I was once again woken up by my alarm this morning which seems to be becoming a normality just lately! I had a 7.05 pick up this morning from the hostel to go on a 2 day 1 night trip to the Cape Tribulation. I once again packed really light for the trip, and once again opted against my raincoat even though the forecast said thunderstorms! After being picked up on time for once, it was really frustrating because someone was late for their pick up which put us behind schedule. Their reason was that they were having a coffee!
On the drive up north passing the outer suburbs of Cairns, our driver told us that Cape Tribulation had London's yearly rainfall in 24 hours the other day! When they say wet season they mean wet season, although apparently dry season is wet too because the area is a rainforest environment. When driving further up the coast we were told about the northern beaches which are apparently stunning as they have rainforest so close to them. We also passed the skyrail, although we couldn't see the top as the hills were shrouded in cloud. This is an alternative way to see the rainforest, viewing it from above in a cable car.
The first stop of the day was the Rex lookout for views of the Wangetti beach. This is an aboriginal village and our guide told us a story about the area here. Continuing north through the small town of Mossman which we visit tomorrow, we arrived at the Daintree River. It was here we embarked on a river cruise to go crocodile spotting, and after a quick morning tea we set off in the rain through the murky waters of the river. It wasn't long before we saw our first crocodile, although we couldn't go too close as it was opening its mouth. One of the warning messages on the boat was not to put your hands out the boat as apparently the crocodiles can jump! Luckily the one we saw was on bank.
Continuing along the river getting rather wet from the makeshift canvas roof, we came across another crocodile, which was massive! This one was basking in the trees however so we didn't get such a good view. Nearby however we saw two of her babies on a log which were cute if you can call a crocodile cute. About an hour after leaving we arrived at the Daintree car ferry, the only way of crossing the river where our guide was waiting for us.
I studied the Daintree and the impacts of tourism last year in geography, so it was interesting to be actually be here, as we winded through the rainforest. You could see past evidence of landslips, and the recent rain made waterfalls on the side of the road! Apparently the record length of a day trip to Cape Tribulation is 6 days due to landslips by bad weather! Before long we stopped at another lookout which gave views of an island famously shaped like a crocodile. It was round this area Steve Irwin died.
Driving deeper into the rainforest along the basic road nearby the coast, we stopped to go along the Maruja rainforest boardwalk. The heavens opened when entering however and I got absolutely soaked, although it was very interesting hearing our guide talk about the many plants and mangroves within. There was this impressive palm tree inside, and it was fascinating seeing how quickly rainforest changed into mangroves salt marshes. They say Cape Tribulation is where the rainforest meets the reef, and the village is named as this was the point Cook couldn't go any further up the coast due to the shallow reefs meeting the shore. Cooktown further north is where he settled for a few months in 1770 to repair his boat as he hit the reef.
A short drive up I was dropped off at my hostel, PKs Jungle Village. I am effectively doing the day trip but over two days which allows me time to explore Cape Tribulation instead of turning straight back. After checking in I checked out the wet Myall beach and walked as far as a creek which went out to sea. I didn't risk crossing the murky waters though as it was a crocodile risk zone.
I instead headed back to the hostel and followed the road to next beach along, Cape Tribulation beach. En route I came across a fruit stand where I helped myself to these fresh rainforest pomegranates which had a real sweet citrus taste to them as they were yellow in flesh! When arriving at the beach, I walked to the lookout getting my first aerial views of the dense rainforest headland and the obvious patches of reef out at sea. I also followed another rainforest boardwalk here which took me out on Myall beach, the other side of that creek!
Once again heading back to the hostel, blessed by nice weather since arriving, I walked the other way to the Mason swimming creek, which included views of the clouded mount sorrow. I am tempted to climb this tomorrow if the weather is nice, although it takes 6-7 hours to walk apparently! This is the only place in the area you can get a phone signal as well. On the way back to the hostel I etched my name into some bamboo as everyone else had, leaving my mark on the world heritage listed site! It is the most biodiverse place in the world the Daintree, with the most endemic plants and species. This is mainly down the fact Australia hasn't touched another land mass for over 150 million years in terms of plate tectonics.
By now it was getting late and I was bit stuck for choice on the dinner front as the cafe was shut, and the hostels food was really expensive. I instead went to the local supermarket and had Bombay potato and rice in the end. The fact I had nothing planned for the evening meant I could finally catch up on my blogs, although I wanted to go and do a rainforest night walk as it is more active at night. I only got as far as the car park however before chickening out due to hearing crunching of sticks and grunting noises in the pitch black rainforest. I was also worried as crocodiles are more active at night, and walking through a risk zone in darkness is a bit risky!
When returning to the hostel I found out that the locals really were mental, and despite the population of Cape Tribulation only being around 150 people, they made a racket. Apparently due to the fact there is no police north of the river, means that everyone drink drives up here! I managed to avoid the mayhem however, going straight to bed as I couldn't justify rainforest prices!
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