Yearling saltwater crocodile
We managed to get out of Babinda about two o’clock yesterday. The town workers came by and said the road was open, so we packed up the motorhome and headed north. When we drove across the bridge it was obvious what had happened. They were repairing the bridge and the washout had removed some of the temporary supports. We drove through Cairns and north to Port Douglas. The views out over the ocean are very nice as you follow the Captain Cook highway north along the Coral Sea.
Yesterday while stuck in Babinda Enid picked up a tour brochure about crocodile tours on the Daintree River, and a self guided driving tour through the tropical rain forest with several suggested sites to see. We decided to go there this morning, as it was a very nice and very warm day. First we drove in to Mossman Gorge and spent a bit over an hour walking through the tropical rain forest. There were many very interesting plants and trees. Huge trees tower overhead supported by large buttressing root systems. Vines and many other epiphytes cling to the trees. It wasn’t raining but warm enough and humid enough that we were drenched with perspiration by the time we finished.
We then continued on north to the tiny town of Daintree Village. Here is where the crocodile boat tour takes place. We checked in with the tour booth, and the clerk said they weren’t very busy, so the next tour would be in about half an hour. We decided to eat our lunch, and so after that went back and bought our tickets. When we boarded the boat we were the only two aboard. We waited for about 15 minutes, then the boat left the dock. No sooner had we crossed the river than several more people showed up at the dock, so we returned and picked them up as well.
We travelled around the river for about an hour. We saw a few saltwater crocodiles. At this time of year they are mostly in the water or deep in the undergrowth keeping cool, so they are very hard to spot. We did see a lot of birds and butterflies, and a number of different kinds of tropical vegetation.
Next we drove about 15 minutes back towards Port Douglas, to a spot close to where the ferry crosses the Daintree River. Here was the second stage of our tour, and we took another boat cruise out on the lower part of the river. Here the river is much wider. We saw a few more crocodiles, again very well hidden in the bush, and a tree snake, but many fewer birds. The only crocodile we got a really good view of was a young one the guide indicated would be a bit over a year old.
It was an enjoyable day on the water even though we didn’t see a lot of wildlife. Tomorrow morning we will be leaving early for a snorkelling trip to the Great Barrier Reef.