Milanda Rout explores Tropical North Queensland’s luxury trifecta of lodges – a complementary contrast between rainforest, reef and outback with the ease of access via Cairns, the gateway to northern Queensland.
The itinerary features three diverse lodges reflecting the vibrant colours of Queensland, and proximity to irreplaceable World Heritage sites. From the brilliant terracottas of the outback staying at Mt Mulligan Lodge, to the soothing, dense greens of The Daintree rainforest at Silky Oaks Lodge and the intense blues of the ocean and Great Barrier Reef from Lizard Island, these three landscapes are seamlessly combined into one very easy to plan journey.
“It includes a trio of properties that take in three very different landscapes: rainforest, outback and tropical island. The use of helicopters and light planes mean Silky Oaks and the other two, Mt Mulligan, 100km inland from Cairns, and Lizard Island, 110km further north off the coast of Cape Flattery, can be experienced in as little as seven days.”
“…the one thing no one ever tells you about the Great Barrier Reef is how noisy it is. As soon as I duck my head under the impossibly clear turquoise water and get a glimpse of its vibrant inhabitants, I hear loud crackling; it sounds like an electric current running through the ocean.”
“There are waterfalls coming off the mountain range, the lakes are full and the ground, normally dominated by red dirt and yellow grasses, is covered in vegetation (as well as puddles and mud).”
“(Angelina) Takes us through the lush forest, where the sun barely peeks through the canopy, and points out ways her ancestors would communicate by tapping the huge tree roots of towering bull kauri trees, how they would construct shelters, and what they would forage from surrounding flora and fauna.”
Read more on Milanda’s experience in the Luxury + Travel liftout in the Weekend Australian – pdf version click here.
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