Stopping
for a day in the upmarket town of Port Douglas, we sample a 'serviced apartment'
which nestles in amongst the verdant palms and ferns. Its a fabulously
relaxing spot, helped by a bottle of Bombay Gin freshly imported by Isobel.
However, the 7am
wake up call from the construction site next door - an angle grinder, hammering
and cranked up radio - sends us on our way... We
head for the real Rainforest - over the Daintree River by chainferry to the Daintree
National Park.
Our
next stop is the town of Cape
Tribulation. Here we spend a few days in a cabin right in the heart of the
forest, and a hundred feet from Coconut Grove Beach.
We came for a little peace and quiet but find that we're separated from the
incredibly noisy night creepy crawlies, vampire bats and brush turkeys by
nothing more than a sheer flyscreen - ho hum. It makes for a unique
experience.
Nearby
we find several excellent walks through the rainforest - one of which we ascend
at night, keeping a close eye out for the ever present Estuarine Crocodiles
which frequent the mangrove swamps here, its a eerie and magical place.
That said, you can have too much Rainforest - it all begins to look the same
after a while!
So, eager for more scenery, we decide to head further North - Cooktown
via the Battlecamp Track. This is 4x4 country and the warnings litter the
side of the road as we cross from tarmac onto dirt...
