Day 22: We escape our tribulations at Cape Trib (23/06/12)

Time to go out for a drive. As we had not crossed the Daintree River 6 years ago, we decided we would do that and explore up to Cape Tribulation. Off we went, revisiting Holloway Beach on the way. That was our first tropical beach in 2006, and set the tone for the trip at the time.

Between Esplanade and beach at Holloway Beach

Holloway Beach with the Trinity Reserve behind

Joke has mixed memories of Holloway Beach, but a beach is a beach...... :-)

Then we went on to Palm Cove to see how the other half live. Very pretty, lovely beach, but the people generally put me off. You generally live a totally different lifestyle as a caravanner. Never mind, to each his own.

Taylor Point, south of Palm Beach

Jetty at Palm Beach with Double Island behind

Palm Beach and its citizens

The weather seemed to be ambivalent about putting on a real good downpour. While it was dithering we scooted along unwetted.

On the road to Port Douglas - Macalister Range from Rex Lookout

Setting up for hang gliding at Rex Lookout

Leaving the showers behind

As we drove along the James Cook Highway (mysteriously pronounced James Crook by our Selina, along with Port Dougl-ass), Joke glanced sideways into the Mowbray River and saw a crocodile lazing in the shadows.

Not real, you say? Well I could hardly take my hands off the steering wheel to take a picture!

Our only real live one to date.

We crossed the Daintree on the ferry..

The Daintree Ferry

The cable mechanism

"Don't draw attention to me, you idiot! I didn't buy a ticket!"

..and drove on past the lookout over the Daintree River..

Left: Mt Alexander foothills and Snapper Island

Right: The Dagmar Range with the Main Coastal Range behind

Front centre: Yours truly and the Missus

The mouth of the Daintree

..until we reached the Daintree Discovery Centre. This was an excellent place to visit. Very well laid out, very well documented with both written and audio guides. And the rainforest canopy is just marvellous to observe. It’s mayhem in there, as everything climbs and grows over the backs of everything else – such a riot of forms and shapes. It was good to be able to identify things using the guides – which also alerted us to things we would otherwise not have noticed.

Daintree rainforest

What is it?

Everything is trying to catch a ray of sunshine

Hitching a ride on the big tree - and creating a nice pattern too.

Large fern from above

The rainforest canopy - where the winners live!

Just a nice tree

Elkhorn

It was getting late when we wrenched ourselves away and drove on the last 25 kms or so to Cape Tribulation. For such a remote area, it was very busy. We had a quick look on the beach, took a picture or two, and then headed back south.

Cape Tribulation

Joke on the beach at Cape Tribulation

Mangroves on beach at Cape Tribulation

Paper bark tree

Daintree River in the late afternoon

We needed to do some grocery shopping, and we had noticed that they don’t have long hours in Cairns, so we needed to get back to Mossman before closing time. Which we did, just.