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Lets take this gig global!!
Alrighty folks!
hows tricks peeps? well, I have just got back from spending an epic couple of days up in Cape Tribulation. For those of you who dont know what this is, well, its one of the only places in the world where the Rainforest meets the ocean or more precisely where the World Heritage protected high density rainforest collides with the World heritage protected great barrier reef! Sound pretty nice? Well, it was!! By far some of the most spectacular scenery I have seen on my trip so far, would easily fall into the top three "most special places visited" list!!
From an early pick up from Cairns we first headed to a bird sanctuary which for those of you that know me well you'll know that I didnt really enjoy it. Animals in captivity and all that biz so i kind of hovered back but it was interesting to learn about the nature of some of the creatures we were likely to see up in cape Trib. Next up was a spectacular drive up the valley and along the coast to the croc invested Daintree river crossing. Once across (safe and sound) it was rainforest territory all the way up to Trib and we stopped off at some stunning lookout points and did a couple of small rainforest walks to learn about the immense density and diversity of this amazing place!
By lunch time we were dropped off at our accomodation (PK's for myself and Rich) and had all afternoon to do whatever the hell we felt like! Being a rainforest some of these parts can recieve upto 10 metres + of rain a year (incredible hey!) but fortunately for us guys its kinda the dry season now so it was clear blue skies and roasting sun!! Perfect conditions!!
After a quick lunch we hit the amazing beach and caught a few rays for a while (during a little powernap) then strolled upto the famous cape Tribulation headland and climbed some rocks to reach a stunning lookout point. on such a clear day you could see for hundreds of Kms in either direction! Quality!
Then we walked up and over the cape to a couple more beaches where we took a quick swim only to realise that these seas are littered with crocs so we made a hasty exit back to land!! Combined with Fraser Island I can now tick the boxes for swimming in shark invested waters and croc invested seas! Probably not the smartest thing to be proud of tho!! Anyways, coming upto late arvo we cruised back and took in the flouro pink sunset skies before treating ourselves to a slap up 3 course dinner -cooked by our own skilled hands of course!! After a couple of jugs in the famous 'jungle bar' we were shattered so hit the sack early doors.
Up bright and early on day 2 (5:30am) so we could make it back to the headland to take in sunrise at Cape Tribulation (a definate must do). It seriously didnt disappoint and after catching our breath Rich went back to bed and I went for a lenghthy run along the gorgeous beach. Scoffed breakie down then did another sweaty rainforest walk (Dunjirra or something) before hitting the beach again (Coconut beach this time). Back for lunch then we were picked back up by our tour. First up was some crocodile spotting along the Daintree river which was great fun and I was amazed at how close the boats could get to see them. We saw a little female, a tiny baby one which is very rare apparently and then an absolute beast!! A 5m long, 1.5m wide mother of all crocs aptly nicknamed 'Fat Albert'. He was HUGE!! We also saw a python and a couple of tree snakes aswell as some frogs and lots of birds including an Auzure kingfisher (I thought of you dad!) and a sea eagle. So a pretty impressive hour and great to see them all as they should be seen...in the wild!!
We then headed to Mossman Gorge which is 100% clear and natural rain water and also 110% 'refreshing'! The locals say a dip in the gorge turns men into boys (if ya get my drift!) so naturally i jumped straight in skipped a couple of heart beats then jumped straight back out again! No,no, it wasnt actually as cold as I was expecting so we did float and bob around for a while but put it this way, It was nice to be back on the warm, snug bus!
The day almost over we headed back to the city (doh!) but not before stopping off at more scenic lookouts and quick stop at Port Douglas, a beautiful little town a.k.a Pleasure Dome or Millionaire central for the locals! A small plot of land here can be sold for as much as $2 million!! So a tad over my backpackers budget then!!
Back in the city, Rich and I went out to meet the girls for a bevvie and had another slap up backpacker meal (dont worry dad thats only $7 here!) as it was my last night in Cairns. So yeah thats it for ya. I had an absolutely fantastic time up in Cape trib and could have easily spent longer up there if time wasnt pressing. The key highlight tho was Fin our guide. Man, what a legend!! The only way to describe him was like Steve Irwin, Ray Mears and Mick Dundee all rolled into one! A real character and I have never met anyone with so much knowledge and enthusiasm for nature and the rainforest!! It really did rub off on us!! I guess thats what happens when you spend a year with an Aboriginal tribe and live off the land for 2 years after that! Finlay, good 'n ya bud!!
So anyway, unbelievably my time in Oz is almost up!! I am off back to the cold and Sydney tonight before flying to even more artic conditions and Christchurch, NZ on the 10th. I have a few days in Sydney tho so will let you know what Ive been upto.
Apologies for the long one this time buts its been a busy few days!
Dan ;-)
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