(kidding, we never saw one)
“Did you all have fun? Was it scary?” Asked the woman waiting for her turn at the check-in counter.
“Yes to both! We really enjoyed it, and it wasn’t too scary; they have a whole system for making sure no one is ever unhooked. Unless you’re afraid of heights–”
“I am afraid of heights,” she interjected.
“Ah. Well, then perhaps ziplining through the rainforest isn’t for you.” I didn’t know what else to say, but I was searching for a positive. “You could just go up and look for the tree kangaroos?”
While, on the whole, this trip has been pretty amazing, there have been several moments where I feel like the entire country is in cahoots taking us tourists on one giant snipe hunt, and here I was perpetuating it to this poor woman whose so-called friends had convinced her to go zipping through the Daintree Rainforest.
“Drive carefully; cassowaries are right along the roadside,” they say. Sure.
“You just have to wait long enough behind this platypus blind. They are shy, but the platypus love this area. You’ll see them,” they claim. Uh-huh.
“Make sure to look up; that’s where you’ll find the tree kangaroos,” says the nature sign. Yeah right.
I’m sure the Aussies have collectively had a great laugh at our expense; good for them. I can take a joke as much as the next Sheila, and I’ve been in Australia long enough to appreciate a fair dinkum joke, but I’m not falling for it anymore. I’m happy to return the favor with some cow-tipping and jackalope hunting if they ever come my way, but I think I’ll focus on the cool plants and marine life for now.
“That heart-shaped plant over there will actively inject you with poison if you touch it. It’s technically classified as a venomous plant,” the rainforest tour guide explained. Oh, wow, that’s fascinating! I think, falling for it, hook, line, and sinker. When will I learn?
Cape Tribulation was our farthest trip, so we woke up extra early to make sure we made our 10am zipline appointment. This was C’s pick, and I thought it could be fun, but I was not quite prepared for the feeling I would have while seeing my 12-year-old firstborn fly through the treetops with nothing underneath her, not even a shock of cassowaries to break her fall. The part that made me feel better was the system they have in place where you don’t have a clip exactly, but your harness is attached to a carabineer with only one small flat opening. The opening is too small to come off the lines, but each connector piece has a flat bit that you wrangle the carabineer across to move along the lines. It’s sort of like an escape room puzzle and flying through the forest all in one. We really did have a fun time, and if you are not afraid of heights, I would totally recommend it. C and H said it was one of their favorite things we’ve done there. After two hours, the guide was letting us know it was our last run and H said, “But we just started!”
We also saw the beaches you are not allowed to swim in (saltwater crocodiles live there) and tasted the fancy flavored ice cream made nearby (salted caramel crocodile flavored) before making the long drive back.
Our next day trip (interspersed with lazy days swimming at Trinity Beach and our igloo pool) was up to Atherton Tablelands. This fertile farming valley was really gorgeous, and we made several stops on our loop: the Barrine Teahouse, Lake Eacham, Yungaburra for shops and lunch, the giant Curtain Fig Tree, and three platypus sites.
The ‘main event’ for the day was the Crystal Caves on the edge of Atherton. Renee Something Somethingelse, now 80 years old, has been collecting crystals, minerals, and meteorites from around the world since his early 20’s. In his enthusiasm to share his passion with the world, he created a man-made ‘cave’ to display them all in, where people can walk through with headlamps to see (and touch!) all his awesome finds. H’s favorites were the mammoth jaw fossils, the luminescent globes, the largest amethyst geode, and the fact that you got to pick and crack your own geode at the end. A shiny crystal rock of your own–44 million years in the making!
We also had scones at the Lake Barrine Teahouse and walked around another crater lake, Lake Eacham, which placed a swimming platform right next to the sign saying there was one shy (freshwater) crocodile who lived there.
Our last land-based adventure was Paronella Park, which despite being out in the middle of nowhere with no signage, is pretty cool and very highly rated on TripAdvisor. José Paronella arrived in Queensland from Spain in 1913 to cut sugar cane and build castles, and by 1933 he was all done cutting sugar cane. Up went several castle-like structures to create a playground in the rainforest, complete with a movie theater, a ballroom with a mirror ball imported from the USA, a restaurant, tennis courts, waterfalls, and lakeside picnic tables surrounded by 7,000 tropical plants. Several cyclones, a fire, and three generations later, the park was purchased in 2009 and is now being historically preserved. The tour included history, eels, turtles, giant trees, and free use of some really excellent umbrellas. Also, coffee and ice cream were available. Five stars from us.
We arrive home late on these days. Good thing the next day is a sleep-in day. However, at 5:00 am I awake to a child screaming on our roof. After a quick look to make sure it is not one of my own, I double check Google and find what I’m looking for: “Australia is home to the Bush Stone-Curlew, also known as the ‘Screaming Woman Bird,’ which [for added fun] is nocturnal.” Good one, Australia. You got me again. This one is actually real. Hilarious.
Bonus Content: we also just missed this guy by only 65,000 years! Saw this at the Daintree visitor center. Do we believe them? The scientific name does not instill confidence.
Swiss Family Sabbatical 