The Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation

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It still amazes me how many contrasting types of scenery there are in Australia. Getting off the plane in Cairns, well in the tropics, it felt weird to even be in the same country. Everything is so green and lush and there are big hills everywhere. The humidity is almost unbearable and you sweat even when you're not doing anything, although that's only at this time of year which is the wet season, where the temperature is at its highest and so's the rainfall.

Cairns itself wasn't all that interesting. There are a few nice places to see, but mainly it seemed to be a traveller town with a lot of cheap and cheerful bars full of drunken backpackers. I'd had enough of drinking after Sydney, so as soon as I arrived I booked myself transport to get up to the Daintree rainforest.

On our drive up to the rainforest we stopped at the Daintree river to have some Daintree tea, which is grown locally. On our river cruise we saw Pythons in the trees and loads of mangroves, but the impressive sighting of the day was a wild Saltwater Crocodile. They are so well hidden, it's no wonder that people get eaten by them when paddling near the water's edge. If we hadn't had a guide, I wouldn't have seen it. It's ironic that on the boat they have lifevests, you wouldn't drown but you'd almost certainly be eaten by a Croc!

When we arrived in the rainforest, the humidity went up even more and I was literally dripping wet through until the sun went down. I went on a guided night hike into the forest which was amazing. Initially I was pretty nervous walking off from an already fairly dark building into a pitch black forest. It was so dark under the canopy that when the torches were switched I couldn't even see my own hand in front of my face. When the torches were on we saw a Python, Cane Toad, loads of Spiders (Huntsman and Golden Orb) and other creepy crawlies, but more impressively when the torches were off we saw fireflies, moss and funghi that all glow in the dark! It was like being in the movie Avatar!

I slept in a cabin the middle of the Rainforest which was really interesting, hearing the sounds get louder as the night set in. We really were in another world, the buildings were all falling to bits from mould in the humidity and constant wet, electricity was all generated locally and there was no phone signal, so it was really nice to escape civilisation for a while.

I spent the next day hiking around the nearby area on flat trails, but I probably lost a stone through sweating. The views were breathtaking and the sea looked so inviting, but unfortunately was a no-go area. If the Saltwater Crocodiles didn't get me, the Box Jellyfish would have, inflicting a fatal sting that would have killed me in just a few minutes. Makes me appreciate how little there is back home in the way of harmful animals or insects! There's even a killer plant in the rainforest - when it rubs on the skin it leaves thousands of tiny stingers behind which are agonising, you never get rid of them and anytime you get goosebumps in the future the pain comes back. Apparently the Aboriginals told their captors to use the leaves as toilet paper - killing them from shock.

On our return to the Daintree we dropped into the handmade ice-cream shop to buy the tropical fruit selection of the day. I tried Jackfruit for the first time and another fruit I can't remember, but tasted a bit like Coffee. We also stopped at a place called Mossman Gorge which was a much appreciated break from the heat. The current was really strong though and it felt like a workout getting from one side of the creek to the other to relax on the rocks over there. More than one person got swept further than they were planning to and ended up hanging precariously off a rock at the top of the rapids before swimming full pelt to the next rock.

Our last stop before Cairns was a small town called Port Douglas which was really quaint. It's definitely more suited to more well off visitors with the bars offering proper a la carte food menus rather than 'Today's Meal + free pint' offer like in Cairns.

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Photos

Saltwater Crocodile
They're well camoflaged!

Lifejackets?
Think I'd rather drown than be eaten by a Crocodile!

Golden Orb Spider
Pretty big!

A Python
Agh!

Cape Tribulation
Lovely beach but no swimming in the water or you'll be stung by killer Jellyfish.

Icecream
Mmm, lots of random flavours