CAPE TRIBULATION
Or Kulki (gool-gee) as the traditional custodians prefer.

Well this place may have been reeked with havoc for the late Cpt. James Cook- but we love it!!! Another gem like 1770, which is very rarely advertised or talked about on the ol' grapevine. Had we realized how magnificent it is up here we would have skipped cairns and Port Douglas and spent two weeks with a foot in each tremendous world heritage site- the Daintree and the Great Barrier Reef- quite literally where the forest meets the sea. Simply superb!

We have made 'home' at the Cape Tribulation campground where old fashioned sentiments are welcomed whole heartedly. This family run campground was purchased 12 yrs ago with plans for a resort to be erected. Wrecked it, it would- thankfully Rod and Ann had the foresight and passion to leave it in it's pristine condition and meld a self sustainable venue for families to affordably stay, learn and ultimately experience the magic of the rainforest and reef- which gives a whole new meaning to 'RnR'!
Here there are no mains services north of the Daintree River. Therefore power is only via solar or generator. Water via bore or tank and best of all NO MOBILE PHONE RECEPTION. No distractions. And why would you want to have any, when there is such beauty surrounding your every step or stroke.
They have a fabulous wood fire oven which gets cranked up every night and pumps out spectacular pizza for the locals and visitors alike.
Wanna hear a story or two about Dugong rescues caught on the coral out in the bay? Or a family Being stranded for 3 days the other side of the river after popping out for a Sunday morning drive, and the river rising following a shower of rain? Yikes- nice to know even the locals get caught by surprise! Or get the inside scoop on local croc free swimming holes! The genuine nature of the management staff here is so lovely- its not just a job. Infact everyone we have encountered here, whether it be jungle surfing in the rainforest, night touring, snorkeling with ocean safari out at Mackays Reef, has exuded passion for their 'work' and heartfelt desire to conserve, study and assist renewal of both the forest and the reef. They understand the limitations of tourism- and are super conscious about minimizing the impact their existence either out in the water or on land, is having. Whilst also providing an opportunity for us to experience these magnificent places, and thus create the desire within us to also want to preserve and live lovingly in harmony with nature.
I for one am enormously thankful that people in the past had the desire to chain themselves to 1000yr old trees and bury themselves in the ground as protest to the logging. I had no idea that the Daintree is the largest and oldest rainforest, containing the most species of plants in the world! Yes that's right it's about 80million yrs OLDER than the Amazon- yet do we hear about it?? As Kerry said- wow I travelled across the other side of the globe to experience the wisdom of the Jungle, and it's right here in my own backyard! How did I miss that!!!
We don't realise just how important the reef and the rainforest are to OUR continued existence. They are our life line literally! The algae in the coral fill the ocean with oxygen, and so too do the microscopic dudes of the rainforest. Without both of these we are toast!

Cape Trib should be way up there on your Bucket List- a once in a lifetime experience and you don't even need a passport!!! Get on up here and check it out before its too late- an impression will be made on your heart and stay with you, forever!
A few highlights:
Emmagen Creek Swimming hole.
Refreshing Crystal clear water, 2m deep. Cooler than I anticipated, since the ocean is like bath water- a heavenly 27deg. Surrounded by spotted jungle perch and striped fish ranging from 2cm to 30cm that like to nibble at your feet, removing dead skins cells ( a bit like the tiny wrasse in the reef that are dedicated to cleaning the gills of big fish and shells of turtles). In the past this would have freaked me out! If a fish touched me whilst swimming at Lake William Hovell- aghhhh, I was outta there! But now, after a few snorkeling experiences I'm intrigued and fascinated, rather than paranoid- although I did find myself scanning the bank occasionally, just to make sure there were no 'Salty' surprises about to enter!!!
A Massive Lace Monitor, black with orange yellow flecks scampered up a tree (to the "lookout") as we arrived and watched over us as we swam- keeping an eye out for crocs we hope!!
No kidding, everywhere you turn there is another spectacular creature captivating your attention! Truly, the inner kid's playground.

Jungle Surfing- this was AWESOME! Tarzan and Jayne...awh arrrrrrrrh awwwh aarrrh ( that's me doing the iconic Tarzan jungle cry!) 2 hrs up in the canopy of the forest, flying-foxing it from one platform to another. Swinging out over rivers, upside down and the right way up- 80mtr stretches. It was SO much fun!!! There were 14 in our group- ready to face my fears I fronted up as the first person each time to lead the way! It's a little unnerving to start with- stepping off 25 odd mtrs above ground...into nothing!!

