The Rainforest

March 13, 2010


We had a beautiful however windy day for a trip North to the Daintree Rainforest. This weather is a result of the cyclone still threatening us to the North. The Cape York Penninsula which runs from Townsville in the south all the way north to Cape Tribulation for hundreds of kilometers is where the forest literally meets the Great Barrier Reef is called the Wet Tropics. An hour north of Cairns which gets something in the order of 4 meters of rain a year is the Daintree Rainforest which is a U.N. natural heritage site and also the oldest rainforest in the world. This is an area about the size of the U. K. and is truly one of the last untouched wilderness areas in the world. It is over 130 million years old and dates back to the break- up of Gondwanaland into the continents we recognize today. Australia peeled off early thus has many unique species many of which are still being discovered today. Port Douglas is about an hour north of Cairns and is on the very southern end of the Daintree. Much of the rainforest is inaccessible from a rental vehicle so we settled on a short trek into the Mossman gorge for a peek. Eventually this is going to be a treetop boardwalk with a suspension bridge over the swiftly flowing Mossman River however this is not as of yet complete so we had to walk along the rainforest floor the old fashioned way. Many people swim in the river and body surf however we were unprepared and stayed dry.

After our hike we stopped at the Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary. This is really a zoo, however it is brilliantly done with the Aussie wetlands, rainforest and grassland habitats all recreated outdoors. We had lunch with the Lorikeets in the middle of the park (some white spear beaked bird had my last piece of steak when I wasn’t looking). The animals and birds simply wander about and gave us many spectacular picture opportunities. Mary Rose was particularly taken by the 4 meter long crocodile that rose up out of the water and yawned right beside her. We took in the Koala show with a little guy who has been rescued. At the end we posed for a picture holding the little guy who was most cooperative. They really are soft and cuddly however have amazingly long and sharp claws.

We had hoped to spend some time Four Mile Beach which as it is named, a pristine stretch of sand where visitors swim and surf. Unfortunately swimming was not allowed as the wind and waves were so high that they could not put out the ‘stinger nets’. The area is known for a variety of jelly fish some big to as small as a fingernail however all with stings that range from excruciating to deadly. We settled for a stroll up to the north end of the beach and a climb to a lookout for a beautiful view. When it is calm the seas are a brilliant turquoise blue, however with all the surf everything along the shore is a muddy brown colour. Beautiful sunset however which sent us off home to Cairns.