Cape Tribulation - Cairns

As I rode out of Cape Trib, I was finally faced with the rain I had been expecting. It came driving down in thick sheets and I had to cover my mouth and nose (as explained earlier) in an attempt to breath. However, the rain was relatively short lived and I emerged soon on the other side of the gloomy clouds. The hills persisted for a short while (just for the morning) finally giving way to beautiful agricultural land. The landscape was incredibly green and cane sugar was growing rampant. Green paddocks with grazing cattle were dotted here and there and it was great to see white herons following the cows around like close buddies.
When I arrived in Port Douglas I checked into the local caravan park/backpackers 'Dougies'. Dougies had been recommended to me on many occasions.
When I arrived on a Friday afternoon I set up my tent where I was told to... right in the middle of the main path. Apparently they were full and so stuck me in any spot that I would fit. I didn't feel overly comfortable with the situation. This was the first time (in what felt like a very long time) that I was surrounded by masses of people again. I was so used to setting up camp beside a river with only a croc or two for company. Suddenly I was in party central being fussed over by flocks of bored backpackers. After all, that night was 'dress as something beginning with 's' night', and I didn't have an outfit! But as they fussed about my attire for the evening, all I could think about was the safety of my tent and belongings.
So I joined in the fun and games for a few hours (and a cask of goon) and when nobody was looking I crept back into my tent without a word.
That night I took ALL of my belongings with me into my tent which was quite a squeeze (bike wheels, cooking gear, clothes, camera etc.) and endured drunk people shaking my tent begging me to come back and party. I was the 'Aussie bearded cyclist guy'. I just wanted to leave.
The music and festivities continued into the early hours of the morning leaving me feeling spritely for a long day ahead (not!!!)
The next day was a stunning ride along the coast into the beautiful city of Cairns.
So there I was - after more then a thousand km's of super rural dirt roads - standing in a city with my bike. There were bike shops, fast food, supermarkets, people and water galore.
The next three days were spent looking around, cleaning up, buying a new jumper and shirt and organizing my bike storage for my upcoming flight. Fight? Flight you ask? Well you had better read the next blog to find out more...

                                                                            Barking Gecko

                                                                           Mangrove Boardwalk

                                                                                   Fiddler Crab

                                                                                Cairns at night

Cape Tribulation

As I rode through the thick rainforest I was shocked by the sudden appearance of a town! Cape Tribulation is surrounded by the Daintree, and may I say one of the nicest towns I have ever visited.

I checked into P.K Jungle Resort which had been recommended to me on many occasions. After setting up camp I walked down to the beautiful beach to have a refreshing swim. The water was warm and welcoming, and the view from the water looking back at the forest was amazing. 

That night I had a few beers with a very rough group of men who insisted on smoking in the bar, and scared the girls half to death with some sleazy pick-up lines.

They were soon kicked out and I was free to hit the hay.

The next morning I was awake early ready to climb Mt Sorrow. The walk is very demanding and climbs steadily to over 800m's. 

As I started my morning walk I was approached by a group of young locals who were shocked that I had not 'registered' my walk  for safety purposes (like a sign in sign out form). As it happened they were also embarking on the walk, and ordered me to join them. So we walked through the thick growth until late afternoon. One young Canadian guy named Blane took charge to lead us up and I was surprised by the fast pace that he set. However, after a few hours it was obvious that he was struggling and my bicycle fitness kicked in to shame him. Don't mess with these legs mate, they know no bounds...

The scenery was incredible and the view from the top was heart stopping. At one stage I was walking along when a big Lace Monitor (Australia's 2nd biggest lizard) mistook me for a tree and ran up my leg leaving little puncture marks where the long claws had griped me. We looked at each other for a split second of confusion before it doubled back and disappeared into the greenery without so much as an apology.  

When we finally arrived back at the bottom of the track we hopped into a car and headed to a cool, crystal clear water hole. There was a fun rope-swing to bomb into the oasis and I had my sexy tan lines on display for the girls. I have to say here that the afternoon visiting a total of three different water holes was nothing short of magic. They were all hidden away from the tourist route and I was very lucky to have met these locals to dive a little deeper into the beauty of the Daintree. 

