Daintree Rainforest i

The World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest is the largest rainforest (1,200 square kilometres) in Australia. It is also the world's oldest rainforest (180 million years) and is believed to be the last remaining example of what Gondwanaland would have been like. Located next to the ocean, it is famously known as 'where the forest meets the sea'. The region is also home to a significant percentage of Australia's plant and animal species; there are species which cannot be found anywhere else.

Yes, Australia does have rainforests and does not simply consist of deserts (or the 'outback') despite common misconceptions.

The drive up to the rainforest was stunning; the road followed the coastline and there were so many stunning beaches. Although the guide advised against swimming due to the influx of crocodiles in the region. A few days earlier, a woman had been killed by a crocodile. Yikes.


Crossing the Daintree River 

The tour guide felt a little tired in his 'performance' - over rehearsed jokes and comments.




Strangler fig
One of the coolest experiences is being in a rainforest whilst it is raining. I find it fascinating to see how the different layers of plants in the under story provide shelter from the rain, especially when there are gaps in the canopy. You can hear the rain, hear it dripping from leaf to leaf but not feel it.




Spot the spider. Hint: the black dot is the body.
After a short boardwalk in the rainforest, we continued the journey to Cape Tribulation. To save some money, my boyfriend and I had decided to skip the lunch offered by the company and brought our own food. What is it about being in nature that makes food taste so much better!




Part II coming soon.