Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker
(2019) Channel 4, 8.30pm
The final sequel to the original Star Wars trilogy features a posthumous appearance by Carrie Fisher as Leia (above). But it's Rey who takes centre stage as she rallies the surviving members of the resistance against the most evil force in the galaxy. ★★★☆☆
with giant mountains and lush green valleys in the distance.
We pass through the township of Mossman, which has the most northern mill in Australia, built in 1904 to convert sugar cane to raw sugar, and spot trains trundling along the tracks from field to mill, laden with canes.
We then pass a saltwater barramundi farm – the fish, which can reach 6ft and weigh 130lb, is a delicacy in these parts – before crossing the Daintree River aboard its traditional wooden ferry, with white herons swarming over us.
The second walk of the day took us along the Jindalba Boardwalk, where we find sheoak trees, which are used by indigenous Australians who carve boomerangs out of the overground roots.
After lunch at On The Turps, an openair restaurant in the Heritage Lodge where they serve barramundi or steak and chips, Thai curry and fettucini, there is time for a refreshing swim in Cooper Creek. The next highlight is the drive from
Cooper Creek to Cape Tribulation, where we kept our eyes peeled for cassowary, the third-tallest and secondheaviest bird in the world, as well as the most lethal: it has often been labelled the world’s most dangerous bird as its giant claws do a lot of damage to humans if you upset them.
‘If you come across a cassowary in the wild, put your backpack in front of you and back away slowly,’ warns Mel.
Luckily, we are in a sturdy four-wheel-drive vehicle when we spot a trio of birds – a male and two babies – on our way to Cape Tribulation.
But it is on our way back that we encounter a rarity: a pair of cassowaries with their offspring. Even a group of motorcyclists, held up by them crossing the road, stop to take photographs. You don’t often see a couple together, as the female is usually long gone, according to Mel.
Cape Tribulation itself is an extraordinary botanical treasure – the only place in the world where two Unesco World Heritage sites meet: Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.
IMAKE my way on to the horseshoe-shaped coastline, which is lined with mangrove trees, and it is incredible to experience the juxtaposition of tropical rainforest and coral reef. Finally we take a cruise in a flatbottomed boat along Daintree River, searching for saltwater crocodiles – known as salties – the largest of all reptiles. And within minutes we spot a young crocodile spreadeagled on a beach at the side of the river.
But then, as we watch Thornton Peak, Queensland’s third-highest mountain, disappear into the clouds, we spy the piece de resistance: a 10ft-long adult female basking in the sunshine on the riverbank.
I’m sure that even Sir David Attenborough would have been impressed.
Claudia Joseph was a guest of Northern Escape Collection.
A lagoon bayan at Daintree Ecolodge costs from A$475 a night for two, including breakfast. The full-day Daintree Discovery Tour costs A$224 per adult and A$204 per child aged ten to 14 (daintreediscoverytours.com.au).