The Oldest Rainforest in the World!!

As I mentioned before, last weekend my friend Clara and I took a trip to Cape Tribulation, located in the middle of the Daintree Rainforest, the oldest rainforest in the world! We decided to visit Cape Tribulation because we wanted to see something really unique to Australia. Originally we wanted to go to the Outback and see Uluru (the biggest freestanding rock in the word), but that was before we realized what a big country Australia actually is- larger than the continental United States- and that to visit something in the center of the country would require a 19 hour bus trip. Definitely not possible in a weekend! So we decided on the Daintree Rainforest, a World Heritage listed rainforest and much closer to Townsville. We arrived in Cairns from Townsville at around 4am (see previous post about bus being 8 hours late!) and were picked up at 7am the next morning by Cape Tribulation Adventures, the company we'd arranged to do an overnight tour with. 

Needless to say we were exhausted but that day was probably one of the coolest days in Australia so far. The tour included a crocodile cruise on the Daintree River where we spent an hour looking for the massive (up to 18 feet) saltwater crocodiles that live there. Because the tide was high and the weather was cloudy, we didn't see any really huge ones but we saw two small baby ones sunning themselves on logs near the bank. Our guide was really funny and kept us entertained despite the lack of huge croc sitings- he was full of information about crocodiles as well as trues stories (some funny, some tragic) of encounters with the deadly animals. He also knew a lot about other aspects of the rainforest environment and even managed to make information about plants interesting with his stories on mangrove trees. After the cruise we went on a hike in the rainforest and saw lots of cool plants, lizards, butterflies, and huge spiders. Cassowaries, giant flightless birds, and tree kangaroos also make their home in the rainforest but you have to be really lucky to see them. The rainforest itself is cool because of how old it is- approximately 60 million years older than the Amazon. 

We finally arrived at our hostel in Cape Tribulation, named by Captain Cook because his ship ran aground on the reef of Cape Trib waters and he found the rainforest a miserable place to try and repair his ship and resupply his crew. He also named the nearby mountain Mount Sorrow and the bay Weary Bay. Clearly Captain Cook wasn't having a great time in Australia. Anyways, that afternoon we had a choice of activity and Clara decided to go ziplining or "jungle surfing" as they call it, and I decided to go sea kayaking at sunset. Sea kayaking was kindof scary at first because one of the first things the guide went over was the procedure in case we see a saltwater crocodile. Normally the crocs don't actually live in the ocean, they're just called saltwater crocodiles because they can swim in saltwater, but when the ocean water is warm enough (like it is this time of year),  some of the big ones sometime swim out of the estuaries and into the oceans looking for new territory. After learning all about how dangerous they can be, I was a little bit freaked out, especially since I'm not a very experienced kayaker! Even though the guide from the morning told us that the crocodiles really only need to eat once every few months and they don't purposely look for humans to eat, he said that they are very territorial and will attack you just like they would another crocodile who enters their territory- by grabbing you, dragging you down, and jerking you around. The only difference is that when they do this to other crocs who have invaded their terrority, the other croc swims away fine, albeit a little bruised. Us humans on the other hand are unlikely to survive that kind of treatment.

 But my guide promised me that in 12 months of doing sea kayaking tours he'd only see one crocodile. So we went, but I was pretty tense for the first bit until I finally convinced myself the chances of seeing a croc were pretty slim and focused on the beautiful bay and the Great Barrier Reef, right underneath me! We saw fish, sea turtles, and we almost saw a dugong! Which are really rare and quickly becoming an animal I'm sortof obsessed with (the Aborigine painting I almost spent $300 on was of dugongs). Unfortunately the dugong that has been hanging around the area for the past couple months and who the guide saw twice the day before was nowhere to be seen that evening :(  We waited for almost an hour above a seagrass bed (their preferred food) and scanned the surface around us, looking for her every 3-4 minute surfaces to breath, but sadly she did appear. I was very very very disappointed. In an effort to make it up to us, the guide led us into shallow water, hopped out of his kayak, and picked up a box jellyfish. Not quite the same as a dugong. But still pretty cool since this is the jellyfish all the hype is about and the reason you can't go swimming in the ocean in Queensland. I was amazed he just picked it up because we've been told countless times that if a box jellyfish stings you, you'll be dead within minutes. Obviously my guide did not die, and he explained to us that people really just make a big deal out of them because Australia doesn't want to be sued. Yes, if the tentacle of a large one comes into full contact with your neck or chest, you will die within about 120 seconds. But the chances of that happening are absurdly small- much smaller than getting into a car crash.  So he held it out for us, and even let us touch it. It was pretty cool to touch one, and it was nice to finally put a face to the name of the mysterious danger that has kept me from enjoying swimming in the ocean. 

The rest of the night we hung out in our hostel, and then next morning we walked along the beach and up to the Cape Trib lookout point. That afternoon our tour took us back to Cairns and Clara and I spent the evening exploring Cairns, which seems like a fun a place. It is definitely more touristy than Townsville, but that means more good restaurants, cool shops, and a great boardwalk/public park along the beach. The following day we returned to Townsville, and this time our Greyhound bus left right on time :)

On the Daintree River,  looking for saltwater crocodiles.

Mangroves! The only trees that can grow with their roots under saltwater.

Cool rainforest plants... they almost look as if they've been painted on the tree. 

Huge spider! These were all over the place, including at our hostel. 

Pretty rainforest beetle. Unfortunately my camera's zoom is not the best. 

Lizard! I can't remember the exact name of this species but it's part of the dragon family (as in Bearded Dragons, Komodo Dragons, etc.)

One of the cool things about Cape Tribulation is that the rainforest literally goes right up to the beach.. something I guess Captain Cook didn't appreciate as much. 

Warning about jellyfish. This sign is slightly ridiculous because it makes the jellyfish seem huge, like giant squids or something. Their bodies are not actually the size of our heads!

Me standing at the Cape Tribulation lookout. 

A dugong! ( picture taken from googleimages). This is the animal I really really wanted to see but didn't. Aren't they cute???