Cape Tribulation, Queensland, AustraliaToday has been a real hoot and it just has to have it's own blog!
I have had great difficulty in determining a title! It could have been any one of a number! I thought about it being 'Mondays will Never be the Same Again'. ..'We've Been Jungle Surfing'....'A Trip to Cape Trib'.....or 'Guess what we've seen today'? Yes....We've seen one of those big flightless birds that are related to Emus and Ostriches...'The Cassowary'....and we saw it in the wild. For us it was in the wild! It came out of the rainforest and walked across the road in front of us. Now why have I chosen my title? Well Delma, who is our 'Minister for Tourism', and we have been so grateful for the tourist tips she has provided us with along the way, has told me "I won't be forgiven if I get a photo of a Cassowary in the wild"!
Today we went to 'Cape Tribulation' for the day. We left early and were at the 'Daintree Discovery Centre' for morning tea. We had crossed the 'Daintree River' on the winch ferry about 20 minutes earlier. Peter spoke to the guy in the cafe about sightings of Cassowaries, and he said "He has been there for 20 years and not seen that many! But you do see them from time to time".
As we drank our coffee we contemplated whether we would pay the concession rate of $28. 50 each to walk the 'aerial walk', in the hope we would see one. Then a family came back from doing the walk and said "They had not had any luck and they were really looking"! Our decision was to continue on our way. There is a walk called the 'Jindalba Boardwalk' that is free and takes you in a circle through the rainforest. A tourist bus had gone further on to that, so we decided that may have been a better option. Sorry...I do have to record all this, it makes the sighting SOoooo much better!
When we got to 'Jindalba' commonsense prevailed and we knew that we should continue travelling and ensure we got to where we needed to be in plenty of time. Our 'Jungle Surfing' experience was not cheap. But then nothing is!
We started to come upon signs telling us to be 'Cautious - Cassowaries Crossing Next 2kms' or 4kms. So I decided I would take photos of the signs anyway. I had taken a photo of a fibreglass or concrete Cassowary, whilst waiting for the 'Daintree Ferry'. And then it happened. ....I found myself yelling "There's one...there's one"! It was crossing the road in front of us. If we had been 30 seconds later coming along that road, we would never have seen it! It just came out of the bush, crossed the road and was gone!
This is some information from the web: Cassowaries are as tall as a person, with a high helmet on its head, a vivid blue neck and long drooping red wattles. The southern cassowary is found only in the tropical rainforests of north-east Queensland, Papua New Guinea and some surrounding islands. The cassowary is an important rainforest gardener, spreading the seeds of rainforest trees. Sometimes the seeds are so large that no other animal can swallow and disperse them. Cassowaries are not common and may be hard to find. For such big, colourful birds, they blend remarkably well into rainforest shadows. Cassowary habitat, particularly on the coastal lowlands, has been seriously reduced by land clearing for farming, urban settlement and other development.
Feeling very satisfied we continued on our way, stopping at 'Thornton Beach' for a look. The tide was out and the little crabs had made patterns all over the beach. It was quite beautiful really. Travelling on we came to the end of the bitumen at 'Cape Tribulation' and found our tourism company 'Jungle Adventures'. We were in plenty of time for our 'Jungle Surf' at 1.30pm, so we went back 500 metres to 'Myall Beach' and took our picnic lunch down onto the sand and ate it where 'The Rainforest Meets the Reef". The 'Wet Tropics World Heritage Area' meets the 'Great Barrier Reef Marine Park World Heritage Area' on this beach at 'Cape Tribulation'.
The 'Wet Tropics World Heritage Area' stretches from Cooktown to Townsville and was listed in 1988. The Great Barrier Reef was declared a 'World Heritage Area' in 1981 because of its 'outstanding universal value'. This recognised the Reef as being one of the most remarkable places on earth, as well as its global importance and its natural worth.
There is a difference between the 'Marine Park' and the 'Barrier Reef' which I was unaware of. Only 1% but that percent is a lot of islands.
About 99 per cent of the World Heritage Area is within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
The remaining one per cent includes:some 980 islands which are under Queensland jurisdiction
I have had great difficulty in determining a title! It could have been any one of a number! I thought about it being 'Mondays will Never be the Same Again'. ..'We've Been Jungle Surfing'....'A Trip to Cape Trib'.....or 'Guess what we've seen today'? Yes....We've seen one of those big flightless birds that are related to Emus and Ostriches...'The Cassowary'....and we saw it in the wild. For us it was in the wild! It came out of the rainforest and walked across the road in front of us. Now why have I chosen my title? Well Delma, who is our 'Minister for Tourism', and we have been so grateful for the tourist tips she has provided us with along the way, has told me "I won't be forgiven if I get a photo of a Cassowary in the wild"!
Today we went to 'Cape Tribulation' for the day. We left early and were at the 'Daintree Discovery Centre' for morning tea. We had crossed the 'Daintree River' on the winch ferry about 20 minutes earlier. Peter spoke to the guy in the cafe about sightings of Cassowaries, and he said "He has been there for 20 years and not seen that many! But you do see them from time to time".
