Daintree Cascades, The Cottage

A self-contained cottage for two tucked into the World Heritage forest at Diwan, with private access to a spring-fed creek that runs crystal clear past the door and, because it is well above the tidal reach, is safe to swim in. The host has been here eleven years and the cottage carries a perfect five-star rating across forty reviews. It is built and furnished with more style than most Daintree stays, with a king bed and a full-size fridge-freezer for self-catering, and it sits centrally between the river ferry and Cape Tribulation, with Thorntons Beach three minutes down the road and the boardwalks of the national park all around. The soundtrack is the creek and the birds. This is the couple's pick for the Daintree.