The Daintree River was discovered in 1873. Attempts to develop the region began relatively late. Loggers were the first arrivals. They cut cedar trees and floated them down to the sea. By the early Twentieth Century, farmers had acquired title to some tracts and cleared land for pasture and cropping.

In 1983, a track was bulldozed from Cape Tribulation to the Bloomfield River. Public outrage sparked by destruction of the rainforest ultimately led to UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1988. Since then there have been buybacks of many freeholds, and severe restrictions placed on land use and development.

The region is home to somewhere between six and nine hundred residents. Some operate hostelries, others work as wilderness guides. A few engage in agriculture, although the growers don’t appear to be particularly prosperous.

A few cattle ranching operations cling to existence, although I doubt there are even a thousand head remaining in the area. Pineapple and banana growers enjoyed little success, probably because of poor transportation links to markets. A new generation of producers grow exotic fruits: guavas, rambutans, custard apples. One farm offers visitors a tour and fruit tasting for $20 AUD per head. Agriculture repackaged as tourism.

Another operator grows tea. Hard to imagine competing with Indian tea growers. Boutique tea, maybe?

Everyone drives four wheel drive vehicles. These look worn out, but they’re still in service. Not weekenders’ toys by any means. Hard daily use leaves them battered; constant maintenance keeps them running. Function, not appearance, is paramount.

Here’s one source of employment for Daintree inhabitants: Four-wheel-drive luxury buses have just begun to carry tourists up the Bloomfield track to Cooktown, the northernmost real town on the Cape York Peninsula. This dirt road was once the province of rusty bush trucks piloted by hairy, corcodile-wrestling men. Today tour operators have discovered how to penetrate the bush in air-conditioned comfort.

I suspect a requirement for residency in the Daintree is committing to memory the official ferry charge table. Visitors need several minutes to absorb the payment schedule posted at the river bank, causing backups.

A bureaucrat in Cairns came up with the system. Why he made it so complex is anyone’s guess. Maybe he wanted his boss to think he’d put some effort into it.

Ninety-five percent of ferry users drive passenger cars. Fare: $10.50 one way, $19.00 round trip. But that’s not easy to make out. I had to read through details about the fare for buses with 16 to 20 seats, or for those with 21 to 25 seats, before encountering the entry for a simple car fare.

I’m particularly intrigued by the fee for “rigid trucks over five meters carrying primary produce” ($3.50) vs. “rigid trucks over five meters not carrying primary produce” ($7.00). Drive anything other than an ordinary car, and you need an accountant to interpret your fare.

This kind of thing seems to crop up in countries that remained part of the British Empire into the Twentieth Century. Administration of the Empire stimulated development of supremely obfuscatory bureaucracy. In India it continues unabated. The bureaucracy in Australia is tamer but you can still trip over it in unexpected places.

Daintree society is limited by low population and poor transportation. Culture is non-existent. Entertainment consists of a night at the local pub. There’s only one gas station. Selection in the food market is thin and what’s available is expensive. Employment opportunities are few.

The Daintree is a magnificent place for visitors to experience exotic fauna and flora. But as a way of life?