Trials and No Tribulation

Duncan at Cape Kimberly with Snapper Island in the distance

Crocs sighted RECENTLY

Daintree Organic Ice Cream Co.
Cooper's Creek Flood
Croc Info

We set out the following morning for Cape Tribulation, the place near where Captain Cook’s ship, Endeavour, ran aground in 1770. Cook spent several months here while his ship was being repaired. His foul mood is reflected in the names he gave local landmarks: Mt. Sorrow, Mt. Despair, Mt. Misery and Weary Bay.

We took the cable ferry arriving before 10 a.m. to beat the crowds – we were almost the only car, of course. A friendly man and woman at the Kuranda tourist information station told us to be sure and go to Cape Kimberly, and we followed the signs down an “unsealed” (gravel) road for 5 km. We passed a sign that said KEEP OUT with a picture of a pirate above it. In addition, there was a very unfriendly notice saying No Toilets, No Phone, Keep Going or something to that effect. This had been the Koala campground listed in the Lonely Planet Guide we’d borrowed from Keila having lost our trusty DK guide in Adelaide somewhere. However the area looked defunct and dreary; I certainly wouldn’t relish camping there.

After reading the crocodile warning signs, we set out through a small stretch of mangrove swamp, looking to the right and left for crocs. I wondered what on earth I’d do if I saw one! Entering the beach we picked our way through tourist debris – plastic and glass bottles and one stray sandal. This was NOT what I had expected to see. There were two other couples, one just ahead of us on the path, and I must say given the croc warning signs, I was glad about that. I’m not sure if I hoped they’d get eaten first or whether they’d be able to get help if we were attacked – maybe both those things. We took a few photos and short videos of Snapper (!) Island – this seemed an unfriendly place – and headed back through the swamp to the car. On the way I did my bit for Daintree National Rainforest and picked up most of the large detritus. Duncan looked a bit exasperated as I deposited it in the trunk of the car.

Next we headed for the Daintree Rainforest Interpretive Centre. This was an award winning concern according to the signs outside. They made great coffee so we sat for awhile reading our guidebooks and familiarizing ourselves with the acoustic=guides we’d rented. I wished we had longer there; we finished the aerial walkway learning about all the plants, animals and aboriginal tucker (food) before reaching the AV centre. The rain began and soon we were in the middle of a rainforest deluge. Thank heavens we were in the shelter. We tried to watch the numerous informative films but the sound of the rain was drumming loudly so we contented ourselves reading about Big Bang, how cyclones are formed and the geology of the area. There was on film Australian Killers where I learned that the giant cassowaries, relatives of the ostrich and the emu, can be very dangerous as can the platypus. Now that came as a surprise; the male platypus has a venom sack and injects the poison through a claw on its underside. This amusing looking creature can kill too! That great little critter from the Australian story I’d used in my classroom year after year, Wombat Stew, could bump me off though it’s highly unlikely because it’s very shy. Keila, who has lived here twenty years, has never seen one though Henri has been lucky because, according to Keila, he has more patience to wait and watch.

We returned to the reception centre for lunch and braved the elements to climb the Canopy Tower afterward. Parts were sheltered but as the water was coming down in sheets we decided to throw in the towel (I wish we’d had one) and come back later if the rain stopped.
We headed for Cow Bay, another deserted beach recommended by the information pair in Kuranda. This time there was a large sandwich board announcing that crocs had been sited RECENTLY in the area and to take even greater care. The walk wasn’t as foreboding however because we walked a sealed path through the sand to reach the beautiful deserted beach. No one to help us this time! When I fantasized about finding these beaches I thought maybe we could swim but no dice. The wet season has extended this year and the stingers or Irukandji are still in the water. So we had to content ourselves with gazing at the waves.

Next stop: Daintree Ice Cream Company where we shared a four scoop cup of Wattle Nut (tastes like cappuccino) , Passion Fruit, Sugar Banana and Saputo (tastes like chocolate pudding)ice cream. It was good but not as good as Maggie Beer’s. The grounds were beautifully landscaped so we lingered for photos.

The rain had stopped, but we decided to head for Cape Tribulation and stop again at the interpretive centre if time permitted. Just before Cooper’s Creek we had to stop short for a line of traffic. We turned off the engine and walked forward to investigate. Had a croc been sighted or even worse attacked? The heavy rains resulted in a raging torrent .8 metres high crossing the road. This was interesting to see because many times on our trip we’d passed signs with measuring sticks up to 2 metres high warning of flash floods but there had never been a drop of water. Now we were able to witness what happens. The road was inundated by fast flowing ochre coloured water, and I wouldn’t have wanted to be crossing in a car or even an SUV. People were gathered on both sides of the torrent, and it didn’t look like this flood would clear soon so we returned to our car. We were passed by a pickup truck that went barrelling down the road and apparently made it across because we heard a great cheer and clapping from the crowd.

We retraced our trail and stopped at Floraville Organic Ice Creams to drown our sorrows in passion fruit ginger ice cream. Floraville got our vote for having the better ice cream of the two we’d visited today but Maggie’s and Bruny Island win hands down.
We decided to head for the ferry before all the traffic on the other side of Cooper’s Creek made it across. We just missed one but were first in line for the next one. We had a chance to study the Daintree River, and I must admit it looked ominous. I’m sure there were lots of crocs lurking because there are croc spotting river trips every hour on the hour. I got out to read the information placard and it said things like, if you fall into the river, get back onshore or in the boat ASAP, or nNever dangle limbs outside the boat etc. Well that’s enough for me, I’ve decided to stick to Hawaii when I crave the tropics now that I’ve had a chance to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef – no crocs!