Oh, the dangers of the Daintree! Where fruits are toxic, plants are venomous, insects are oversized and aggressive, and the crocs... are... everywhere! Not exactly the best playground for an almost four year old currently going through a "sensory" stage (can I touch it..? what happens if I poke it..? pull it..? how about I taste it..?) but we can't let that deter us - because amidst the perils, poisons and predators there is also beauty unmatched anywhere else on the planet and we are determined to get up close. So we bravely board a river cruise hunting for crocs (we spot four), meander along the beaches (including one that has an amusing number of small dead fish washed ashore for us to count, that becomes not quite so funny after we lose count at 127), sample exquisite fruits at a tropical fruit farm, and strap ourselves onto a giant flying fox to "jungle surf" our way through the rainforest. After three days exploring the Daintree and Cape Tribulation, there are five Biharys still standing. We have conquered the jungle. Now it is time to conquer one of the toughest 4WD public access roads in Australia - the Bloomfield Track.
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| View through the windscreen as we board the ferry to cross the Daintree river into jungle territory. |
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| Pointing out to Benji that yes, in the Daintree, even the friendliest looking ferns can actually have long sharp spikes so PLEASE - DO - NOT - TOUCH - ANYTHING - BENJI - HAVE - WE - MADE - OURSELVES - CLEAR - PLEASE - STOP - TOUCHING - BENJI - PLEASE - BENJI - PL....EEEEE....EEEEEASE!! |
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| At the Daintree Discovery Centre, where the boardwalks and railings made us feel naively protected from the dangers. Like, for instance, the Stinging Tree - whose barbs will cause pain that lasts not for minutes, not for hours, but for up to TWO months!! |
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| At THAT beach in the Daintree where we started collecting shells before counting fishy corpses. |
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| Daintree at Dusk. |
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| Cruisin' for Crocs. |
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| At Cape Tribs exotic fruit farm we get to taste: Lime, Breadfruit, Jakfruit, Pomelo, Mamey Sapote, Yellow Sapote, Black Sapote, Sapodilla, Star Apple, Guanabana (soursop). Too, too delicious. |
