Exploring the ancient rainforests of Far North Queensland

STORY & PHOTOS BY DAN GREC

Making the decision to ford a large river is never easy. When pushing the limits, I always slow down and try to use my brain, so I don’t become an internet meme, stranded on the roof of my rapidly sinking Jeep. Before charging in, I assess not only the depth but also the flow rate of the river and what the riverbed might be like. A crossing with a firm gravel bottom is an entirely different challenge than one with bottomless mud. Any large boulders or deep holes are also nice to know about in the hopes I can avoid driving directly into them.

The most straightforward way to be certain about all of this is simply to walk across the river before driving in. If this was any ordinary river, that’s exactly what I would do. While standing a respectable distance from the actual water, I’m very aware this is absolutely not any ordinary river.

We’re in Far North Queensland in Australia, standing on the banks of the mighty Daintree River, which is infested with ‘Salties’, the local name for man-eating saltwater crocodiles that commonly grow over fifteen feet in length.

“THE CREB TRACK HAS BEEN A STUNNING INTRODUCTION TO 4X4 EXPLORATION IN FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND, AND TEAMING UP WITH A CONVOY OF GREAT PEOPLE MADE FOR A LOT OF LAUGHS AND GOOD TIMES.”

While I can’t see any from where I’m standing, I feel certain they are lurking just under the waterline to make a meal of us.

Not only do we have to successfully cross this river, but it would also be nice not to get eaten by crocs while doing it.

The CREB Track

Created as the service access track for the old Cairns Regional Electricity Board (CREB), the track mostly follows ancient Aboriginal foot trails through dense rainforest. As well as providing spectacular scenery, the CREB is notorious for being one of Australia’s most challenging four-wheel-drive adventures. With rain, the track becomes extremely slippery and dangerous, and in recent months multiple vehicles have rolled on the slick clay and were left in the thick jungle for days. During that incident, even a Unimog sent to help was no match for the steep climbs and quickly became another victim.