Imagine trekking along a shaded and overgrown jungle path, heading for a beautiful swimming hole to cool off in the midday sun, when through the trees you spot the vivid turquoise and scarlet markings of a cassowary.

That’s exactly what happened to us earlier this month – we crouched low to watch him scan the forest floor for a few minutes, almost holding our breath to will him to stay, before our colourful visitor casually strolled off again. We’ve only had a handful of cassowary encounters up here, so to see one from a few metres away was really special.

We’ve been lucky enough to sit out the coronavirus lockdown in our peaceful corner of the Daintree and we really want to encourage others to make the most of this incredible part of the world. Where else will you find the most stunning white sand beaches, without another soul in sight? We’ve also got incredibly diverse rainforest – and the Great Barrier Reef on our doorstep too.

It’s been a privilege to be part of this place – and we’re really happy that we’ll be able to share it with others again from 12 June.

So many of us have distant destinations on our bucket list that those closer to home tend to get a little forgotten. That’s why 2020 is the ideal time to discover the Daintree. One of those places we often promise ourselves we’ll visit but don’t find the time…

It’s time to make some memories outside our own homes and help support home-grown businesses too.

And our exotic fruit orchard has come up trumps again and again – this week we’ve been picking chocolate pudding fruit, soursop and pomelo, all ready to eat right now. If you come and stay, you’re welcome to stroll around our 800 trees and enjoy all the rare fruits that are in season.

Last-minute slots are available here - you can also book for some winter sun later in the year.