Crossing the river on the cable ferry is an adventure in itself.

Our ferry operator told the story of one unlucky fellow the week before, who came speeding around the corner, thinking he would make it onto the ferry.

Instead he gave his car a wash it really didn't need, with Daintree River water.

The Daintree Forest awaits you, the oldest rainforest on Earth, almost beckoning you to brave its depths.

I felt a shiver as we drove up the ferry ramp and into the ancient world that is the Daintree, where the forest meets the reef.

Nowhere else on this planet will you find two World Heritage sites existing side by side, both beautiful, both exciting and both equally as wonderful.

The drive to Cape Tribulation is magnificent, with the colour green displayed in more shades than you knew existed - so bright and clear after the dusty, dry landscape of North West Queensland.

The road winds through many bends, but is sealed, which means visitors in two-wheel-drive have no excuse not to visit Cape Tribulation, which should be a 'must see' on everyone's bucket list.

Cape Tribulation is situated 36km North of the Daintree River in the Daintree National Park.

It has a colourful history, known as Kurangee by Aborigines for thousands of years and renamed Cape Tribulation by James Cook as this was the place where his 'tribulations' began.

According to Rob Lapaer, from Rainforest Hideaway, Cook sailed up the east coast in 1770, surveying and drawing up numerous charts, as he only had a fairly basic map from the Dutch explorers that had preceded him by 164 years.

"Things ran fairly smoothly until one night after passing this area and trying to escape the reef, his ship struck it and came to grief ," Mr Lapaer said.

"The Endeavour came very close to sinking, luckily a large chunk of reef had broken off and remained in the hole and actually worked as a plug, this together with a sail covering the hole, the crew pumping like mad and with the dumping of all non vital heavy items like cannons and an anchor, they managed to keep the ship afloat.

"So when Cook looked out on the coast at first daylight he was not in the happiest of moods and named a few features with not the most cheerful of names; the cape he could see was named Cape Tribulation (tribulation means trouble) and the mountain behind it Mount Sorrow."

The reef the ship had struck was named Endeavour Reef and a bay to the north where they rested, while towing the ship up the coast with row boats, was named Weary Bay.

"Finally they found a river to go up and beach the ship so it could be repaired, this one was then named the Endeavour River and that is where Cooktown is located nowadays.

After seven weeks of repairs, some run-ins with Aborigines and discovering the kangaroo, they headed further north around Cape York to Possession Island, where they planted the Union Jack and officially took possession of this country," Mr Lapaer said.

Fast forward some 150 years and the first white settler north of the Daintree River was Andrew Arthur Mason.

He first settled in Cow Bay (then known as Baileys Creek) in 1927 and after a failed farming venture he moved to Cape Tribulation in 1932.

The Masons tried a variety of ventures like fishing, farming of bananas and other crops and cattle grazing and their descendants still live in Cape Tribulation and own the local Cape Tribulation shop and Mason's Tours, which runs guided walks and four-wheel-drive safaris.

In the 1970s Cape Tribulation was discovered by hippies and it became the end of the London-Kathmandu-Cape Tribulation overland trail.

According to Mr Lapaer, in 1981 the rainforests surrounding the privately-owned land were declared Cape Tribulation National Park, under protest from local council and state government who wanted to keep it as a State Forest, to preserve the logging industry.

"Cape Tribulation really became famous when in 1983 the Douglas Shire Council began bulldozing a track north of Cape Tribulation," he said.

"Protesters came from everywhere and tried to stop the road, leading to several arrests by the army of policemen.

"The protests were unsuccessful in stopping the bulldozing of the forest to clear a road but did lead to the nomination and subsequent inclusion of the area on the World Heritage List because of the publicity surrounding the issue."

In 1988 UNESCO declared Cape Tribulation National Park and close to 1 million hectares from near Townsville to Cooktown, a World Heritage Area because of its outstanding value and beauty, once again local and state government protested to no avail.

Nowadays, the roads are sealed and the causeways excellent, making Cape Tribulation, with its mountain and ocean views, a paradise for visitors and residents.

My trip out to Mackay Reef with tour company Ocean Safari was exhilarating, on a 12.5 metre rigid inflatable boat, built to carry 25 passengers.

We had 11 on board, nine visitors, our guide, biologist Bryn Jones and skipper, Mark Tresize, which made the trip a very personal, friendly experience.

Mr Jones was on holiday from England when he arrived at Cape Tribulation on a bus tour two years ago.

He took one look at the area and decided it was where he wanted to be and applied for a job at PK's Jungle Village, which provides accommodation, meals and is also a popular local drinking hole.

He started work that day and has lived at Cape Tribulation since.

His knowledge of the Great Barrier Reef in general and Mackay Reef in particular, was quite impressive and snorkelling instructions were clear and simple, making it easy for the first-timer, including yours truly, to enter the water, albeit a little nervously.

Any thought of nerves disappeared the minute I put my head into the water and looked down, realising a dream I had carried since I was a child.

The Great Barrier Reef was everything I hoped it would be, it was as if I was swimming in an aquarium.

The colours were bright, the water was clear and visibility was at least 100 metres, allowing me to see giant clams, shark, stingray, turtles and a multitude of fish.

Ocean Safari is the only commercial tour company to visit Mackay Reef, ensuring it remains pristine and sparkling.

We left from the beach at 8.30am, arriving at the reef in less than 30 minutes, giving us plenty of time in the crystal clear water of the reef

Cape Tribulation may be a bit of a drive for some at 140 km from Cairns, but the benefits are absolutely worth it.

Ancient trees, unusual plants, exotic bird sounds and the odd crocodile drifting down a river, make this one of the very special places on earth.

The day after my Ocean Safari trip, I travelled north, with Mike D'Arcy, of D'Arcy Daintree 4WD Tours, who operates personalised tours into the forest.

Mr D'Arcy operates a full-day tour to Cooktown, but I opted for the half-day trip to Wujal Wujal falls, which included seeing two crocodiles in the wild, to add to the day's excitement.

Mr D'Arcy and his wife Trish relocated to Cape Tribulation several years ago, intending to spend their time working casually in eco-tourism, learning about the place, the rainforest and its secrets.

They have been there ever since.

"The wet tropics rainforest is special, unique and totally different to anything else in Australia," said Mr D'Arcy.

"It's absolutely safe and easy to get to, the community is wonderful, people care about the rainforest and help each other.

He acknowledges that life is not always easy, living without main grid power has its challenges.

"Health and services are not always around when you need them but the adversity makes the individuals and the community appreciate it more," he said.

"We are in tune with nature, even though we all have to throw out some of the things we believed before.

"Reality takes away the rosy glow, but replaces it with something deeper and more meaningful."

Cape Tribulation may not be as sophisticated as some holiday destinations, but it makes for a refreshing eco-tourism experience.

With beaches within walking distance, plenty to see, great food and a range of accommodation options, it would be easy to get caught up in the magic of the Daintree for a few days, or even a lifetime.

-Pictures:ERIC BUCHINGER