NATURAL magic
Has an incredible two days between unique landscapes in Tropical North Queensland.
Driving north from Port Douglas in Queensland, the road’s definitely getting twistier. After an amusing ride on the tiny car ferry across the river, I’ve left coastal vistas behind and am heading into a greener, denser environment.
The foliage is moving in and the frequency of ‘Danger Cassowaries Crossing’ signs has definitely increased. Manicured towns filled with cafes and resortwear shops are in the rearview mirror and Mother Nature is now squarely in charge as I drive through tunnels of lush green rainforest, punctuated by magical shafts of light.
There’s a growing excitement as I enter somewhere that feels very special.
And it really is like nowhere I’ve ever been, because I’m approaching the Daintree, the oldest rainforest in the world (predating the Amazon by millions of years).
This part of the world redefines the term ancient and is truly unique because it’s where two World Heritage sites meet – the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.
This rainforest is home to 663 species of animal, 230 butterfly species and more than 2800 different types of plants – most of which are not found anywhere else.
I’m not one to throw the word ‘magical’ around lightly, but there’s definitely something otherworldy in these twisted vines and in this landscape that time and modern busyness seem to have forgotten.
I’m based in Cape Tribulation for two days and after spending some time in Cairns, Palm Cove and Port Douglas, this is a bit of a change.
Gone are the boutique hotels and gift shops; it’s definitely all about nature in these parts. I have a cute ensuite cabin at Ocean Safari (oceansafari. com.au) and the people I’m crossing paths with at the cafe, and on excursions, are a wonderful bunch – older nature lovers, young solo backpackers, active couples from all over the globe – all interested in each other’s stories and chatting about life in general. I feel like I’m 21 again.
My first day is spent in the rainforest itself – ziplining with Treetops Adventure (treetopsadventure.com.au), to be precise. This is an incredible way to see the forest from an elevated perspective.
My guide is another daytime philosopher (does this destination make people reflect more deeply on their place in the world?) and, in between chiding me about my slightly nervous disposition as I look ahead to those long lines very high off the forest floor, he fills my head with fascinating facts.
We talk about everything from the local Kuku Yalanji people, to fascinating frog species, to
Buddhist philosophy, to the golden orb spider and its impossibly strong web – and everything in between.
As we look out from the last platform to the jumbled shapes of lush green palms and vines below, giving way to that great blue ocean in the distance, I can totally see why this area is sacred to the people of this land.
After heading out to dinner at The Cassowary (I ordered the crocodile), right in the rainforest itself, I’m ready for my night walk with Far North Escapes (farnorthescapes.com.au).
I’m laughing that I’m even here, given my morbid fear of creepy crawlies, but somehow I’m not afraid at all as we set off in search of echidna, scorpions, huntsman spiders, mystical mushrooms spraying spores in the torchlight and so much more.
Maybe it’s the guide’s infectious enthusiasm, maybe it’s because these creatures are in their home – rather than mine – but it’s an enchanting walk through the rainforest as we discover ants that taste like citrus when you lick their backsides (much less weird than it sounds) and learn fascinating facts about the hundreds of creatures that occupy this ancient forest. We don’t spot a cassowary, but it’s exciting knowing they are in there.
Early next morning, it’s out on a boat to explore a different type of local resident, the ones that live under the sea. Our guide is from New Zealand and I instantly feel at ease as we head out to Mackay and Undine coral reefs for some underwater exploration.
The trip doesn’t disappoint, with turtles, brightly coloured schools of fish of all shapes and sizes – and even Nemo! A young man in our group is clearly having a moment as it was his favourite movie growing up and he looks like he may have heard angels sing when he saw his first clownfish in the flesh.
After snorkelling in a couple of spots, we head to the cay itself. This tiny sandy oasis is the Maldives-type turquoise and white hues of your wildest island dreams and I make a conscious effort to etch this moment in my memory, to be saved for those days when Auckland’s weather is doing its worst.
The words ‘breathtakingly stunning’ seem cliche and inadequate but it’s all I have as I sit on the sand and take in this ridiculous level of beauty.
We are all on a huge high as the boat heads back to base, but weirdly our excited chatter suddenly falls silent as we walk through the path through the forest between the beach and Ocean Safari HQ.
There’s something about the tangled gnarly vines and ancient flora that feels sacred, and it’s like we’re all processing how fortunate we are to be somewhere that’s witnessed so many geological eras and is still relatively untouched.
This sentiment is only reinforced that night as I indulge in a simple plate of local prawns for dinner at a local restaurant, Whet (facebook. com/whetcapetrib), and look out at the rainforest around me; this place is special and I have been incredibly lucky to step back in time and experience a stillness so many of us no longer have in our busy modern lives.
The next day as I’m heading back out to Cairns, I reflect on how the only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been a sighting of a cassowary, since they are thought to be one of the closest living species to dinosaurs – the casque on their heads certainly looks prehistoric. They would be the closest thing I’ll ever see to a mini version of a moa.
As if the forest hears my thoughts, one of these regal armoured birds and its chick crosses the road in front of my car just as I’m leaving Cape Tribulation, causing me to brake, freeze and gasp as I grapple for my phone camera.
As I said, I don’t like to throw the word magical around lightly, but there’s really no other word for this end to an incredible two days in Tropical North Queensland.