People of the forest

The local people of the forest are just as colorful and elusive as the flora and fauna. Here, north of the river, you have entered the realm of Australia’s largest off grid community. Some 800 permanent residents live a self sufficient lifestyle in the Daintree Rainforest. All of the businesses are off grid too. We produce our own electricity, gather all of our water and manage our waste without any of the services common in a distant city or the towns just across the river. It takes a lot of effort and resourcefulness to provide these services to our visitors. Be mindful of your consumption.

You will meet the locals working on the ferry, in the cafes and ice cream shops, the service station and the campgrounds and accommodations. Your knowledgeable tour guides call the rainforest home. We often share our understanding of the local animals and plants, the weather and the history of our precious region. Come closing time, we disappear down the side tracks to tend to our solar panels, our batteries and generators, our water bores and pumps. We have orchards and gardens and pets. We have hobbies like hunting wild pigs and playing music with friends.We live in tropical homes, some without walls, some with deep shady verandahs, some just simple camps in the bush. It may sound impossible to visitors but many of us live a fulfilling home life without mobile phone coverage or internet or even television.