As we drank our coffee we contemplated whether we would pay the concession rate of $28. 50 each to walk the 'aerial walk', in the hope we would see one. Then a family came back from doing the walk and said "They had not had any luck and they were really looking"! Our decision was to continue on our way. There is a walk called the 'Jindalba Boardwalk' that is free and takes you in a circle through the rainforest. A tourist bus had gone further on to that, so we decided that may have been a better option. Sorry...I do have to record all this, it makes the sighting SOoooo much better!
When we got to 'Jindalba' commonsense prevailed and we knew that we should continue travelling and ensure we got to where we needed to be in plenty of time. Our 'Jungle Surfing' experience was not cheap. But then nothing is!
We started to come upon signs telling us to be 'Cautious - Cassowaries Crossing Next 2kms' or 4kms. So I decided I would take photos of the signs anyway. I had taken a photo of a fibreglass or concrete Cassowary, whilst waiting for the 'Daintree Ferry'. And then it happened. ....I found myself yelling "There's one...there's one"! It was crossing the road in front of us. If we had been 30 seconds later coming along that road, we would never have seen it! It just came out of the bush, crossed the road and was gone!
This is some information from the web: Cassowaries are as tall as a person, with a high helmet on its head, a vivid blue neck and long drooping red wattles. The southern cassowary is found only in the tropical rainforests of north-east Queensland, Papua New Guinea and some surrounding islands. The cassowary is an important rainforest gardener, spreading the seeds of rainforest trees. Sometimes the seeds are so large that no other animal can swallow and disperse them. Cassowaries are not common and may be hard to find. For such big, colourful birds, they blend remarkably well into rainforest shadows. Cassowary habitat, particularly on the coastal lowlands, has been seriously reduced by land clearing for farming, urban settlement and other development.
Feeling very satisfied we continued on our way, stopping at 'Thornton Beach' for a look. The tide was out and the little crabs had made patterns all over the beach. It was quite beautiful really. Travelling on we came to the end of the bitumen at 'Cape Tribulation' and found our tourism company 'Jungle Adventures'. We were in plenty of time for our 'Jungle Surf' at 1.30pm, so we went back 500 metres to 'Myall Beach' and took our picnic lunch down onto the sand and ate it where 'The Rainforest Meets the Reef". The 'Wet Tropics World Heritage Area' meets the 'Great Barrier Reef Marine Park World Heritage Area' on this beach at 'Cape Tribulation'.
The 'Wet Tropics World Heritage Area' stretches from Cooktown to Townsville and was listed in 1988. The Great Barrier Reef was declared a 'World Heritage Area' in 1981 because of its 'outstanding universal value'. This recognised the Reef as being one of the most remarkable places on earth, as well as its global importance and its natural worth.
There is a difference between the 'Marine Park' and the 'Barrier Reef' which I was unaware of. Only 1% but that percent is a lot of islands.
About 99 per cent of the World Heritage Area is within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
The remaining one per cent includes:some 980 islands which are under Queensland jurisdiction
- some internal waters or Queensland (for examples, some deep bays, narrow inlets or channels between islands)
- intertidal areas protected by Queensland legislation
- a number of small exclusion areas (state waters) around major ports and urban centres.
On now to the main reason for our drive to 'Cape Tribulation'. When we were at Mount Surprise we heard of a tourist attraction in the rainforest at Cape Tribulation. It was called 'Jungle Surfing' and you swung through the rainforest, strapped in a harness, going from platform to platform via wire ropes. Sounded okay and I picked up a brochure on it when we got to Port Douglas. The brochure said "It was suitable for ages between 3 and 100"! We fitted into that category, so we thought we would give it a go. We are definitely getting gamer as we get older! Or maybe I should say I am, and my darling hubby, is going with the flow! The brochure didn't say that you had to climb high up the mountain to start with. Sure don't think I would have made it in my eighties. Liam told us that they have had an 86 and 87 year old man and woman do the 'Jungle Surf'. Keep that in mind when viewing the photos! I became 'Wonder Woman' and Peter was 'Mini Me'. Guess who were asked to step up first? Yes! 'Wonder Woman and Mini Me'. There is no power to drive anything and there can't be as it is in a heritage listed area. They have come up with this innovative circle thing (Peter will know what to call it) and we had to step into it and start walking. As we stepped around in it and got it turning, two of the instructors, 'Gabby Giggles and Ian', were taken up the wire ropes to the first landing. Then we were hooked on and another couple had to step up and get the 'thingamejig' turning, to get us up to the platform. There were nine of us in the group and that is the maximum number that can be taken. There was a little boy, who was only about 4 or 5 at the most. From 'Platform One' we went 'Jungle Surfing'! At first we went two at a time, so 'Mini Me' was behind me. The last two we went across singularly. The last one they endeavoured to encourage us to let go when we were hanging upside down! Peter wouldn't let go with both hands, but guess who did? Unbelievable what one will do when they are a tourist! I know the kids are not going to believe this blog, but the photos say it all! Can you believe we paid $90.00 each to climb 200 steps or more up the mountain (I don't really know how many, but it was lots), went swinging across through a 'World Heritage Listed Rainforest' in a harness, on wire ropes, screaming at times for fun, and finally hanging upside down, with ones hands out sideways, looking at the ground below? What a hoot!
Mondays will never be the same again! Washing will be so boring! Last Monday it was 'Hot Air Ballooning'....today 'Jungle Surfing'....What will we do next Monday? 26 photos
2025-05-22