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Published: February 23rd 2008
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22st February 2008
When we got up this morning it had stopped raining, although it had rained most of the night, but this is what you would expect in a rainforest in the wet season. Everything was dripping and sparkling in the morning sun.
We went for breakfast and looked down into Coopers Creek to watch the turtles and Black Spotted Jungle Perch swimming in the creek below us.
Whilst we were having our breakfast Dinah kept rushing off to photograph the Musky Rat Kangeroos (the smallest of the kangaroo family) who were playing in the jungle just beside the restaurant.
After breakfast Dinah disappeared whilst I had a second cup of coffee, I then spotted her wading up Coopers creek in an attempt to get a close up picture of the turtles we had seen from the top of the bank. The turtles were really amusing as they would swim quite close, put their heads up to look at me then swim away quickly with their little feet. Although they have feet not flippers they are turtles not tortoises.
As we checked out of the Heritage Lodge we found a path that took you further up the creek to some
deep pools where you could swim. The water was crystal clear and cool so we both had a swim with the black spotted jungle perch. I wish we could have stayed at the Lodge for bit longer, they have a health spa and beauty treatment centre down the road but although there are jungle tracks and paths it is very remote and there is no power for telly let alone the internet in the Daintree area and Bob is feeling cut off as he has not posted his log for a few days.
After leaving Heritage Lodge we called in to Cow Bay on the way to the Daintree Discovery Centre. This was a beautiful secluded beach with trees down to the beach. There was a creek with mangroves right up to the sea which looked like a good croc home, and there was a notice warning you of just that danger!
Then we went on to the Daintree Discovery Centre which has arial walkways through the rain forest and a canopy tower that is 23 metres high and enables you to look out over the forest canopy. We spent a couple of hours here and used an audio guide
twhich explains all the different plants, trees and animals of the rain forest. It was a very good commentary and I could have stayed much longer but the brain gets information overload so we headed north to Thornton Beach at Cape Tribulation to have a cold beer and a pie. As the sealed road ends a few miles further on, and we cannot take the hire car on unsealed roads ,this is as far north as we are going.
We were going to go back to Mossman but the rain clouds were down over the gorge and two full tourist coaches were heading up there, so we decided to pass on a swim in the Mossman River and head for the Atherton Tablelands and the town of Atherton about 100 km. inland
As we drove inland over the hills and down onto the plains, the countryside changed and the thick rainforest gave way to more open land with spindly trees and huge termite mounds. The soil became a very deep red instead of earthy brown and there were herds of floppy eared Brahmin cows grazing in the pasture land. We called into the tourist information at Atherton and got
a motel with an internet connection so Bob is happy, or he was until we found that I could not upload the blog or access our email. There are a lot of walks and sights to see here so we shall spend the next couple of days here.
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Sue Elias
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Bob at Capte Tribulation
Blimey Bob, have you gone native?