Daintree, where even the plants are out to get you

We arrive in The Daintree, the heart of the Australian rainforest. And immediately we get off to a good start: we saw two cassowaries!!! They're incredibly rare, only 1200 left in the wild, and here they are, two of them by the side of the road. They're still young, their feathers are brown instead of black, but already they're really big: about 1 meter tall.

The Marrdja botanical walkway over at Cape Tribulation is impressive. Incredibly thick, lush, green scenery, with all kinds of trees and ferns, climbing over each other to reach the sunlight. If not for the path, we would need a machete to cut through the forest. The oldest rainforest in the world, and it shows. We have to be careful though: all sorts of things are out to get you. Even the plants are not safe: the wait-a-while fern will ensnare you, making you literally wait a while before walking on: you have to loosen all the little hooks the fern has put into you. But the worst is the stinging tree: its leaves have poisonous hairs, causing an excruciating pain which could last for months (!). And no antidote yet...

The mangrove is also really cool: trees growing in the rocks and on the beach. Lots of beasties too: pretty butterflies, weird spiders, and a huge monitor. Also not-so-nice beasties: the rainforest is alive with an incredibly loud, ominous buzzing noise. Probably the mozzies discussing which juicy bit of us they'll attack first. But alas, no dropbears.

The beaches are gorgeous: surrounded by mountains, with palm trees growing on to the beach, and almost no one in sight. Too bad we can't go for a swim: saltwater crocodiles are lurking in the surf, waiting for careless yet tasty tourists, and the stinging jellyfish are on their way to the coast.


Our lodge is in the middle of the rainforest, and it pays off: there's a cassowary rummaging around in the bushes right outside our room. Magnificent animal. And HUGE! I think it's taller than I am. Pics are all blurry though, he's gone too fast.

Final treat of the day: an after-dark rainforest walk with a guide, looking for nocturnal critters. We spot a large lizzard, froggies, stick insects, a walking leaf, crickets, locusts, and a really cool little rat. At the first sign of danger, it freezes completely, doesn't move a muscle. FINALLY something that will hold still for the camera! Apparently it's quite rare: our guide hasn't seen one in 6 to 12 months. We also see a little light flitting through the trees: a firefly! We all put out our flaslights, and it becomes pitch dark. You cannot see the person standing right in front of you. A magical moment, but also a bit scary. I wouldn't want to be out in the rainforest on my own after dark! Final words of wisdom from our guide: we can stop looking for tree kangooroos. He's only seen three in his twenty years of walking around in the rainforest. Bummer. But still going strong on the dropbears!