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Published: August 10th 2009
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It wasn't until today (10th August) that we realised we'd forgotten to upload this blog! Whoopsie but here it is!
Day 101 - Day trip to Daintree & Cape Tribulation
DASH tours is off again this morning, heading for another day in the rainforest but this time it has a twist, we’re going to one of the only places in the world where reef and rainforest meet! These World Heritage listed areas are very special and you could spend weeks here let alone a day so our trip will be just enough to give us a flavour of this magical world and hopefully we’ll like the taste!
We reach the Daintree Ferry with perfect timing, it’s just on the way back to us so we have enough time to take a photo and then we’re boarding and crossing the river before you can shout ‘Crocodile’! The Daintree River is full of crocs, not that we see any from the ferry but we know they’re there, looking at us with their beady little eyes, waiting for us to make a wrong move! Phew, we made it to the other side and followed the winding road through to Cape Tribulation
and onto the Bloomfield Track at the other end. There are 75kms of 4WD terrain separating Helensvale and Cape Tribulation and in the middle is the town of Bloomfield. Our intention today is to get as far as Emmagen Creek where we can have a swim but we find that the road is still pretty well sealed to that point, so we go a bit further along! This is another track which is being treated to an upgrade and we find huge road building equipment further along the ranges. How on earth some of it made it that far in we can’t quite fathom as traversing the Cowie and Donovan ranges takes in some ludicrously steep climbs! Dar felt it too when he was driving so it wasn’t just my interpretation but you really feel if you lean back that the car will tumble backwards down the hill, it’s that steep! Really weird feeling. There are a few creeks to cross and the last one we take on is probably the worse, not for depth but for having the most inconvenient rock placement! It’s right in your driving line and could easily go unspotted until it was too late if
the water was a tiny bit higher! It’s a pretty creek so we get out for a wander around. There are a few people here on a tour having their morning tea stop and further round the corner is a family who camped here last night and the remnants of the campfire they lit! Lucky things, we’re really missing the real camping side of things and can’t wait to get back into that mode again. We ask how close the Bloomfield Falls are and find that it’s another 15 minutes drive taking in a couple more ranges. That probably means another 30 minutes for us as we take it slowly rather than whizzing along like some of the tours and 4WDs we see so we turn back and head for the Cape. As we’re starting the descent over the Donovan range we spot a cyclist reaching the top, it looks like Christoph from the Mission Beach snorkelling/dive trip we did and sure enough it was! His girlfriend wasn’t far behind so we gave them both a wave still aghast at their achievement. To prove how steep the hill was, even they were pushing their bikes up!
Back at Emmagen
Creek we found the safe swimming hole tucked neatly in the bush. The water was great and it was a lovely way to cool off from the hot morning’s drive! On the road again our next stop was the Kulki Lookout leading to the beach. Here we found a Goanna or Lace Monitor (we’re not sure if they’re one and the same) but he was quite happy to pose for photos by the picnic area and at the end of our walk either he or a friend had turned up on the beach! The walk out on to the beach was great with a mass number of Mangroves to gaze at, plus of course the Goanna! A short drive from here finds us overlooking Coconut Beach so we have a bit of a wander there and find a pile of clothes left unattended but nobody naked on the beach! Very odd! We find our way on to the Marrdja Boardwalk next which has a great view over a beautiful looking waterhole, except you wouldn’t want to swim in it if you know what I mean! You can’t see them, you just know that they can see you and that’s enough
for you to stay on the nice safe boardwalk! Thornton Beach is just around the corner so we stop for a wander there with the crabs, it’s another beautiful beach but we should really go and discover a bit more rainforest so drive on to the Daintree Discover Centre. It’s there we find the entry fee is $45 per adult! Ok so you get to go in for the next 7 days but we’re only here today so decide to walk the nearby Jindalba boardwalk instead and it’s here we start to question the whole Cassowary theory! Daintree is another area where these endangered birds hang out, there are signs everywhere warning you to drive carefully and what you should do if you come across one, yeah like that’s ever going to happen! Dar suggests the alternative version to 10 Things you should know about Cassowaries, if we don’t see one soon then we’ll publish our theory! Alexandra Range lookout, the final stop on todays DASH tour and it was a great view of the range with some spectacular tumbling from the Corellas! Great display! That brought us back to the ferry crossing and we figured we still had time
to make one last diversion up to some advertised forest walking trails. It’s supposed to be a 4km route but turns out to be a bit further and when we get there it’s a privately run deal at a cost of $10 per adult. It’s getting a bit late in the day for any long walks so we drive back to the ferry but the views are great along the way so it was worth it really! The ferry crossing is over in a flash and we just have time to sort out a river cruise for very early tomorrow morning. We’re going to treat ourselves a bit and book a trip with a guy and his boat for 6.30am to watch all the wildlife waking up on the river under the sunrise. We can hear all the tour operators giving each other the heads up over the UHF on where the crocs are at, they’ve got names like Scarface - nice! Hopefully we’ll see them in the morning but from a safe distance!
We had another great BBQ dinner cooked by Mr Howells and enjoyed the company of a fab family from Melbourne who have just returned from
doing the trip up and back to Cape York, they’ve loved it but probably wouldn’t do it again! I guess when you’ve done it you can afford to say that!
Ok, time for an early night. Sorry about the blogs not being uploaded for a couple of days but we’re cramming quite a lot in during the day but we should be back up to date by tomorrow afternoon!
Love to all
Dar and Sar
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