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Day 5: Daintree Rainforest
September 26th, 2005

This morning, Tonia, Ami and I got up at 5am, and took a rental car to the Daintree Rainforest about 2 hours north of Cairns. In Australia, people drive on the opposite side of the road, so I had to pay close attention to the traffic while enjoying the scenery. This region is marked by a forested, mountainous ridge that hugs the coastline for hundreds of miles, with rain forests reaching all the way to the shore in many places, interrupted by numerous suger plantations and the occassional small town. Once there, the road climbed up the mountains, snaking through lush dark jungles with giant ferns and trees dripping with vines hanging over the roadway.

The ferry crossing to Daintree Rainforest.

 

Queensland's coastline looking South.


Suger Plantations along the coastal road.
 
     
 
Along the way, I actually stopped to pick up "The World's Deadliest Snake" - a Coastal Taipan. But no worries about this one. He's also "The World's Deadest Snake".


A Forrest Dove

Once we arrived at Daintree, we went looking for this private nature reserve run by a family who lived in the rain forrest. It kind of reminded me of that movie Mosquito Coast, with its ramshackle house sitting in the middle of a jungle, and barefoot children running about. We were met by a lovely and knowledgeable older woman named Pru, who was impressively well-versed in the the political and environmental issues facing Australia's rainforrests, which are the oldest forrests on the planet. She led us on a 2 hour walking tour through the forrest, giving us a very detailed lecture on the flora and fauna we encountered along the way.

 

 


Pru (center) giving her talk during our hike
 through the rain forrest.

 
 

 

Above: A quiet bend in Cooper Creek
Left: Looking up at the forest canopy

Below Left: A swimming hole in Cooper Creek
Below Right: The Cycad is a prehistoric species common to this area.
 
     
 

 

 
     
 


 

Left: A tree claims its territory on a crowded floor.
Lower Left: A Strangler Fig competes with other vines to reach the canopy top.
Below Right: At 3 feet, Boyd's Forrest Dragon looks quite fierce, but is actually a patient poser for numerous photographs.

 
 
     
 
 
 

After our hike in the rain forest, we went looking for a place to take a relaxing swim.

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