Cassowary (August 28)

After two nights in Cairns we headed straight north to Daintree –  the heart of the Australian “Wet Tropics”. The vegetation changed along the way, with various palms, tree ferns and a multitude of other rainforest trees becoming more and more dominant. We crossed the Daintree river on a ferry and drove to the highly recommended “discovery center” – a section of the forest offering self guided board-walks and several displays. We didn’t have to wait long to appreciate the place’s reputation. When searching for a suitable spot to park our behemoth Lilach spotted a large black form prowling the forest edge – an adult male Cassowary!

We spent considerable time with this magnificent bird, which is endangered in Australia (most of its population is in New Guinea and Indonesia, where it is considered vulnerable). We saw it picking up fruit from the forest floor and from the shrubs and, fulfilling its mission as the “rainforest gardener”, largely responsible for the dispersal of many tree seeds. In addition to its beauty, we could appreciate its formidable legs, with the knife-like inner toe nail that can easily deliver a lethal kick to anything stupid enough to attack it or come between it and it chicks. Speaking of which, the male incubates the eggs and then raises the chicks till they are about 9 months old…

At the discovery center we had a chance to admire the diversity of the local rainforest. They claim that two acres of it contain more tree species than all of Europe and North America combined! The forest is indeed exceptionally lush and dense, with multiple trees, shrubs, epiphytes and climbers competing for every inch of space and every ray of sunlight.

On our way north from the discovery center we saw two (!) more cassowaries at the sides of the road. Perhaps the campaign against cassowary roadkill is having an effect.

A common sign in Daintree

And a local variant…

We camped at a non-powered site in cape tribulation and celebrated the wonderful day with the good wine we received the day before.