[Frames Version] This page Best Viewed with the Browser of your Choice!
 |
| Spotted moray eel photograph |
 |
| Fourp-wheeling photograph |
If you visit Cairns and can take the time, rent a four-wheel drive vehicle and go up the Bloomfield Track into the rainforest. North of the Daintree River travel without a FWD vehicle is not recommended, although the road is not too bad up as far as Cape Tribulation. At some places, there are paved sections, wooden bridges, and cement strips to help cars without FWD up and over the hill. At Cape Tribulation the "road" ends, and from there to Georgetown you are driving over the Bloomfield Track - an old logging road through the jungle and over mountains! The road runs through the Wet Tropics World Wildlife Heritage Area and is as "natural" as possible. There are no bridges - just fords across the creeks with high water marks to let you know just how deep the water may be, and there are plenty of tributaries that run down from the billabongs up in the rainforest and empty into the ocean. There was a bridge at Bloomfield, where there was an actual river to cross but the center span had washed out and the middle was filled with rubble.
 |
| Australian coast photograph |
We traveled along the Bloomfield Track through the Findlayson Range as far as the Lion's Head Pub billed as the oldest pub in Australia. We had a great lunch while talking with some pig hunters about their life and work. These people make some extra cash using specially-trained and -equipped dogs to locate and capture feral pigs (whose ancestors originated as escapees from Captain Cook's stranding in 1770), then selling them in Georgetown whence they are transported to the Philippines and other parts of Asia for market. We wanted to continue on to Georgetown but no one could agree on just how much longer that trip would take. Apparently it is quite hard to calculate the speed at which a novice off-roader like myself could travel a known distance. I did not much relish the idea of camping in the rainforest that night, and since we had a reservation at a lovely resort back at Cape Tribulation we never did get to see Georgetown. Oh well, save something for next time!
The experience of staying in the rainforest is unique, with creatures showing up at night just outside our villa, which may have a large screened window or perhaps a deck that faces or overlooks the rainforest. We put our dive lights to good use tramping through the rainforest on a 'night safari' with several other guests making enough noise to wake the dead, and not seeing much. Later we observed some Forest Dragons, and Tree Possums as well as other nocturnal animals right from the comfort of our villa. To give you an idea of some of the scenery, several secens of the new of"The Island of Dr. Moreau" were filmed near where we stayed; in fact, the week after we left the Coconut Beach Reef Resort it was completely booked up by the production company.
 |
| Australian Daintree River photograph |
Another activity we recommend if you have an interest in learning more about the local fauna, is to go on an early-morning bird-watching tour with ornithologist Chris Dahlberg. he takes only one small boatload of ten people up the Daintree River at sunrise. When we went with him, we were among the fortunate few to see the nesting site and fledgling of the Australian Great Billed Heron. Mr. Dahlberg told us that though the species had been known for over 180 years, he was the first person to observe the courtship and nesting of these birds! All in all, we saw over 135 different types of birds on that trip. Mrs. Dahlberg operates a rescue program for damaged or injured Flying Foxes, a species of Australian fruit bat.
We found the accommodations in Far Northern Queensland to be small and independently owned/operated, which makes for a much friendlier experience, and everything was clean and in good repair, size not being an indicator of top-drawer service. (No chain hotels, or restaurants more than 24 miles north of Cairns .) The area reminded me very much of the type of Northern Wisconsin resorts I visited with my family as a young boy.
 |
| Palm frond closeup photograph |
Two places we highly recommend are Coconut Beach Rainforest Resort near Cape Tribulation where the rainforest does indeed meet the reef, and
Silky Oaks Lodge on the edge of the Mossman Gorge just north of Port Douglas. BTW:Both of these resorts have received top honors from the Queensland division of the Australian Tourism Board within the past two years! Overall, it was a unique experience - one that I'm afraid can't last forever.
All diving images © Neal Skrenes 1996, 1997. Please do not use without permission.
Technical notes: See the notes on Mr.Scuba's Other Interests page.
Links to Dive Related sites on the WebPlease stop andSign My Guest book
© 1996, 1997 mr/scuba@oocities.com
This page was handwritten no HTML generators were used!
Get your own Free Home Page