Matey's musings

We were soon to be reunited with friends and visiting family. Cairns has a ‘city’ feel, which provided a shock at first, but it meant the facilities and services of ‘civilisation’ were available. A broken oar could be replaced and parts were sourced. Boat maintenance was possible. We caught up with Craig, Mya, Alan, Natalia and the wonderfully generous Megs, who has helped us out on numerous occasions. Matey had cousins to visit. On a trip to Port Douglas we met up with Susie, Mick, Nigel and Sam, and their amazing accommodation! We also had an evening in Palm Cove with Eleanor, Virginia, James, Patrick and the extraordinary Pippa. Great to see you all, folks!

Daintree delights
Not sure how long we had before the northerly winds arrive, which mean we need to go south again a.s.a.p. before cyclone season, we eventually decided to hope they'll hold off for a while longer and do a road trip into the Daintree. (Actually, it was supposed to include the Atherton Tablelands’ waterfalls and caves too, but Captain couldn’t be dragged from the forest. Matey wasn’t too disappointed about this, having always found peace in a fern-forest (yes, we did hire a Hippie Camper!) and was very happy to finally get to this beautiful place. Sadly, Captain found it much changed from when he muddied himself there as a lad on a motor-bike 30 years previously (perhaps the forest found Captain changed too? Cleaner and greener anyway.) We were relieved to find a Rainforest Rescue program underway, and by chance met two of its directors at a waterhole. It was delightful to listen to smart business brains put to good use.

We did every walk and boardwalk we could find, including climbing Mt Sorrow, apparently for ‘experienced’ hikers. Legs have felt the experience ever since. We searched high and low and finally, were lucky enough to see a Cassowary, wandering beside the path towards the picnic tables at the Jindalba Boardwalk. It decided on a nap there for the afternoon as when we returned after the longer of the two walks it was still not far from where we had first seen it, dozing peacefully.

We explored the creeks where we could and found numerous waterholes. Being school holidays it was busy, and having to share these beautiful places with the crowds took some getting used to, but we managed to find some quiet places away from the throngs, just by walking upstream.

We were impressed with the Daintree Discovery Centre. Finding information about the environment we’re travelling through is not always easy, but this is a great example of an eco-tourism business doing it well. There was ample information, the staff were helpful, interested and well-informed, and there was even an ecologist giving quirky talks on aspects of the forest. It was worth a return visit and well worth the entry fee.