On Monday we were on a day trip to the Daintree National Park rainforest. Once again the trip was super well organised. We had a great guy leading us who knew so much and worked so hard it was incredible. Down Under Eco tours if you’re ever in the area. We first visited the Mossman Gorge which was, if I’m honest, a little disappointing. In the Blue Mountains they have managed to create walkways in such a way that although there are lots of people, it is possible to catch odd glimpses of the incredible peace and tranquility that the rainforest offers. Of course all is not entirely as peaceful as it seems because you are very aware of being surrounded by wildlife going about it’s business. But you do get a sense of remoteness that I felt was missing at Mossman. It’s a well known spot for bathing and there were groups already there so it kind of felt different. And of course we are so lucky to live by the Peak District with all that that offers. It’s on a different scale but it’s still spectacular. However, the rest of the day certainly lived up to expectations. We went on an hour long river cruise up the Daintree river and yes, we saw two crocodiles just by our boat. They really are menacing creatures, truly prehistoric. We apparently also saw a tree python, but I missed that one. We had a couple of short walks in the forest, including seeing a strangulated tree where a vine had grown around the tree, hollowing it out within a latticework of roots, only for it to survive and be growing again. It was quite a wonder. But the overall impression is one of the sheer size of the trees and the incredible variety of plants and wildlife.
We visited Cape Tribulation where James Cook ran into difficulties and it’s such a beautiful beach, apparently untouched by time, that it was easy to imagine arriving in a sailboat all those years ago. It also acted as a stark reminder of how so-called settlers effectively colonised the land and stole a way of life from the indigenous people.
We had a barbecue lunch in the heart of the forest which reminded me very much of times in South Africa