As part of the Daintree River Gateway Master Plan, the official opening on 3rd July of the Daintree Gateway is set to create a WOW factor for tourists.

The Douglas Shire Council has worked alongside the Kuku Yalanji elders and artists to create a brilliant native tropical garden and welcome sign at the highway turnoff, a new interpretive centre in the boat ramp car park and some brand new artwork for the ferry completed by indigenous artists Lenice Schonenberger, Loretta Pierce and Ronald Bamboo.

Daintree Gateway WOW Factor
Tourists wonít miss the Daintree Gateway with new welcome signage, new indigenous artwork on the ferry, a new interpretive centre, native tropical gardens and amenities block now greeting them as they enter the World Heritage-listed rainforest.

Douglas Shire Council Mayor Julia Leu today officially opened the $287,000 Daintree Gateway improvements alongside the Kuku Yalanji elders and artists, local businesses and Council staff who collaboratively made it happen.

A brilliant native tropical garden and welcome sign in Kuku Yalanji language now introduces visitors to the Daintree Rainforest at the highway turn-off, with the drive to the ferry also encompassing several new feature gardens.

The new interpretive centre in the boat ramp car park details the history, people, plants and animals of the Daintree while the ferry has been dipped in a kaleidoscope of colour detailing the landscape and rainforest animals which mean so much to Kuku Yalanji peoples by indigenous artists Lenice Schonenberger, Loretta Pierce and Ronald Bamboo.

Mayor Leu said the official opening of the Daintree Gateway Stage 1 was a community celebration as much as a significant contribution to the economic development of the Douglas Shire.

"This has been a fantastic collaboration between Council, Kuku Yalanji elders and artists, local businesses, community and tourism organisations and the Queensland Government which jointly funded the project" Mayor Leu said.

"The Daintree is extremely valuable from an economic, cultural and environmental perspective and through this close collaboration we have been able to achieve something that is not just visually spectacular, it actually means something, and I'm sure visitors to the region will appreciate that."

"I challenge anyone to find all of the animals featured in the new Daintree Ferry artwork in the one crossing or read all of the information at the interpretive centre without learning something, no matter how long you may have lived here."

"The quality of craftsmanship with the signage and the effort taken to create the native tropical gardens can only be done by people who love where they live and want to contribute something of beauty and significance to their community."

The next stage of the Daintree Gateway in the next 12 months will include designs for sealing the boat ramp car park, traffic flow improvements and investigating the establishment of toilets on the northern side of the Daintree River.

The Daintree Gateway contains four precincts where works are to occur: