Skip that morning coffee. At Silky Oaks Lodge, there is a much better way to kickstart your day.
Just take the short walk from your room down to the river that runs through the property and plunge in. These crystal-clear waters are refreshingly cold – which is completely unexpected, given the tropical rainforest that surrounds them. And yes, they are also croc-free. There aren’t many places you can safely swim in the fresh waters of Far North Queensland: how appropriate that the area’s most luxurious lodging is among them.
At Silky Oaks Lodge, the most thrilling luxuries are the natural ones. Beyond the energising experience of cooling off in the river, it’s the joy of seeing a neon-blue Ulysses butterfly drift pass, of listening to the insect chorus humming a soundtrack as you sway in your hammock, of watching a brush turkey dart in front of you as you follow the path back to your room.
Sitting on 32 hectares adjoining the World Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest, 75 minutes’ drive north of Cairns, Silky Oaks has undergone what the French refer to as “un petit lifting” since joining the Baillie Lodges portfolio, which includes pace-setting lodges such as Longitude 131 near Uluru and Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island. Like all good lifts, this one is subtle. The most noticeable change is the addition of the deluxe Daintree Pavilion, a 300-square-metre haven with two separate sleeping pavilions, an infinity pool and plenty of indoor and outdoor spaces designed for relaxation.
Despite the tweaks, the lodge’s central mission remains the same: to immerse its guests in the rainforest. Each of the 40 villas is surrounded by lush vegetation; at the main lodge overlooking the river, the high ceilings and lack of external walls invite the outside in no matter whether you are eating, drinking or simply lounging.
Even the meals offer a window onto the surrounding landscape, with chef Mark Godbeer showcasing local ingredients, including those grown in the expansive kitchen garden. (Take a wander through to discover everything from edible ferns to betel leaves growing in profusion.)
At cocktail hour complimentary canapes, such as snapper ceviche and cauliflower pakora with finger lime, whet your appetite for dinner and taste even better when accompanied with Silky Oaks’ take on a Moscow Mule, the Mossman Kick: a blend of local Iridium Rum, lime and ginger.
Dinner is a masterclass in tropical flavours. You might start with a plum-glazed kangaroo loin with forest mushroom and macadamia, or a salmon tartar with pickled ginger, yuzu aioli and a nori charcoal cracker. Follow that with the duck yellow curry, served with coconut rice and zinging with pineapple and lime, and finish with a rich dark-chocolate mousse or perhaps a scoop of kumquat ice-cream.
With so much joy on offer within the lodge – and we haven’t even mentioned the spa yet, the complimentary morning yoga, or the bikes for those who are feeling active – it is easy to fill a day relaxing, whether you are stretched out in the hammock on your deck or in your al fresco bathtub. However, with not one but two World Heritage-listed natural wonders within easy reach, it pays to do some exploring.
We head out on a tour with the indigenous-owned Walkabout Adventures one morning to learn more about the local Kuku-Yalanji people and how they lived on these lands. The highlight is a stroll through the Daintree, the world’s oldest forest. Its biodiversity is astonishing, comprising not just some of the world’s oldest plants but also a number of animals found nowhere else in the world, from rare butterflies (no fewer than 230 species make their home in this area) to the fearsome southern cassowary, the second-heaviest bird in the world.
Seen through Kuku-Yalanji eyes, however, this profusion of life becomes a supermarket, a place where you can find everything from soap (mash up sarsaparilla leaves with water to work up a lather) to fishhooks (from the sharp barbs of the Wait A While palm).
Not many people realise how easy it is to have a Great Barrier Reef experience from here: a half-day trip to the Low Isles will have you snorkelling amid colourful corals and vivid marine life. Or you can spend some more time in the clear waters of the Mossman River with a river-drift adventure with Back Country Bliss.
Clad in wetsuits (I wasn’t kidding about the water being cold) we alternately snorkel down the river, surprised by the abundance of fish life in these shallow waters, and drift on Lilo-like floats, gazing at the verdant canopy above us. With a soundtrack of flowing water and insect calls, there are few better ways to unwind.
Take me there
Fly: One-way flights to Cairns on Qantas start at $238 from Sydney, $289 from Melbourne and $297 from Canberra.
Stay: Rates at Silky Oaks Lodge include breakfast, dinner with matched wines, canapes and cocktails, morning yoga, and one return scheduled shuttle to Port Douglas per day. Rates start from $495 per person per night twin-share for a Rainforest Retreat, up to $2650 per person per night for the Daintree Pavilion. A minimum two-night stay applies.
Explore more: silkyoakslodge.com.au
