Exploring Daintree National Park

Goodbye Myall Beach

I’m awake at 3am and no matter how hard I try, I never really get back to sleep.

We go for breakfast at the Turtle Rock Cafe and take one last walk on Myall Beach. We have the whole beach to ourselves. The sand is the finest of white powder. 

I say goodbye to all the Flying Fox Bats which I can see clearly in their tree and check out a really cool spider and web.

Mardja Boardwalk and Ice Cream

We head first to Mardja Boardwalk which goes through rainforest and mangrove areas.

Our next stop is the Daintree Ice Cream Company which makes ice cream from all kinds of exotic fruit. Yum.

Daintree Discovery Centre

We spend a lot of time at the Daintree Discovery Centre which is very informative and interesting. The Centre has a series of tree level catwalks, ground paths and an observation tower set in the rainforest. Unfortunately we do not see the elusive Cassowary bird…but I do get some pictures with a statue. The Cassowary is the world’s third largest bird. After laying her eggs the mother says “I’m outta here” and walks away  never to return. It’s up to dad to incubate the eggs until they hatch then raise the chicks until they are old enough to fend for themselves. 

We climb up the tower so that we are in the tree canopy and I’m able to see some cool birds.

Alexandra Lookout and River Crossing

We stop a second time at Alexandra Lookout. This time there is no fog so the view is quite good.

On our way back south we need to cross the Daintree River again but this time it’s a long wait for the 5 minute ferry crossing. The ferry has broken down. There is no alternate route…its the ferry or nothing. A ferry employee walks down the line of cars advising that they have a replacement for the broken part and it’s being installed. Thankfully we are only delayed about an hour.

Mossman Gorge

Our next stop is Mossman Gorge. A lot of people come to swim in the crocodile free pools. There are walking paths and a suspension bridge over the gorge although it’s really just a boulder strewn river.

Hello Port Douglas

We head over to Port Douglas and check into our apartment for three nights. It is spacious and has a kitchen and pool. Yeah!

We head to IGA and pick up some groceries. Food here seems to cost a bit more than in Canada.

After dropping off the groceries to the apartment, we head to the main area of the city.

We park by another white sandy beach. Despite a sign saying that crocodiles are sometimes in the water, a few people are swimming.

We have a destination in mind. We are going to the Cane Toad races.

We pass a tree with lots of squacking parrot voices. We see a lot of parrots flying too and from the tree. There are hundreds of them…beautiful bright lorikeets.

Cane Toad Races

We arrive at Chillys Restaurant. The toads races are held in the back of the restaurant. Entrance costs 6 AUD (about 5.50 CAD). Cane toads are an invasive species in Australia with no natural predator. There are many more cane toads than people here and are considered pests. In fact, it is estimated that the cane toad population is 200 million.

The races are interactive and highly amusing. The toads all had funny names like Jerry Springer, Fat Bastard, Donald Jump, Pigeon Toad,  and Camel Toad. Click here for a short video.

After the races we go out for supper (kebabs). I have an Australian Barramundi (fish) one which is delicious.

We call it a night and head back to the apartment