Daintree Discovery Centre and Cape Tribulation

I awoke before dawn to a chorus of sounds unlike any I had ever heard. The sunrise was simply spectacular, and I enjoyed every moment.

Our main destination for the day was The Daintree Discovery Center. Visitors can listen to an audio guide as they wander along the elevated walkways that meander through the world's oldest intact lowland tropical rainforest. Millions of years ago, the forest covered much of the continent, including Uluru, but the climate became drier and Northern Queensland became the forest's last refuge. Several ancient plant species still thrive there, and it is home to a diverse assortment of creatures including those unlikely-looking cassowaries.

We were greeted by these parrots at the entrance.

The center features a five level canopy tower (shown in the picture on the right below) which rises 75 feet so you can enjoy a view over the surrounding trees.

The Daintree Discovery Center also had tanks of fish, crustaceans, and reptiles, a life-sized cassowary statue, and dinosaur models scattered along the paths.

We spent a pleasant morning at the Discovery Center and then decided to drive to Cape Tribulation, the end of the paved road. Once again, although I had expected a small town, there were just a few scattered businesses offering experiences like crocodile cruises and exotic fruit tasting.

Cape Tribulation was given its name by the infamous Captain Cook whose ship scraped a nearby reef and later ran aground. We wandered down to the beach which had numerous crocodile warning signs.

Although the signs were somewhat alarming, and the area did look like a place where crocodiles would like to live, I decided to follow some other tourists down a raised boardwalk to a lookout that promised a good view of the beach.

I can't say that the view was much different than the view on the beach, but it was a nice little walk through the trees, and the sun was starting to peek through the clouds.