Cairns & The Daintree Rainforest

After Sydney, we all flew up to Cairns, rented 4WD vehicles, and began the 2.5 hour drive north.  On Cape Tribulation Road we crossed the crocodile infested Daintree River via an old barge which slowly hauls itself across the river on suspended metal wire.  The northern side of the river holds the 180 million year old UNESCO World Heritage listed region known as the Daintree Rainforest.  It is the oldest rainforest in the world and much, much older than the Amazon which is only about 55 million years old by comparison.  The fig trees and vines of this lush, ancient rainforest nearly engulf the road and our lodging at Wait-A-While Eco Retreat was immersed in the trees and looked more like a jungle treehouse.   

Wait-A-While Eco Retreat

My sister and brother in law had booked us in the Wait-A-While Eco Retreat which was a beautiful wooden house with a massive, light-filled main room and large kitchen all nestled in the rainforest.  In the backyard was a wonderful little swimming pool which we came to rely on due to the oppressive heat and humidity and lack of air conditioning.  

The family room with sitting area and billiards table

All of us cooking lunch in the spacious kitchen

Daintree Rainforest – Cow Bay

Even with the hot, humid weather, we were all excited to get out and explore the rainforest, beaches, and murky rivers.  In the afternoon, we visited the nearby Cow Bay beach which was a typical north Queensland beach with approximately zero sunbathers, copious signs regarding stinging jellyfish and crocs and small muddy estuaries that seemed to hide unknown dangers.

We walked the wide open beach and carefully searched the nearby estuaries.  While we didn’t see any crocs, we did startle a large lace monitor which crashed through the rainforest and scampered up a nearby tree.  It sounded massive so at first, I thought for sure it was a croc.  I only realized what it was when it scaled the tree and froze halfway up.   We also spotted a common stingeree in the muddy estuary and quite a few ghost crabs which daintily skipped across the sand with such speed that it almost made you wonder if you really saw anything at all.    

Common Stingeree

Lace Monitor Lizard

Daintree Rainforest – Crocodile Tour

In morning, we drove back to the Daintree River for a crocodile tour which was wonderful!  Unfortunately, I can’t remember our specific guide but he was extremely knowlegable and the small electric boat with a canopy was perfect for silently approaching the crocs.  In November/ December, the crocs have already completed their mating season so the large males have moved up the tributaries and are much less visible and territorial.  The females are likewise mostly hidden but the recently hatched young crocs are just beginning to explore and can be spotted along the muddy shores amongst the branches.  

Baby Croc (courtesy of Walking with Chuck)

While the crocs are typically the main attraction, the Daintree River is also home to a huge variety of birds and my sister captured several great shots.   The Azure Kingfisher has particularly striking blue/orange coloration and seems to have a particularly long bill in relation to it’s body size which it uses to capture small fish and crustaceans.    In appearance, the Striated Heron is more subdued but, make no mistake, this bird is quite unusual.  In fact, these herons have been documented to use bait like insects, leaves, or feathers, dropping them on the water to attract fish.  Isn’t that remarkable?!

Azure Kingfisher (courtesy of Walking with Chuck)

Daintree Discovery Center

Somehow this discovery center has racked up thousands of excellent 4-5 star reviews.  We visited and in my opinion it was definitely not worth the time and certainly not worth the money.  Would you like to see some fake plastic dinosaurs?  Climb some stairs to a platform in the trees to see nothing?  Read some basic information on local plants and animals and the history of the region that you could find online?  For me, it was just a tourist trap with a crappy gift shop.  My advice it to skip it.  

Daintree Rainforest – Hiking

On a positive note, the rainforest itself is incredible!  We took many wonderful hikes on the numerous free paths and boardwalks that wind through the rainforest.  The trees and plants are vibrant and each tree is a whole world in itself.  It seems like every living thing has something else growing on it and so on – with birds searching for insects upon plants, upon vines, upon trees.

As we walked along the paths we found Peppermint Stick Bugs hiding quietly on on palm-like Pandanaceae plants.  When attacked, these stick bugs eject a toxic spray that smells like peppermint and that burns or disorients and even immobilizes some predators.  The stick bugs are bright green but blend into the leaves incredibly well and you could easily walk by without noticing them.  However, the ragged, chewed leaves of the suffering plants are a dead giveaway that these strange insects are hidden amongst the greenery.  

Peppermint Stick Bugs

On another trail we came upon a brush turkey mound and some photographers pointed to a lace monitor rummaging about in the dirt and leaves.  This is a common behavior in monitors since the brush turkeys lay their eggs in these mounds to keep them warm and the eggs are a favorite food source of the monitor lizards. 

Lace Monitor Lizard (courtesy of Walking with Chuck)

The trees in the rainforest are impressive on their own but also host a wide variety of animals.  Some of the most impressive are massive camps of Grey-headed flying fox, a megabat, and the largest bat in Australia with a wingspan reaching 1 meter.  These epically cool bats have dog-like faces and orange/golden fur on their necks.  They often form colonies or camps of thousands of individuals, inundating the canopies of the trees they select.  They primarily eat fruit and they do not have echolocation so they rely on their eyesight and sense of smell to find food.  

Flying Foxes (courtesy of Walking with Chuck)

While we were extremely excited to see the stick bugs, monitor lizards, and bats, our main quarry  was the elusive southern cassowary.  My sister in particular was determined to try and find one but I cautioned her that they are quite difficult to find.   However, their primary food source is cassowary plums and other fruits so, while they are known to be reclusive and to hide deep in the rainforest, they do tend to frequent areas with the fruit trees they feed upon.  There were several trails in areas they tended to visit so we tried all of them.  On one trail, we branched off the main boardwalk onto a smaller footpath that was estimated to be a couple hours hike.  As we walked along, we rounded a large tree and on the other side was a cassowary sleeping quietly next to the path!  It was laying on the ground with it’s head tucked into it’s feathers.  However, it quickly lept to it’s feet, took a few steps and then stopped and stared at me intently.  Once it got a look at us, it seemed to relax completely and just stood there, very calmly.  It pruned it’s feathers with it’s casque (the horn on it’s head) and it’s eyes even seemed still a bit sleepy at times.  We were so excited and captured some amazing photos.  However, we also remained very alert since the cassowaries can be extremely dangerous.  Their middle toe is like a 5 inch dagger and they have been known to disembowel people when frighted.    

Cassowary!! (courtesy of Walking with Chuck)

Summary  

In the Daintree, you feel like you are experiencing an ancient rainforest with strange and exotic flora and fauna where every hike is truly an adventure and the rivers and forests are brimming with life!