The Lion's Den

I had been wanting to visit the infamous Lion's Den since my sister visited there in the summer of 1990. It was just one of those places people talked about. The Lion's Den? I hear you ask. It is a well-known watering hole (ie. pub!) which dates back to 1875 (another history lesson here!)

It is off the sealed road to Cooktown, but is situated on the non-sealed coastal route up to Cooktown, which runs through the Daintree and Cedar Bay National Parks.

The three of us actually really loved the Lion's Den. We didn't want to leave. We figure we might one day, even ditch 5-star resort style accommodation for a night spent here. (They have basic cabins, campsites available!) It was really nice, with a safe playground (which someone didn't want to leave), loads of freshly cut lawns to run around on, roaming pet dogs, a few chooks pecking around the whole place and overall it had this lovely warmth to the place. Here's the website, so have a little look.

And considering we had travelled out of our way (a whole 4 kilometers off the main road) and we had been wanting to visit The Lions Den, Lyndon and I had to have a beer each. Had to. It was an Aussie thing to do. At 10:30 in the morning. And let me tell you, it went down an absolute treat. No wonder we wanted to stay.

Monet enjoyed seeing the Lion which greeted us under the outside sign. She thought it was funny and did her best to imitate the Lion for her parents...

(Cute ain't she?)

Inside the pub was amazing. It was full of memorabilia, graffiti, hats, stickers, flags - you name it. And a great array of bottled/canned beer on offer (no 'taps' in this neck of the woods.)

If you are ever up this end of Australia, a visit to The Lion's Den Hotel is an absolute must. I can't wait to revisit some point down life's busy highway...