The Daintree River was discovered by Europeans in 1873 when Scottish geologist and explorer George Elphinstone Dalrymple named the river and the first settlement, Daintree Village, after Queensland’s Agent-General in London, Richard Daintree.
Historically Daintree was first settled in the late 1870s and early 1880s by timber cutters who were searching for cedar trees in the rainforest. At the time there were large stands of red cedar near the river and the loggers moved the felled timber down the river by constructing rafts from the logs and some of their original tools may be viewed in the Daintree Timber Gallery. Daintree Village is an hour and a half’s scenic drive North of Cairns and just 35 minutes form Port Douglas.
For over 25 years, the Timber Gallery has sought out only the most unique species of wood to create their world famous vases, bowls and other natural works of art.