Daintree Rainforest

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Friday I arrived in Cairns. Unfortunately the weather was not very nice. It was raining when we landed and it continued to rain off and on the entire day. I did a few errands but mostly relaxed for the rest of the day. Saturday I went to Kuranda, a small town outside of Cairns. I mainly did this because other than drink and book adventure tours there’s not much to do in Cairns. This time of year marine stingers (a.k.a. jellyfish) are present so swimming in the ocean is not possible. It continued to rain off and on throughout the day Saturday. There’s not much to do about it except deal with it.

In Kuranda there is access to the Daintree Rainforest. This is the oldest rain forest in the world. I tried to go on a walk to a popular waterfall, Barron Falls, which was guaranteed to be flowing like crazy but the path there was inaccessible. A creek was so engorged that it was flowing over the path like a river. Kuranda is a small hippy town that is known for its markets. There are many artists that live in and around Kuranda so many of the goods for sale are handmade by local people. It was a chance to see rare gifts and products that are not found in most stores in the cities.

But after a few hours of browsing the shops I was getting bored with that. Then it occurred to me that I could just walk on the road to the waterfall. It really wouldn’t be much farther than taking the trail. I don’t know why I hadn’t realized that earlier. It seemed so obvious. So I headed out on the 3 km (about 1.8 miles) trek. And wouldn’t you know it started raining again as soon as I started. I didn’t care though; I wasn’t going to let the rain stop me. A few times I tried to get a ride with some people heading out there. I thought someone would feel bad for me walking alone in the pouring rain, but no one did. So I made it in about 45 minutes on my own.

I enjoyed a nice, but very wet, walk through the canopy of the rainforest and enjoyed a view of the falls. There was even a brief pause in the rain so that I could get a few pictures in. I had to hurry back to catch my bus back to town so I headed back on my trek in the rain. This time an older couple did feel bad for me and picked me up and took me back to town. I was soaked despite wearing a poncho. Even if I would have had to walk back all the way in the rain it still would have been worth it.

Once I got back to Cairns I felt like there wasn’t much to do; it was still raining off and on. So I just hung out and planned some more of my trip. Later my roommates convinced me to go out to a bar called the “Woolshed”. What an experience. Although there are lots of travelers in Cairns this bar had a mixture of travelers and Australians. People there drank hard and fast; I’m sure I got more alcohol spilled on me than I drank. I didn’t stay out too late though because for Sunday I booked a trip up to Cape Tribulation that was to leave at 7:30.

On Sunday the tour left Cairns by about 8:30 or so, once we picked everyone up from their accommodations. We enjoyed a drive up the coast and through the rainforest. We stopped for a Croc spotting adventure on the Daintree River. We actually saw one! It was quite small, probably only about a foot and a half long, but it was still cool that we saw one in its natural habitat. Then we had a quick guided tour through the rainforest where we learned some traditional uses of the plants of the forests. We saw Cycads; a true relic from the past. It is one of the most primitive plants on the planet. The sperm actually has to swim down to the egg! We also saw Boyd’s Dragon, a perfectly camouflaged lizard that hangs out on trees.

After that we were delivered to our accommodations. The hostel I chose is more like a resort than a typical hostel. Of course the remote and quiet setting helps that feel. There is a nice pool and lounging area outside and forest surrounding the grounds. It is only a few minute walk to anything else in the town. There isn’t much here in Cape Tribulation; a few accommodations, two markets that have some overpriced groceries and a few restaurants.
Sunday I enjoyed a nice walk along Myall Beach with some roommates from England. The rainforest literally goes right up to the water’s edge. The wet edges on the forest are dominated by mangroves and other water loving plants. After the walk on the beach, which you can’t swim at, we were hot and sort of weary so we came back to relax in the pool.

Today I went to a lookout on Cape Tribulation. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to see south of the cape, which is a little more stunning. The weather was clear and sunny this morning so I hardly cared anyway. I was trying to go on a hike but the track was a pretty big mess with fallen trees and loads of debris so I couldn’t even start the hike. That is pretty common for this time of year. All the rain and wind makes a pretty big wreck of the forest, even though it is part of the natural cycle here in the rain forest. Since my walk was not happening I went on the self-guided boardwalk in town. It was pretty neat but really buggy since it wound through the mangrove swamps. I had lunch on the beach and watched the crabs dig their holes in the sand. Even though I had only been out for a few hours I was hot and weary. It’s so warm and humid here that it just seems to make you lethargic. So I came back and just dozed by the pool. Late afternoon we set out to find a local swimming pool in the river. We were a little anxious because of all the warnings about crocs but we were assured that it was safe to swim in the river. I think it’s not salty enough for the saltwater crocodiles, but that’s just a guess. It was a fun thing to walk through the bush and then cool off in the river, but the water was quite cool so we didn’t’ stay all that long.

I had a nice relaxing time in Cape Tribulation so I was determined to see a sunrise before I left. It meant getting up super early but it was worth it! Two of my roommates even went so that was fun. We headed out a little earlier than we needed to but at least we were assured that we would get to see the whole thing. We had to go on a short walk through the bush to get to the beach. It was kind of scary since it was still pitch dark, besides the light of the moon. And of course I was the only one who brought a “torch”.

So anyway we got to see the nearly full moon and the stars over the beach before the sun came out. The trees on the coast and the ocean had a silvery glow from the moonlight. Slowly the sun started creeping up at about 5:45. It was really fun to watch the dark sky and shadows of the night slowly give way to dark blue, to lighter shades of blue. Eventually the sky turned every shade imaginable of orange, yellow, red, pink and purple. Eventually the sun was fully up reflecting off the gently lapping ocean and casting a warm yellow glow on the trees.

The rest of the morning I spent relaxing before heading back to Cairns. On the way back we stopped at Mossman Gorge and had a nice walk through the rainforest to a nice swimming hole on the river. Unfortunately we only got to spend about 45 minutes there. Then we stopped at Cape Douglas for about 40 minutes. Not much time to do anything besides buy some groceries. The tour was nice and well organized but I feel that tours don’t have enough flexibility for me.

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Photos

Barron Falls
I caught a brief glimpse of Barron Falls between the rain drops. The hike in the rain was worth it. The picture does not do justice to the height or width of the falls.

Cape Tribulation
Late morning at Cape Tribulation.

Boyd's forest dragon
This creature is a master of camouflage, hiding perfectly just a few feet from the trail.

Ancient Cycad
These trees have existed for hundreds of millions of years; true relics from the past.

Palm Leaf
The palm leaves in the rainforest overlap and create patterns consisting of various shades of green when viewed from below.

Croc!
At the right hand end of the larger log there is a small saltwater crocodile basking in the sun.

Look at those prop roots!
Prop roots help trees maintain their balance in saturated areas.

Busy excavating!
By late morning these crabs are busy excavating their holes on the beach. It's quite entertaining to see them dig sand from their hole and run a few inches away and throw the sand.

Struggle to Reach the Sun
In the rainforest it is a race to the sun. There are many epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants) and vines trying to make their way up to the sun. The host trees do not usually die bu can become deformed and twisted from the epiphyte.

Moonlit Landscape
Palm trees on the beach in the moonlight just before sunrise.

First Glimpse
First glimpse of sunrise on Myall Beach.

Sunrise Progression
A more vibrant, colorful minute during the sunrise.

The Sun is Up!
Finally! The sun has risen above the Pacific Ocean.

Cape Tribulation After Sunrise
Myall Beach and Cape Tribulation just after sunrise.

Soaking up the Sunrise
Me reflecting on and soaking up the beautiful sunrise I was lucky enough to witness.