JUNGLE DRUM: Thirty years of success

For me at least 1995 was a pivotal moment in time. It was the year we "got real" and the wonderful situation we are in today is the well-deserved result.

As a tour operator, my first memory that something had changed was when the moratorium on permits to the Daintree National Park was lifted only two years after being instated, with opportunities for local and new operators enshrined in law. The subsequent changes in visitor expectations were thus easy to pivot to, and adding Indigenous operators as they came online was seamless.

I was also genuinely shocked when all levels of government came together early, and advised Daintree residents that only a renewable grid was acceptable, paving the way for what we today call a microgrid. It's easy to imagine, given the lethargy elsewhere in Australia that we could still be waiting, but the grid works so well these days that I don't know anyone with a backup generator. The underground lines survived even the 2023 disaster!

The availability of renewable energy at normal Queensland tariff-equalised pricing kept the bigger more luxurious resorts open and maintained, and this is now the backbone of Daintree marketing, meaning there is a wide range of tour options and smaller venues.

An example of Douglas Shire Council efficiency can be found looking at the Daintree Ferry. Council diligently followed the recommendations of their own research, and the "two ferry solution" has been a winner. It was comforting to know that as the 2023 floods developed, one ferry was safe and sound elsewhere. Even in peak season, waits are minimal, and we locals can travel freely even in those peaks. Noah Creek, quickest bridge build in Queensland for years! Several awards won by DSC.

Another example of competence was the speed at which the State Government moved on the crocodile issue. Recognising early that wholesale slaughter was not the modern way to go, the commissioning of design and manufacture of Croc Barriers in both rivers and ocean was a master stroke, later emulated by New Caledonia in response to shark attacks. We now have a solution for swimmers and wildlife that is the envy of the world, and have reaped the rewards of being first.

It's hard to imagine a better example of forward planning than the transition from cane to alternatives. The "Agricultural Futures Plan", developed early by a committee of State and Local Government, achieved a clear 10-year plan, and it seems that this has reduced much of the stress on farmers. Not only that but combining a Sugar History Centre with the Mossman Botanic Gardens and achieving joint funding was a masterstroke.