The Daintree and Cape Tribulation: 3rd and 4th Sept

With some plans made for the first few days and aware that 4 weeks isn't an excess of time, I'm up early to collect a rental car to drive 150km North of Cairns to Cape Tribulation - the most Northerly point of the coastal road that is accessible without a 4WD. I'm on the Captain Cook Highway (wondering if motorways in England should be named after historicallly significant people) and passing through tall fields of sugar cane. The Great dividing range stays on the left and soon the road is winding within sight of the sea on the right with stretches of sandy, deserted beaches edged by trees coming all the way down the moutainside to the sea.

After a short stop at the beach resort of Palm Cove I continue on to Port Douglas with a few stops to take in the beautiful coastal scenery. Port Douglas is a small tourist town with a pleasant beach and marina packed with boats ready to head out to the reef. There's a small white timber church right on the coast, the main window behind the altar framing a stunning sea view.

Continuing on to Mossman gorge; a river and a rainforest, undramatic but pleasant to walk through. The sky is moody as I head further north sugar cane fields acting as a foreground to the forested moutain backdrop. Reaching the Daintree river I cross on a car ferry and stop at a lookout to get a perspective of the Daintree National park.

There's another walking trail which is deserted and peaceful through more rainforest and I'm surprised by how dry it is- I'd always thought it would be soaking in rainforest.



Failed to get a good picture myself!

The afternoon's drawing to a close as I decide to push on to where I'm staying in Cape Tribulation with no further stops. Except one. A cassowary (see picture) runs from the forest and across the road whilst some hard braking occurs. This sighting is another box ticked!