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Cape Tribulation Campground, Far North Queensland, Australia. 165km

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Australian word of the day: No Worries – You’re welcome.

Yesterday was a relaxing day with no movement. We went to the beach and played around with the kids. At noon, just before naptime we spotted a giant lizard near our RV. It is at least 1 meter long and has a huge snakelike tongue. I didn’t know what it’s called, but it was very cool to see. Other than the lizard, we saw various types of birds flying around. The celeb bird in these parts though is the cassowary, a large flightless bird the size of an ostrich but much weirder looking. There are signs all over warning people to be careful around these birds as they can deal a painful kick if they feel intimidated. But getting to see a cassowary here in its natural settings is probably as hard as spotting a bear in the US national parks. We hope we’ll get a chance.

Today we left Cape Kimberly and headed north to the farthest point we can venture without a 4×4 vehicle. Cape Tribulation was named by the famous Captain Cook after his ship was damaged by a reef nearby. This whole area is part of the Daintree National Park and is sparsely populated. There is a lot of eco tourism though, and the very narrow road up north is filled with signs and turnoffs to various B&Bs, hostels and retreats.

Just a few kms north of Cape Kimberly we stopped at Jindalba Boardwalk for 700m tour of the rainforest. Signs warned us to beware of cassowaries, but we weren’t lucky enough to see one or any animal as a matter of fact. Still, the lush green forest very impressive, and with some plaques along the walk we learned a bit about the workings of this tropical plant haven.

As we drove up north, I had to take it really slow as the road was very narrow. I felt bad for all the cars behind me. Thankfully it was not a busy day on the road. We reached a lookout to Cape Tribulation just around noon, and all three kids were dozing off in their seats. Paola and I took turns walking to the beach to see the rainforest meet the water. As I walked by some picnic tables I saw the same long lizard as yesterday clambering over a family’s lunch. The distraught mother was not appreciative of the beast’s beauty, but other tourists (like me) snapped away their cameras. I later found out that the lizard is called a Lace Monitor, or goanna.

When we reached the campground, the kids woke up and we had a sandwich lunch in the air conditioned motorhome before stepping 100m to the beach. And what a beach. Great shade provided by the tropical trees. Smooth white sand. 20cm deep warm pools of water perfect for tots. Rock pools and mangroves nearby for discovering crabs and fish. And the actual sea out east 200-300m from where we sat.

We spent 4 hours there, and by the time we were done, the kids were insanely tired. Luckily a quick dinner of lamb and corn, prepared in the communal kitchen, helped revive them, as well as other children running about. Still, at 7:15pm all three are now asleep.

Tomorrow we start heading south to Brisbane, almost 2000km. Lots of interesting things to do along the way.

Good night,

-Hemi

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007 at 1:10 am and is filed under Australia, Big Trip. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.