When people think about Australia, they conjure images of kangaroos, koalas, deserts, snakes, beaches and of course - spiders.
I am pleased to say that yes, we have all of these BUT we also have great swathes of tropical rainforest. In fact, the Daintree Rainforest of Far North Queensland is the oldest on the planet with estimates that it is approximately 180 MILLION years old. It also happens to be one of my favourite places to visit.
When I was a young lad, my Auntie and Uncle moved to Far North Queensland. This meant that during my Christmas School holidays, I’d be shipped up there for a couple of weeks at a time. It was so foreign, exotic and amazing.
Giant green tree frogs that barely fit into your hands, stick figured curlews crying their haunting howls at night, lots of snakes, 5m long salt water crocodiles and giant fruit bats flying overhead. I always make an effort to visit each year.
Why?
It’s pristine and simply beautiful. Take Babinda Boulders for example. I went for a swim at the crack of dawn, the water was as flat as glass until I noticed something splashing in the water near me. A minor freak out thinking it was a crocodile before realising that it was a platypus - I’ve never seen one in captivity let alone in the wild, foraging for its breakfast only a couple of metres away. There’s only 3 species of monotremes in the world (mammals that lay eggs) and Australia has 2 of them - the platypus and the echidna.
Do you like rainfalls, swimming in freshwater and being surrounded by tropical fish? FNQ is the place for you. There’s waterfalls everywhere as parts of this region of Australia get some of the highest annual rainfalls. When you’re this high up in altitude, you don’t need to worry about Salt Water Crocodiles joining you for a swim:
Did I mention tropical wonder and waterfalls? I think I did but still want to convince you that this place is an absolute paradise. All of the major waterfalls, lakes and rivers have ecotourism with grassed areas to have a picnic and boardwalks to help you navigate the forest. The waters are unpredictable with flash flooding so be careful as the current is very strong on an average day:
Want to be connected back to the dinosaurs or even the pre-dino era?
The Daintree Rainforest will transport you through time and space. You may even encounter a bushturkey on your hike. Unlike the ones that end up on the centre of tables in North America, our bushturkeys feel as if they’ve just walked off the set of Jurassic Park:
There’s not enough time to see or explain it all but I encourage my fellow Aussies to make a trip if they haven’t already and for the rest of you, we look forward to sharing this paradise with you once the borders open up again.
Stay safe
-David
This post is really stunning!