Jungle Night Tour:
Man, is it dark!!! It's dark enough during the day, as the canopy shields the undergrowth- but night...don't know how I'd go living in it 40 million yrs ago. We had a brilliant Guide named Ian, who was a wealth of information! Spot a seemingly random insignificant insect or plant and he knew all about it and how it integrated into the whole. We saw some funky iridescent fungi, that glow in dark- just like in Avatar!! Fire-flies buzzing around, tree frogs, marsupial rats, these groovey grasshoppers with white knees that have the most amazing physiology that allows them to leap huge distances from a standing start! Equivalent to a human long jumping 6 City blocks without the run up! Nature is truly amazing. We also saw birds puffed up into a ball asleep way out on the end of a tree branch. They memorize the whole forest during this sleep and have an escape route planned in case a snake picks up its trail, ascends the appropriate tree and slithers out on the branch. The birds middle ear is very sensitive, and will be woken with the vibrations hopefully in plenty of time to scoot off in the dark to safety point number two! The snake can pick up its trail by a droplet of water running off the bird onto the ground! It's an intricate world all of its own, the rainforest. Marvelous.

The Blue Hole:
We thought Emmagen was a nice spot! Ha! A young guy in Port highly recommended we check out 'the blue hole' and gave us a mud map to find it as the locals like to keep it of the tourist radar. He said it was paradise and he was right!! It was like walking into a scene from Blue Lagoon. A Mystical rainforest path meandered throughout a plethora of mossy tree roots leading the way to literally a blue oasis- formed by the copper leaching from the soil in the mountain further up the way. We both gasped when we laid eyes on the sensuous vision before us. Now this was a place that warranted a nudie swim!! The hue of the water was an amazing turquoise blue, and further up the creek around the bend, two pools created a distinct line in the water, becoming emerald green! Again the crystal clear waters created an optical illusion disguising the actual depth of these luscious pools. So out came the snorkel and inquisitive investigation of life in the creek ensued. We discovered freshwater turtles, copious jungle perch, an eel of some description and a pool over two and a half body lengths deep.
Paradise most definitely.

Cape Trib Lookout:
It's been a while since we've found our selves in a unnerving situation. We decided to go for a walk along Myall beach to find the path to the Cape lookout, and Cape Trib beach. Late afternoon, and an overcast rainy day ment the light dimmed a little earlier than normal. We eventually found the path that wove through the forest up over the cape to the beach on the other side. Hoping to go for a swim, we were greeted with warning signs about crocs and to steer clear of the waters edge. By now it was merging between dusk and night fall, we met some travelers from Sth. Africa and France, neglecting to remember that we needed to back track through the rainforest. Finally on the move, barely able to see one foot in front of the other as its now dark, my senses all of a sudden became very acute as noises either side of the narrow dark path pierced the night. We hot footed it out of there best we could, especially after hearing the squealing of a wild pig obviously being attacked...tick tick tick...most probably by a croc- LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!!! Agh, a sigh of relief, we reach the beach. A km down the way, we realise we have to cross an estuary...hang on...didn't the locals say that crocs enter and exit the ocean and live in the estuaries??? As we stand near the edge- both silent but contemplating the same dilemma- a splash occurs infront of us and we freak!!! Its amazing how many images can flash through your mind in 3seconds. Last week I happened to see part of a doco, where a lioness and her three cubs were driven from their home by an invading pride. She had no choice but to attempt crossing croc infested waters to land on the other side. She and two of the three crossed, the third cub was a little hesitant and lagged behind. I sat there bawling my eyes out as I knew this cub was going to be eaten- I'm yelling at him," hurry up, quick quick pls swim!! " He didn't make it.
So standing at the waters edge, Unable to define the shadows in the water, I'm recalling the demise of this young timid cub, but we've just gotta go- "1..2..3...run!!!" Ten giant leaps later we made it to the other side, dripping wet but unscathed. Truth be known, it was probably just a fish but now we know we can 'walk on water'! Who needs coffee when you have an adrenaline hit like that!

Mackay's Reef: well I have to say, if you've only got time for one snorkeling experience, do yourself a favour and make your way up here. Rather than spending 3-4hrs travel time out on the boat, Ocean Safari tours are 25mins, then your in the water!!! And we both agree, having snorkeled in several places around the world this is THE location. Best by far! Extensive coral shelves, a myriad of vibrant colours and species of both fish and coral. Teeny tiny electric blue fishlets to massive Gropers. Blue spotted lagoon rays, stingrays, reef sharks etc. We were gifted with the pleasure of swimming for an hour this morning with 5 sea turtles! I couldn't stop smiling in awe- which means lots of water in your mask, but hey that and the blisters on my feet were totally worth it!!!
The feeling is indescribable. The only thing missing in this spectacular tour of the Octopus' Garden was the octopus- but I'm sure she was down there somewhere!!!