We arose early and went to enjoy the breakfast at the lodge. Dave enjoyed his cereal and fresh fruit while Kathy ate a lot of bread. Afterwards, we set off to find some “tracks” (which we call “trails”) and do some “trekking” (which we call hiking.) We headed north and tried to find the Dubuji Boardwalk. After the road we were on stopped being a road and started being a goat path, we stopped along the side of the road to evaluate our situation. We decided that we missed our trailhead and needed to turn around. Just then, a park employee drove up and advised us that we should probably turn around. Great minds think alike! We eventually found the trailhead and walked the short boardwalk through a swampy area. We were excited as we spotted our first mammal that we could identify (at least the first one that doesn’t fly and hang in trees!) We saw a wild pig!! It was a nice walk and they had interpretive signs along the way to educate us about the rainforest ecosystem.
After that grand trek, we were famished, so lunch was next on the agenda. We asked a couple of nearby rangers which of the two food shacks nearby we should eat at. They pointed to the one across the road. We went there and saw a sign advertising “barraburgers”. Once we were advised that they were made of fish (presumably barracudas), we opted for something else – bacon beef burger for Kathy and a chicken burger for Dave. Kathy topped hers off with a berry smoothie, which Dave chose the smoothie made with peanut butter. Yum!
We did another small boardwalk trek called the Madja Boardwalk. There, we saw a walking stick, but not much else. As we were leaving though feeling disappointed that the extent of our sightings was a walking stick we spied some large fruit bats fighting each other high in the trees. It was amazing to see so many just hanging out high above us. We then decided to go to the third of our three destinations that were going to fill our 3 full days here in Daintree. We went to the Discovery Center and walked through an elevated boardwalk midway up in the forest. Just after we parked, we saw a bunch of people gathered around pointing their phones at something. What is it, we asked? A cassowary!!! This is the third largest bird in the world and the one that Google warned us was the most dangerous encounter we could find in Daintree! And there was some guy, 3 feet from the bird snapping photos. Dave did get some photos from a respectable distance. We did the walk carrying umbrellas provided by the Discovery Center. They said it has been the wettest “dry season” any of them can remember. Time to head back to the lodge and get ready for din-din. We will also ask the front desk staff about setting us up with a tour or two for the next 2 days. We wanted to hike a trail called Coopers Creek, but a sign at the trailhead said people can only walk this trail with an official guide. Bummer!
