I'd scheduled a modest agenda for Mission Beach that included white-water rafting, a skydive, and cassowary-spotting. I'd elected to stay at The Sanctuary, an eco-resort offering shared huts with green mesh walls as accommodation, set in acres of rainforest. It wasn't the most convenient location, with the twice-daily shuttle being the only practicable option for getting to Mission Beach itself, and the complex was set on a hillside, requiring much huffing and puffing in the steamy atmosphere to get from A to B, but it was extremely relaxing, partly due to the environment and partly due to the friendly and laid-back staff. My main reason for staying there was in the hope of seeing a cassowary in the wild. With the roads in the area having probably more cassowary warning signs than anything to do with
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