I bought a beautiful big hammock in the Amazon while on an expedition and there were times when we had 20 – 30 people on the boat so making sure you had very comfortable hammock and prime position in ‘hammockville’ was a priority. The alternative was that you ended up having to hammock in the bow of the boat which wasn’t ideal. Hammocks are a great way to stay off the ground when you’re in the rainforest, stay dry and keep away from the creepy crawlies. When I got back to Cairns I had an abundance of beautiful places to hang my hammock. I thought I’d share some of my favorite hammocking spots around Cairns and some tips to make hammocking a bit easier for you.
The Northern Beaches
There are so many palm trees along the northern beaches you can pretty much pull up at a beach, walk a few meters and you’ll find good trees to put your hammock up between. Another bonus is that the sun comes up over the water so if you’re a morning person you can watch the sunrise from your hammock while you have a coffee. Palm Cove, Trinity Beach and Yorkey’s Knob are my personal favorites but choose a beach and odds are you can find trees that will do the trick.
Port Douglas
Like the Northern Beaches Port Douglas has an abundance of trees that are ideal for hammocking. I would highly recommend stopping at any beach on the coastal drive to Port and finding a good spot. My personal favorites would be Oak Beach, Wangetti and anywhere down the southern end of 4 mile beach. Thala Beach Lodge has some beautiful hammocks down on the beach and it is an amazing place to stay. There is something quite special about finding a beach with no one on it and hearing the waves crash as you look up to the blue sky through the palm trees. Just before Port Douglas you can walk up to Spring Creek falls (2 – 3 hour return walk) and on the way up there are a lot of beautiful spots to hammock beside or over the water.
Rainforest and waterfalls
If palm trees and beaches aren’t your thing then there is no shortage of rainforest and waterfalls you can visit with an endless amount of trees that you can hammock between. Personally I love the sound of the water flowing nearby; to the point where for a bit of a rush I strung my hammock up above a waterfall (I was very careful and conscious of the safety issues) and then jumped out of it into the water but I have also relaxed in it near waterfalls as well. A couple of my favorite spots are Behanna Gorge and Fairy Falls but with so much rainforest around there’s a big chance you’ll find good trees near any of the amazing waterfalls.
Tropical islands on the Great Barrier Reef
Fitzroy Island and Green Island off Cairns are the closest Islands that have public access via boat and both have trees everywhere you can string up a hammock. The Frankland Island group would also be an amazing set of Islands to hammock on but I haven’t had the chance to hammock out there yet. Unfortunately I don’t have any photos from when I had the hammock on Fitzroy but that just means it’s time I took it out there again!
Update: The hammock made it to Fitzroy Island! we went over there for an instameet organised by Raging Thunder and TTNQ and it was an amazing day for it! We even made a video of the day which you can see below.
Extreme Hammocking
This is certainly not the relaxing form of hammocking most people think of but it can be a lot of fun if it’s done safely and once you are in the hammock and safe it is an amazing feeling and can be quite relaxing. Recently I managed to get a hammock above Fairy Falls near Cairns and then jumped out of it. It took quite a lot of time to prepare but was worth it in the end to be in the hammock so high above a beautiful waterfall. I’ve had it high in trees and other places but so far the fairy falls hammocking was the highest I’ve taken it.
Hammocking Tips
- Use rock climbing slings instead of normal rope. They hold a lot of weight, come in a lot of different sizes and make it a lot easier to attach the hammock to trees. I get a few different lengths and join them together.
- Have a spare sling or two with you. You never know when the perfect spot will appear and you’d hate to not have enough length for it.
- Use rock climbing quick draws that are used for lead climbing. They have a carabiner at each end and make it as easy as clipping onto the hammock and the slings.
- Always check if there are coconuts in the trees first. Falling coconuts kill more people each year than shark attacks and attaching a hammock to a palm tree can be enough to make one fall. I nearly found that out the hard way in the Carribean when a coconut fell right beside me.
- Don’t hang it too high off the ground. That way if it does break, rip or give way you don’t have far to fall.
- If you see a crocodile sign don’t hammock near the water.
- I find that a guitar or musical instrument goes really well with a hammock!
Here’s a little link to some other safe hammocking tips!
Happy hammocking!
