Mossman Gorge: Self-Guided Walking Trails In the Rainforest
The walking trails through the Mossman Gorge are among the many that take hikers through the wondrous Daintree Rainforest in northeastern Australia. The Mossman Gorge trails are located just west of the town of Mossman and lead hikers along the Mossman River within the Gorge under the canopy of the oldest rainforest in existence.
These trails are accessible through the Mossman Gorge Centre, an Indigenous eco-tourism development. The Mossman Gorge Centre offers an array of services to help you organize your adventure through the Gorge and provides the option for guided tours.
Combining all the trails yields a hike of just under 3.5 kilometres. It takes hikers through various terrains, including atop a boardwalk, across a suspension bridge, along the river, and through the dense rainforest.
Difficulty:Â Easy
Suggested Duration:Â 2-4 hours
Signage:Â Signs and trail markers throughout
Facilities: Located at the Mossman Gorge Centre: parking, cafe/restaurant, and restrooms
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Mossman Gorge Trails
- Baral Marrjanga (270 m)
- Lower River Track (300 m)
- Rex Creek Bridge (460 m)
- Rainforest Circuit Track (2400 m) *from Rex Creek bridge
Key Features Of The Mossman Gorge Walking Trails
- Located in the Daintree National Park (the oldest rainforest in the world)
- A scenic walking trail in the Mossman Gorge area.
- Passes through lush rainforest, river landscapes, and suspension bridges
- Features the Mossman River and its clear freshwater pools
- Opportunities for birdwatching and wildlife sightings
- Accessible year-round with moderate difficulty
- A chance to experience the unique biodiversity of the Daintree Rainforest
- The trail is managed by the local indigenous community and offers cultural insights
Facilities And Services
- Carpark with 250 car spots and 14 coach spots
- Shuttle bus service from the Centre to the trailhead every 15 minutes between 8:00 AM and 5:30 PM
- Café and Restaurant
- Art gallery
- Retail shop
- Restroom and shower facilities
- Business events
The Mossman Gorge Centre
The Mossman Gorge Centre is an Indigenous eco-tourism development that provides visitors with a genuine, authentic engagement with Indigenous Australia.
There are many services, as mentioned above, offered by the Centre. However, the service pertaining to this article is the self-guided walk through the Mossman Gorge Walking Trails.
The Centre also offers its well-known Ngadiku Dreamtime Walks.
The local Indigenous people conduct the Ngadiku Dreamtime Walks. Ngadiku (Nar-di-gul) means stories and legends from a long time ago in the local Kuku Yalanji language. This tour takes visitors on a guided walk through a series of private tracks. It visits culturally significant sites, past traditional bark shelters, and meandering rainforest streams.
For more information on the Dreamtime Walks, check out the Mossman Gorge Centre’s official website here.
Before You Start Hiking The Mossman Gorge Walking Trails
Before you embark on your hike through the Mossman Gorge, we have a few things we’d like you to know.
As we’ve mentioned, the Mossman Gorge Walking Trails are part of the Mossman Gorge Centre. Therefore, there are trading hours to be aware of. Again, the Centre is open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The Mossman Gorge Centre also issued a warning, stating that safety is your responsibility. Entering the Mossman River can be dangerous and is done at your own risk as the Mossman Gorge is unsupervised and unmonitored. Water conditions can change quickly and unexpectedly due to heavy rain in other areas. The Centre provides daily notice of whether it is safe or not to swim in the river.
Getting to the Mossman Gorge Centre is pretty simple, but getting to the trailhead is not. The Centre has a 250-spot car park, and it is advised that visitors park there and take the shuttle service to the trailhead.
There is no footpath or pedestrian access from the car park to the Gorge. The road leading to the Gorge is narrow and dangerous, and the Centre advises against using it. Rather, they provide a shuttle service every 15 minutes from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for a small fee.
This hike takes place in the Daintree Rainforest, which is home to a wide variety of fauna and flora. Though most species are harmless if left alone, it’s best not to touch or otherwise agitate the plants or animals. Many poisonous species could ruin an otherwise beautiful walk.
It’s also important to note that it is more than likely to be humid and hot because the hike takes place in the Daintree Rainforest above the Tropic of Capricorn. The wet season spans from December to April each year, and the sporadic and heavy downpours can lead to erosion, flooding, and other unsafe conditions.
As for topography, the tracks within the Gorge are relatively flat. As a result, the inclines and declines are practically insignificant, which helps tremendously in the heat of the tropics. And on that note, the heat and humidity play a significant role in any hikes through the Daintree. It is important to bring a lot of water and use the Rainforest canopy to your advantage to avoid overexposure to the hot Australian sun.
To recap, the key points we think you should before hiking through the Mossman Gorge are:
- The walking trails are part of the Mossman Gorge Centre.
- There is a small fee to ride the shuttle from the Centre to the trailhead.
- The Daintree Rainforest is hot and humid, and the weather is unpredictable and can be dangerous during the wet season.
