Deeper into the Daintree
We booked our own tour to see a bit more of the Daintree than we got to see two days ago. We were going to join some of our compatriots, but only one slot remained, and so off we went on our own.
We were picked up at the hotel and took a long van ride that included a crossing on a cable ferry, Eventually we made it to morning tea, with a couple short walks available to and near a beach.
I took the following shot of the mangroves, and noted the shiny thing that I figured was litter of some kind.
See the shiny spot lower center?
Maybe it is litter, but that looks a lot like an eye.
At the next stop we were walking through the rainforest I noticed something bright orange and got a shot of it.
It's "just" the sun through a leaf.
The number of empty beaches is astonishing. They have so many that apparently no one cares about many of them.
Can you find the three blue easter eggs?
They are neither easter eggs nor cassowary eggs. They're nuts that are poisonous to most creatures and only edible by cassowaries. They swallow the nut whole, digest most of it, and poop the seed. So, without cassowaries, these trees don't propagate.
After the forest walk we drove a bit to a river cruise of about an hour. Mangroves everywhere! Not a ton of visible wildlife, but …
Smile for the camera!
After the river cruise there was some Daintree ice cream and then another visit to Mossman Gorge. We spotted something new, though — a Dragon Lizard. I thought the guide said Horse Dragon, but I don’t find that in a Google search so I’m not sure what its name is. Whatever it’s called, it’s about two feet long.