                                                                             Strange tree with fruit on trunk

                                                                                 The usual

                                                                               View from Mt Sorrow

                                                                              Some of the team

                                                                                   Bamboo

                                                                                A water hole

                                                                             Rainbow Lorikeet

Beauty of the Daintree

The Daintree Rainforest is the oldest forest in the world. The passing of centuries has allowed biological systems to become complex and incredibly diverse. The lush green trees, cool clear streams, vibrant butterflies, striking birds and loud, active nights create an unforgettable experience for any lucky enough to pass through.

It was under a bright blue sky that I rode down the Bloomfield track through lush rainforest of the Daintree.

My neck ached from hours of looking up into the tree canopy in search of tree-snakes, tree-kangaroos and tropical birds. The track itself was hard-packed dirt with the occasional shallow creek-crossing winding its way through the steep hills of the Great Diving Range. 

To be honest I didn't ride very far for the duration of the forest. The Bloomfield track only covers some 30km's of road, but the forest covers much more. In order to explore the forest a little more thoroughly I only covered some 15km's each day for four days. Including a rest day I was in the forest for five days - and I loved every minute of it.

It's worth noting here that being a 'rain'forest, one would expect a rainy day or two, if only a shower, but I was fortunate enough to experience lovely warm, dry weather until I departed. I have to say that as I rode my bike out of the national park on the my last day, I literally had to cover my mouth and nose as the rain came down so thick that I could not breath. I was drowning on my bike.

The forest came to life at night, and I had to become nocturnal in order to join in the fun. It was for this reason that I spent my days sleeping, riding late and resting. The hills of the Bloomfield are by far the steepest I have ever seen. Anywhere. Ever. EVER. The mountain ranges that I had to cross were at an incredible 30% angle, and I was forced to push my bike for the first time on the trip since the start. The immense humidity, blazing sun and gruelling pushing turned my body into a leaking mess.The trail of water droplets that had fallen from my body was clearly visible in the dirt behind me like a badly leaking car. Every time I stopped to catch my breath I formed a puddle on the ground within seconds. I had never sweated this way before, and it was hard work trying to keep hydrated. When I came across streams I just jumped in fully clothed (they were soaking anyway) to refresh my shrivelling body. I had to rip may leeches from my skin as a result. 

As I wiped the sweat from my eyes at the top of each rise I was instantly rewarded for my effort. The air was fresh, the birds sang and the views were to die for. Looking over the crest at the downhill beyond was daunting as the brakes on my bike screamed under the pressure to slow my bike to a safe speed - some 4km's/hour. If a car came the other way and I was going too fast it would all be over in one steep, slippery moment. 

I managed to find some truly stunning camp spots, both in the depths of the forest, and on the beach looking back into the gloom. 

Camping in the Daintree was perhaps the most magic experience of my life. Fireflies whizzed slowly through the air emitting radiant flashes of light through the darkness. I was able to catch them and look at their little bums light up in an effort to attract partners. Two chambers within their abdomens contain different chemicals which light up upon mixing producing almost pure light energy - 96% light and only 4% heat, compared with a house-hold bulb which produces 60% light and 40% heat. 

A saprotrophic fungi living within the small cavities in dead plant matter (such as dead tree stumps/branches) produced a faint glow in the darkness to attract insects which are responsible for spreading the spores. The effect was mind-blowing. A pitch-black forest buzzing with fireflies over a sea of glowing plant material. Had I crossed into the world of Avatar? 

When the darkness was complete and the animals began to call, it was time for me to take my torch and explore. I walked for hours each night in search of lizards, bats, insects and mammals. Over all I would say that I was largely unlucky with my findings. However I did find native giant rats (GIANT), possums, a beautiful Boyd's Forest Dragon, sleeping birds and some incredible insects.

The Daintree had exceeded my expectation and I was still to reach Cape Tribulation...

  

