No trials but tribulations

We got the car around 08:00; a little light green Hyandu. It might have been small but it was really modern and super easy to drive. We got on the road around 09:15 and headed on the Cook Highway towards Cape Tribulation. For those who don't know, Cape Tribulation is a spot north of Cairns where Tropical rain forest meets the sea. The Daintree National Parks up there have many natural beauty spots and it's all a world heritage site.


I wanted to drive. I've never driven abroad and as Oz drives on the left, it was the perfect opportunity. I LOVED IT. There was wasn't many other people about and the route was simple as it follows the coast north; it was simple and peaceful and beautiful. Although not always flat, straight and smooth so it was a good chance to try out some more challenging driving too.

The plan for the day was to make our way up to Cape Trib visiting sights along the way. We first stopped at a look out over looking one of Cairns beautiful beaches: Ellis beach. The view was such a postcard for perfection. I was amazing driving alongside this stuff.

We next stopped at Port Douglas for a brief snack. Lots of people told us that this place is excellent and we nearly stayed here instead of Cairns. Kind of glad we didn't though because although it was pretty and sedate like we prefer, it seemed a little too quiet. Also, along whole of north Queensland is stinger season, meaning it is not safe to swim in the sea AT ALL. Port Douglas has a section on sea with a stinger net that people can swim in but it looked quite small and a bit restrictive...

Then it was on to Mossman Gorge; a rocky point in the river suitable for swimming. Loved this. Had a really good cool off in the water. Me and Ame even went up to about halfway on the stream and then neively thought we've "float back down. However the river was much faster than we'd thought and we more crashed down than floated. I have bruised knees! Still worth it though, very fun.


After a spot of lunch on the riverside it was on to the Daintree River and we got ourselves a Croc Cruise for an hour. We buzzed about the Daintree River on a little boat. We approached a river bank, and there was Mr Croc. A small male: 2 metres! Apparently, they can get up to 7 metres nose to tail. Unfortunately it's near impossible to get a good photo of this (and the other crocs we saw) because they are just so blooming camoflaged. However, we also saw these brilliant tree frogs. It took me a while to spot them again cos they blend in so much. But when I did there were 3 of the little beauties sitting there minding their own business. It was interesting to hear about the rainforest too. Because it is the oldest in the world a lot of plants have evolved to protect themselves. So a lot of them can do you a LOT of damage.

We had to cross the river to continue our journey so we headed over to the small Daintree river ferry which takes about 2 minutes for $20 return (rip off but no choice). We were now heading towards the Cape. After some winding roads, another scenic lookout of where the river hits the ocean, a few food stops to buy fresh food for dinner, we arrived at Cape Trib Beach House. This place was a little pricey but the alternative were hostels with a pretty bad rep. This place was wicked though. Right on the Cape beach, swimming pool, bar, guest kitchen, and a pool table! So after cooking Pesto Pasta a la local sausage, we settled down to a few games of pool before passing out around 22:00.

Tomorrow we're gonna explore the rainforest and then leave for the Atherton Tablelands (about a 3 - 4 hour drive south) ready to do the "waterfall circuit" and see more natural beauty...