- There are species of plants and animals that are poisonous to humans, so caution is advised.
With those key points reiterated, let’s get into the bulk of the article.
Our Experience Hiking The Mossman Gorge Walking Trails
Our experience of the Mossman Gorge Walking Trails started mid-morning in Cairns City when we picked up the rental car to drive out to Mossman. This was our first time driving in Australia, and driving on the left-hand side of the road (and on the right side of the car) took some getting used to since we are from Canada.
It took just over an hour to arrive at the Mossman Gorge Centre parking lot, where we got out of the car, filled up our water bottles, applied insect repellent and sunscreen, and purchased tickets for the shuttle that would take us to the trailhead.
The walking trail starts with a lovely boardwalk through the rainforest. This provides an excellent warm-up after sitting in a car and is easily accessible for nearly all fitness levels.
Our favourite part of boardwalks is not having to keep an eye on the ground to avoid tripping hazards. It’s easy to take in the surroundings when you know the surface beneath you is flat. So we took our time to check out the flora of the Daintree Rainforest before reaching the backcountry trail.
There are multiple access points from the boardwalk to the Mossman River. Unfortunately, on the day we were hiking through, there was a no-swimming notice. In the heat and humidity of the rainforest, a quick dip would have been nice to cool down, but sweat worked just fine.
There was plenty of fish (Jungle Perch) swimming around in the river, as is pictured below.
The boardwalk ended at a lookout of the Mossman River, and the track turned into a well-groomed dirt path that took us on a short walk to the Rex Creek Suspension Bridge.
The bridge is a bit wobbly when crossing, so be careful when crossing it. As we can see above, there are handrails on either side to keep hikers from falling.
At this point, we were drenched. It is scorching in the Daintree Rainforest during the summer months (even when it’s raining).
Pro tip: apply sunscreen before you get sweaty. It will absorb into your skin much better. We learned this the hard way.
Shortly after crossing the bridge, the terrain got a bit rougher but was still easy to hike through. On our way to the circuit, we passed by another lookout point. This time of Manjal Dimbi (Mount Demi) or the “mountain holding back.”
This was one of the many spots along the walking track that had informative signage to share knowledge.
This Mossman Gorge Centre sign states the following:
“The peak in view is called Manjal Dimbi by the Kuku Yalanji. Roughly translated, the words mean ‘mountain holding back,’ as the large humanoid rock represents Kubirri, who came to the aid of the Kuku Yalanji when they were persecuted by an evil spirit, Wurrumbu. Kubirri holds back the evil spirit, who is now confined to The Bluff above Mossman River. Manjal Dimbi has been anglicized to ‘Mt Demi,’ and Kubirri is known as the ‘Good Shephard’.”
After this look-off (and a few drinks of water), we were off to the circuit!
The circuit track is between 2 km (as shown in the sign above) and 2.4 km (shown on the official Mossman Gorge Centre map).
It is backcountry terrain, but there are not many inclines or declines to worry about. The trail is well-trodden, relatively flat, and wide enough that you won’t be hiking through any dense flora (which we would not recommend).
Although this was easy terrain for us and certainly for experienced hikers, we wouldn’t call it fully accessible. It may be best to end the hike at the suspension bridge or sooner if you have mobility issues. Of course, these are only suggestions.
The rainforest provided a canopy throughout the vast majority of the circuit hike. This shade was welcomed. It was a 37-degree day, and the direct sun would have been nearly overbearing for even a short hike like the Mossman Gorge Walking Trails.
Through the circuit, we saw great biodiversity in the plant species and lots of different insects.
Pro tip: get yourself an insect repellent with 80% DEET to help keep the tropical bugs off you. We’ve been using Bushman’s 80% DEET cream to keep ourselves safe from rainforest insects.
Below are a few pictures of noteworthy trees we passed along the circuit track:
There were also markers at every 100 metres throughout the circuit that let you know how far you had been hiking since the trailhead when travelling clockwise through the circuit.
We snagged a picture at 1400 metres in:
Though not a difficult hike, completing the circuit was surprisingly tough due to the rather intense heat. Once we finished the circuit, it was time to backtrack across the suspension bridge and head back to the car park.
On our way back, we opted to walk along the River Circuit Track rather than the Boardwalk. This kept things interesting and ensured that we would travel along the entirety of the self-guided walking trail system before heading home and writing about the hike here!
This trail was well-groomed and accessible and provided lovely views of the Mossman River along its length.
Once we completed the hike, we waited roughly 5 minutes for the shuttle bus to take us back to the car park before driving to our next location. Note that a single shuttle ticket gets you unlimited rides to and from the Centre and trailhead for the day.
Checklists And Recommended Gear
- Water bottle
- Hiking shoes – Women’s // Men’s
- Camera/Phone
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent (spray or cream with a high percentage of DEET)
- Hiking poles (optional)
- Snacks or lunch