No Pain No Gain

From Chillagoe the ride into Cooktown was fantastic. There were mountain ranges to cross, and after thousands of km's of flat earth, I was happy to take the challenge.
Upon entering Mareeba, I visited the engineering mob to see if they could weld my bike. Not only did they weld it, but they gave me spare parts, good advise and didn't charge me a dime. They were amazing.
I stopped in a great camp spot just outside of the township of Mt Molloy when the rain came down. I hadn't seen rain for months, so this was an unwelcome addition to my trip. So I hid in my tent all day while the rain came flooding down.
When I finally reached Cooktown the rain was coming in brief showers.
I stayed at a caravan park with gorgeous views of Mt Cook and the surrounding rain forest. I spent the next two days walking down every track I could find looking for snakes and lizards - quite unsuccessfully. I did find some amazing creatures along the way however, including echidna's, lace monitors, a small-eyed snake, wallaby's, beautiful tropical insects etc. I stumbled across a hive of paper wasps which I decided to photograph. Big mistake. They carried on with their business while I stuck my camera in their faces, until one individual wasp stung me. Suddenly they all started stinging me and I had to run a long way down the road to lose them. Ouch!
The next destination that I wished to visit was the majestic and mysterious 'Black Mountain'. Black Mountain is a strange formation where huge black boulders are stacked on top of each other to form a tall mountain. There are spaces between the rocks and eerie noises and rumbles come from deep within. Black Mountain is the site of many human disappearances, and myth therefore surrounds the curious formation. It is against the law to climb Black Mountain, but it is also home to Australia's biggest snake - the Amethystine Python - so naturally I had to climb it in search of the snake.  
It was great fun scrambling up the mountain from boulder to boulder. I was very aware of the dangers and could understand why people have been hurt or gone missing. So there I was, climbing further up and up when suddenly... Ouch!!! What was that pain in my arm? It started as a dull stinging. Then the pain grew into a stabbing sensation. The pain then continued to escalate into a burning, stabbing, stinging mess. What had happened? I back-tracked to find the answer. I had brushed past the only living plant life on the rocks, which just happened to be a 'Gympie Gympie' tree, also known as a stinging tree. The toxins from this tree "deliver a cocktail of painful poisons that persist painfully for up to four months". This is what I read in an article later, and true to its word, I can still feel the dull stinging as I sit to write this weeks later. It was a doozy.
I couldn't sleep much over the next few nights as my arm swelled up and down painfully. But on the bright side, I was on the verge of the Bloomfield Track, the dirt road that snakes its way through the Daintree Rain Forest National Park, and I was extremely excited.

                                                                   Mountain climbing!

                                                                 Hidden camp spot

                                                                      Mt Cook in cloud

                                                                           Hiding Echidna

                                                                    Blue-winged Kookaburra    

                                                                View from Cooktown Lighthouse

                     
                                                                        Black Mountain

Chillagoe

Chillagoe was a surprisingly interesting area to spend a 'rest day'. The town itself was quaint and small, but bustling with the school holiday chaos.

I spent my first night at the caravan park in town but was driven out by a few pesky aboriginal locals. So I packed up early and moved to the 'Eco-lodge' where I could camp out in the beautiful bush scenery for a very cheap price (I would highly recommend this place for any travelers!). The owner was a great man and he gave me some invaluable information on where to go and what to do. 

I then packed my day with activities within the wild surroundings. 

I swam in some beautiful croc-free swimming holes, climbed some incredible rock formations and tried my hand at some solo cave exploring. 

The owner of the Eco lodge had drawn me a map of a huge, uncommercialised cave system unknown to most. The entrance was accessible only by a bush walk and was many km's out of town. This all sounded too enticing to resist! 

So I packed two torches and climbed down the slippery rocks into the black abyss below. I felt like a real explorer down in the cave by myself walking through giant rock chambers and extravagant halls. There were small cracks to squeeze through and a few tunnels to squirm through on my hands and knees. The blackness seemed to penetrate everything - even my torch struggled to light the way. Suddenly I panicked. Had I come from this passage or that passage? How far had I gone in? Where was I? The questions all came flooding in suddenly and reason seemed extinguished by the darkness. People had been harping on about safety the entire bike ride but here I was, alone and lost in a maze of tunnels deep down in the dark. The only living creatures were cockroaches, spiders and the occasional whoosh of a bat in flight. Before I viewed them with intrigue and wonder, now they were eerie and frightening.

I sat down in the darkness, turned off my torch and willed myself to gain reason. I just needed a systematic approach. So I picked up a rock and scratched markings into the walls of tunnels I had already tried until finally, FINALLY I saw the tunnel leading up into the dazzling sunlight. I was free and a valuable lesson was learnt - always bring a cut lunch and a cold beer when going caving, it could be some time before you come out. Right??

That night the Eco-Lodge played a movie on an open-air cinema screen, and it was amazing to relax on the still, warm night with a movie and a buzzing atmosphere.

On sun-set I climbed the highest rock I could see on the horizon, and enjoyed the stunning view. This was also the first time I had seen clouds in months. 

So now I was rested, and ready to make my move to the Daintree Rain-forest, which I was very excited about!