Cape Tribulation

Port Douglas has three remarkable geological phenomenon converging. One, of course, the Reef. Two, the Daintree Rainforest (both World Heritage sites), and three, it’s just about where the Dividing Mountain Ranges meet the sea. Today, I visited the spot where Mount Sorrow meets Cape Tribulation (I think we can all agree Captain Cooke was a bit of a pouty pants.)

Probably three-quarters of eastern Australia’s population resides between the ocean and the Great Dividing Mountains. They start in the south in Victoria where they are several hundred kilometres from the sea, and end in the north where they run into the ocean.

So the land strip between the sea and mountains gets narrower and narrower until it disappears at Cape Trib. I got to drive that strip of highway north of Cairns. Really beautiful, but probably most remarkable, it really is not so different from the way it was when Cooke “discovered” the Great Barrier Reef by running the Endeavour into it. At Cape Tribulation itself, there is no development, no beach-front condominiums, and no parking lots in paradise.

OK, there are tourist buses. After all that’s how I got there. Cape Trib is just about as far north as roads run up the east coast, and it certainly marks the end of my trip north. Today I spent most of the day in the amazing Daintree Rainforest. The tropical wet as they call it here – both adjectives completely describe the experience.

It’s just like in the movies – the water drips from every leaf and limb. Spiders build huge webs between giant trees, and the webs catch the glimmer of the sun when it does manage to penetrate the canopy. They probably catch the odd bird or two as well, but I didn’t get to witness anything like that. The one bird I really wanted to see in the wild, native to these rainforests, is the cassowary - but she was not to be seen. I'll have to go with the Zoo's inmates as my sole experience with this ancient giant.

I'm done with the north - heading south again. Look out Perth - here I come.