if you take the coastal route all the way up to Cooktown, you’re not going to want to take it back down again. It’s like being stuck in a vibrating machine for two hours.