43. Cairns nature moments

After experiencing days in semi arid desert followed by a day on a coral reef, today we moved on to tropical rain forest...and a day full of nature moments it was too.

We headed northwards out of Cairns passing field after field of sugar cane until we came to our first stop, a small nature reserve. We got to see cute stuff like koalas, do even cuter stuff like hand feed the wallabies and then see the dangerous stuff like crocodiles and cassowaries. 

The next stop was a place called Mossman Gorge where we had a walk through the countryside whilst our guide pointed out various plants, trees and shrubs, some dangerous (sharp and pointy and poisonous), and some not dangerous, just pretty. We also got to see a snake which crossed the path in front of us...only the second time we've seen a snake in the wild. It was a semi dangerous one, ie, not deadly but could give a nasty bite.

Continuing even further north we eventually reached the Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation (named by Captan Cook as he reckoned many of his woes began at this point). We got to have a wander along the almost deserted beach which was very picturesque indeed and as this was the place where the rainforest reached the sea and the Great Barrier Reef, there were plenty of photo opportunities. Our guide also pointed out some green ants...these could be held with care and squeezed so that a drop of a very acidic lime tasting liquid could be tasted on our tongues.

It was now time to start retracing our steps, but not before a stop on the Daintree River in the hope of spotting a crocodile or two. Unfortunately, the high tides at the moment are covering many of the crocs favourite riverbank haunts but we did mange to see a juvenile...only 18 inches or so in length.

On the way back to Cairns we passed a couple of fields which were full of wild wallabies just having a late afternoon snack. 

The last nature moment of the day occurred at dusk right in the middle of the town. An almighty screeching filled the air and thousand upon thousand of large fruit bats took to the air on their nightly hunt for food. It was quite an incredible spectacle and something the like of which we have never seen before.