Deep into Daintree

Evidently Australian turkey guard the doors at the Silky Oak Lodge because this one was insisting that I give him food before letting me pass to breakfast.

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This bird was the only thing standing between me and this cappuccino.  Guess who won.

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Who knew that we would be seeing two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in our visit to Australia.  Today we went deep into the Daintree Rain Forest.  Not only a heritage site but at over 100 million years in age, the oldest rain forest in the world.  We got picked up in a four wheel drive vehicle that looked a bit over the top to thrill the tourist.  Little did I know how much we would need it to climb mountains and go through streams to reach the heart of the rainforest.

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Our first stop was a river cruise on the Daintree River.  We were up close and a little too “personal” to snakes and crocodiles.  Don’t take offense but they are really lazy creatures who eat their young, live solitary lives, and just hang around the shore line until dinner presents itself.

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Then we were off to take a hike into the forest itself.  It is very hard to describe with pictures the feeling of being completely surrounded by the flora and fauna of a rainforest and to see the natural cycle of the forest before your eyes.  I’ll let some pictures talk here.

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Oh, and lizards

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And spiders the size of your hand.

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And Peppermint Stick Insects.

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We ended the day with a dip in a fresh water creek, with water so clear and pure that your skin was rejuvenated when you came out.  And guess what happened, it rained in the rain forest.  So there we were standing in the water with the warm rain washing over us.  I only have a picture of the swimming hole because you can’t take an iPhone into the water without some protection.

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The most memorable part of the day was our lunch at a cafe/animal rescue facility, Lync Haven.  There website does not do justice to their work.  Our guide filled a bucket with apples and other fruit and we hand fed them to the rescued kangaroos.  Max, who likes to hold the bucket in his arms had a hand injured and could not survive in the wild.  Jack who had the equivalent affection of a dog like to be scratched behind his ears and on his chest.  His mother was killed by a car and he had to be hand fed to survive.  Jack loved our guide and actually hugged him around the legs until he gave him the scratches he so desired.  These “roos also recognized a Swedish couple upon their return after twenty years.  Don’t tell me animals are without emotion.  I was so overwhelmed that the pictures I took don’t reflect the moment they way I would like, but here they are.

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Tomorrow we are just staying at the Silky Oak Lodge all day, absorbing the beauty and maybe taking a dip in the river swimming hole.  On Sunday we travel to Sydney so I am offline until then.

Again, thanks for all your comments.

 

 

3 thoughts on “Deep into Daintree”

  1. Libbey would love to have a “roo” for her very own play mate! The rain forest is breathtaking, can only imagine what it is like to experience it in person. Thanks again for including us…

  2. Thanks for sharing your great rainforest adventure. I didn’t see a picture of Wayne and the “troubling humidity” In that heat, the spackle must be running.

  3. Can appreciate your wonderment at interacting with a species as distinctive as the roo. I envy your dip in that luxurious forest pool. I envy everything about your adventure.

    Was it your hand by that gigundo spider?

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