Daintree dreaming in Australia: part 1

If ever I am asked one of my greatest wishes in life I have answered: to taste water as it was thousands of years ago … water which rained in unpolluted air, ran free down mountains and gushed along creek beds gathering minerals we used to enjoy from our earth.

Never did I imagine a decade into the second millennium I would drink the purest water in the oldest rainforest on earth – the 135 million-year-old Daintree Rainforest in far north Queensland.

Not only do I drink the rain water at the Daintree EcoLodge, I bathe in its waterfalls and breath it into my skin with every breath.

Not only do I drink the rain water at the Daintree EcoLodge, I bathe in its waterfalls and breath it into my skin with every breath.

For a sacred reconnection with our Earth, the Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa is a place where there is a deliberate intention to heal and nurture the circle of relations between nature, Kuku Yalanji Rainforest Aboriginals and visitors.

Having won many awards, this is an ideal place for steeping yourself into one of the most ancient areas of Earth while learning about genuine traditional Aboriginal beliefs which differ greatly from many others around Australia. 

Getting to know local Kuku Yalanji Rainforest Aboriginal culture I find, is an entirely different community to the much-clichéd outback Australian indigenous beliefs.

Not all and rarely any two of the more than 300 Australian indigenous communities have the exact same stories ~ also known as songlines.

Locals often eat salted prunes to ‘eat’ the liquid which tends to last longer.

The Kuku Yalanji, for instance, believe human beings were made by the moon. Often considered bad form in some parts of Australia, here you can also learn dot-painting (as long as you don’t try to sell your artwork claiming to be Australian Aboriginal).

Staff with local knowledge of the Kuku Yalanji, who inhabit land from Cooktown in the north to Chillagoe (west) and Port Douglas in the south, offer in-depth cultural story, walks and tours with an immense library of information and a gallery of arts in the Lodge restaurant.

A beautiful welcome is taking a walk deep through the property’s lush, humid forest with a symphony of cicadas cascading around us.

Intelligently in harmony with our planet’s life force, we are not to disturb the spider’s home

While it takes a while to adjust to the high humidity (sometimes around 95%) we are encouraged to drink lots of water with rock or sea salt to rehydrate.

Locals often eat salted prunes to ‘eat’ the liquid which tends to last longer. And these are easily found in petrol stations along the drive north from Cairns.

Kuku Yalanji guide Linda spots an intricate spider web, so knowingly advises we enter the women’s business waterfall to the right across ancient rocks instead. Intelligently in harmony with our planet’s life force, we are not to disturb the spider’s home.

Such delicate and constant awareness of magnificence is how the Daintree should be preserved after all. The cool rushing water gifted to all non-local visitors is a moment to embrace and revive.

The local Aboriginal people call this area Wawu-karrba which means healing of the spirit, strongly based on the beautiful waterfall and creek beds which run throughout the property.

The cool rushing water gifted to all non-local visitors is a moment to embrace and revive.

While Aboriginal women’s business around Australia is often interpreted as a place off-limits to non-indigenous locals, here the waterfall is open to women of all backgrounds.

Rainforest Aboriginal men are also allowed to walk to the area but must not enter the waters. Again, this is a vastly different protocol to many other parts of Australia where men’s or women’s business are strictly off-limits to each other, and especially to non-Aboriginal people.

Another surprise is the ability to have a massage or healing treatment right at the waterfall ~ in fact a wooden deck has been built here especially. Visitors can try a salt scrub infused with lemon myrtle or local therapeutic botanicals such as quandong berry, seaweed and bush honey. Each treatment lovingly directed to reconnect you to your own jirr-warra or angels, known in Kuku Yalanji as the sky mob.  

Warmest Renee

Disclaimer: this blog post is intended as a beautiful and thought-provoking article for entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and cannot substitute for medical care.  No representations are made as to the completeness of any information and the author is not liable for any losses, injuries or damages from the use of this information.