Sunday – March 30, 2025
Daintree Rainforest, Port Douglas
Why, you may ask, should you beware of a cassowary. Read about them in this link and note their speed, ability to jump and especially the 5″ claw on each foot. You don’t want to be in a fight with a cassowary.
By this time in our trip I was not feeling well at all. I had picked up some bug that caused me to cough day and night such that I had been sleeping in a chair ever since we left Perth. Today is an example of the kindness of others – I didn’t take any video or photos because I spent my time in the bus.
Today we will be going to the Daintree Rainforest and later in the day driving to Cairns so we can catch an early flight to Uluru on Monday. The first stop of the day was an overlook of Cape Tribulation. As you can see from the photos, the area is lush, the water is inviting and the sky filled with white clouds make a beautiful setting.
After observing the area from above we drove to the Daintree Rainforest Discovery Center. Inside the center were exhibits of the plants, animals and insects to expect in the rainforest. There was a walkway outside with additional signs for a self-guided walk through the greenery. One item of special interest inside was a giant rainforest mantis. My sister Heidi has a “thing” about the mantis. I think she would keep one as a pet if she could.
After an hour or so at the discovery center we boarded the bus and headed to Thornton Beach. On the way Jan found another sign she liked – a cassowary caution sign. Jan and Kelsey took a walk along the beach and didn’t encounter any crocodiles. As noted in the link above, a few years ago a woman was attacked and killed by a croc in this area. They did discover a giant rainforest mantis in the wild as they walked the beach. The mantis did not attack them.
Following the time on the beach we stopped for lunch at a small encampment in the forest. The dining area was open with a large tarp above the tables (perhaps 20′ X 50′). Good thing these was a tarp because the sky opened up and dumped rain. Perhaps that is why it is named a rainforest! The rain was gone as quickly as it had come and we weren’t soaked when we walked from the encampment to our bus.
No dessert was provided with lunch so Sandra arranged for us to stop at the Daintree Ice Cream Company for 3 scoops of homemade delight. On the way for ice cream we came across a cassowary with a couple chicks. The chicks scurried into the bush but the adult walked along beside our bus for a ways. When we reached the ice cream shop we were given cups with coconut, passion fruit and jackfruit/wattleseed. Each was delicious.
Next up for our excursion today would be a river cruise to look for crocodiles. The bus stopped near the ferry across the Daintree River. I stayed on the bus while Jan and Kelsey took the one hour river cruise. During the cruise they did see crocodiles – including some small ones. You can see the stills and video in today’s media.
We drove to Cairns to the Crystalbrook Riley Hotel. Nice place but again I had to sleep in a chair to keep from coughing myself awake all night. Hired an Uber driver to take us to ThaFish restaurant but the driver dropped us off at the wrong location. After getting our bearings we walked to the restaurant. I don’t remember much of the menu or the evening – had a couple spoons of clam chowder and that was it for the night. There are photos of the desserts Jan and Kelsey had – can you guess which was Kelsey’s (hint – chocolate).
We tried to turn in as soon as we got back to the hotel because we needed to have our bags downstairs at 5:30 Monday morning for the flight to Uluru.
2 responses to “BEWARE – CASSOWARY!”
why didn’t you have Cassowary for dinner. Tastes like turkey. 🙂
This particular cassowary had a couple “chicks” that ducked into the brush and don’t appear in the photos/video. We wouldn’t want to take a parent from its children – would we?