Residents and visitors north of the Daintree River are effectively cut off after the Daintree River Ferry broke free from its moorings during intense flooding. Cape Tribulation operator Ocean Safari has stepped in to help move people across the river by boat.

Heavy rainfall between March 5 and 6 associated with Tropical Low 29U caused the Daintree River to surge, leaving the ferry suspended by a single cable and forcing authorities to halt operations. 

Douglas Shire Council says the northern landing area must be stabilised before any temporary passenger ferry can operate.

With the only road link cut, Ocean Safari has been running emergency transfers from Cape Tribulation Beach to Port Douglas, helping visitors continue their journeys and residents return home.

Newsport spoke with Clem from Ocean Safari, who said the past few days had been intense for the team.

They had already been preparing for bad weather before the ferry incident occurred. 

The vessel had only just returned from a scheduled service at the company’s workshop in Airlie Beach.

“We looked at the weather and said if that system hit, we wanted the boat here to help out if needed, like we did during Cyclone Jasper,” Clem said.

“We rushed to get it back up here just in case.”

Since the ferry stopped operating, Ocean Safari has run three transfer trips; on Saturday, Sunday and again this morning, with the final transfer for now arriving at the public jetty in Port Douglas.

The initial priority was helping visitors who needed to leave the area.

“At the start the emergency was really to evacuate tourists, anyone who had flights to catch or needed to continue their holiday plans,” Clem explained.

“It’s been stressful for the tourists, obviously, because they’ve had to leave their cars in the Daintree with a lot of uncertainty.”

The transfers have also helped residents and essential workers return to the northern side of the river.

“We took a police officer and an ambo back up, along with a couple of locals who needed to get home,” Clem said.

Despite the disruption, Clem said the response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive.

“This is the second time we’ve been through a natural disaster where Ocean Safari has been accommodating the service,” she said.

“We want to help the community and make sure people leave with a good impression of the Daintree, not a negative image of the region.”

She said the situation highlights the important role the vessel can play for communities north of the river.