Army Duck Boat Tour

A unique way to experience the Queensland tropical rainforest is on a duck boat tour at RainForeStation. This World War II amphibious vehicle takes you along dirt roads and through silky water.

Army Duck RainForeStation Tour

Twelve of these historical amphibious vehicles are at RainForeStation. With their 6-wheel drive, propellers, and a rudder, these workhorses move 30 passengers along in a rainforest journey. We were given a guide pamphlet to help us identify plants and wildlife on our tour, but our actual tour guide was great at pointing them all out along the way.

rainforestation duck tour begins — Boarding the World War II amphibious vehicle for our duck boat tour. Rows sat four comfortably.

We were excited for this 45-minute tour of the rainforest, not knowing what exactly to expect. First, we learned about the history of the vehicles in World War II.

rainforestation duck boat guide road — Driving down muddy and curvy rainforest roads during the duck boat tour at Rainforestation.

Our well-versed guide taught us about the abundant plant life and animals local to the area. We saw birds, butterflies, turtles, and water dragons.

rainforestation duck boat guide water — Our guide pointing out different plants while the amphibious vehicle shifts into cruising Streets Creek.

army duck boat rainforestation — The duck boat’s wheels stay engaged while in the water to help climb over submerged obstacles.

The lake reflected the surrounding trees, and there was a surprising amount of Ulysses butterflies fluttering above.

rainforestation duck boat view water — The beautiful lake at Rainforestation.

Rainforest Flora and Fauna

With such a lush and dense canopy, only 15% of the sunlight will reach the rainforest floor.

rainforestation duck boat elkhorn — A magnificent elkhorn fern growing near the side of the road.

rainforestation duck boat wood — The Black Wattle tree is used for making didgeridoos.

rainforestation duck boat basket fern — Ginormous basket fern growing in the tree top.

Animals and insects will live inside these basket fern where it is warm and humid. Some of them can weigh over a ton. That additional weight can cause large branches to snap off and come crashing down to the forest floor.

rainforestation duck boat stinging tree — The stinging tree contains neurotoxin that stings the skin. The sharp sensation can last up to six months.

duck boat water dragon pandanus — Water dragon resting in the water next to a pandanus plant.

rainforestation duck boat trees — Giant tree ferns decorated the rainforest with their lacey branches.

rainforestation duck boat termite trail — This dark vein is a termites nest trail.

Taking the Army Duck tour is an adventurous way to learn more about Australia’s tropical rainforest. Our boys appreciated the ruggedness of the vehicle, and we all enjoyed relaxing and soaking in as much as we could.

Tips:

Purchase tickets online. We recommend getting the “big nature package” which includes a Pamagirri experience and the koala and wildlife park.
Bring a high quality camera that also records videos.
Look for pythons in the trees and eels in the water.