Lifestyle and Leisure
The wildlife of Daintree Forest
Andrew Collier headed north from Cairns to take a relaxing wildlife watching walk in the Daintree Rainforest
The Daintree Rainforest simply has to be seen to be believed. Located north of Cairns, past the affluent Port Douglas, from the moment you enter the sub-tropics the scenery changes into lush rainforest which grows right up to the road that hugs the coastline. We had decided to hire a car and drive up to a hostel in the rainforest which specialised in nature walks where all kinds of creatures could be spotted.
The Daintree Rainforest is designated as a World Heritage Site, and is home to a large numbers of wildlife species that are not found in other areas of Australia. Despite this, it only covers 0.2 per cent of Australia's landmass as a whole. The promise of an abundance of wildlife and the chance to stay in the rainforest was something we were all looking forward to, and the chance to escape the sweltering December heat that had made Cairns almost unbearable, was also a more than appealing thought.
Cairns is sold to backpackers as a 'party-town', and, if you are looking to let your hair down after weeks of travelling up the East Coast, it serves this purpose very well. However, apart from parties, and the open-air pool, there is little else to keep you in Cairns for more than a couple of nights. This does give you the perfect opportunity, however, to explore the area to the north, with car rentals being offered at good rates. Upon arriving at our hostel in the Rainforest we rested up after the long drive and took full advantage of the air conditioning in our rooms. The wildlife was literally right on our doorstep. Due to the layout of the hostel complex, a series of wooden boardwalks to a pool and bistro, we regularly saw snakes sliding across in front of us and there were plenty of tropical birds both in the trees and in the undergrowth next to the paths. There had also been sightings of crocodiles near the hostel which, I must admit, was slightly less exciting and more than a little bit worrying.
We decided that a nightime wildlife walk would be the best time for us to explore the forest as this would give us the chance to spot some of the forest's shyer creatures. I would whole-heartedly recommend taking part in one of these walks! The guide was extremely knowledgeable and informative, and the group was small enough to allow everyone to see what was being pointed out to them. This walk was not for those who want to see big, dramatic animals like crocodiles. Instead it was fantastic for spotting insects, small mammals, spiders and snakes.
A personal highlight was when we stopped walking and turned our torches off to stand in complete pitch-black darkness. The different sounds made by all the (unseen) wildlife around us were amazing, if slightly unnerving. During the trail we saw several bats, rats, spiders, and frogs. The spiders were the Huntsman species, not as poisonous as some of the other varieties that call Australia 'home', but still capable of producing a nasty bite. Thankfully they were still new-borns so were not of a frightening size yet... much to the relief of most in the party.
The best was yet to come, however. We had finished the walk and piled back into the car to drive us back to the hostel when we came to an abrupt halt. Lying in the road was a snake so enormous, it could have been used for traffic-calming measures. It was dark green and patterned, seemingly oblivious to the oncoming threat of the car. I had never seen a snake that big before and it was a great experience. The snake eventually slithered off after some coaxing by the guides and we resumed the short trip back to the hostel.
In terms of getting up close with the nature in the rainforest, we could have seen more if we had more time to spare. There are nearby trips along the Daintree River to spot crocodiles, and the daytime wildlife walks offer a chance to see all the creatures we missed in the nightime. There are also opportunities to go off and explore without a guide, in areas such as the Atherton Tablelands, which is also not that far away from Cairns. I would definitely recommend making the effort to go north of Carins, a place that many people seem to use as the end of their East Coast trip, it has plenty to offer, even if we did end up with a rental car covered in sand both inside and out, and paintwork that had been subjected to far too much nature for its own good.
Register for your FREE emigration starter pack
Subscribe to Emigrate Australia. Read more ...