MAKE A NOTE

WTwenty minutes north of Port Douglas, amid fields of sugarcane rustling in the breeze against a backdrop of cloud-shrouded blue mountains, is a farm offering tours explaining its sugar, cocoa and eucalyptus-growing operations. The tours at the Mossman property, Whyanbeel Valley Estate, are led by fourth-generation farmer Gerard Puglisi, whose great-great-grandparents came from Sicily to cut cane in 1924. Visitors on the property’s 90-minute Sweet Farm Tour can taste sugarcane juice and molasses, handle cocoa pods, beans and nibs, and see how vanilla is grown. The gift shop has a range of related products, including a large selection of Daintree Estates Chocolate blocks. sweetfarmtours.com

WFurther north, across the Daintree River amid the world-heritage rainforest at the turn-off to Cow Bay Beach, is Floravilla, an ice-cream factory and store run by Betty Hinton. The long-time resident and former restaurateur turned to making icecream 12 years ago. Hinton uses milk from Mungalli Creek Biodynamic Dairy near Millaa Millaa on the Atherton Tableland, in combination with vanilla and tropical fruits, some grown up the road in the Daintree. She offers a selection of more than 40 possible flavours, which change daily and could include black sapote (or chocolate pudding fruit), coconut, dragonfruit, ginger, mango, passionfruit, sweet potato and ginger, and even jackfruit and durian. floravillaartgallery.com.au