I was in Cairns before I headed off for my Great Barrier Reef liveaboard and had a couple days to kill, so I decided to rent a car and drive up a few hours and check out the Daintree Rainforest. This tropical lowland rain forest is known for being the oldest on Earth, older than the Amazon, dating back over 135 million years ago. It holds a huge amount of Australia’s biodiversity, yet covers a tiny fraction of the continent. It’s one of the only places where two World-Heritage sites meet: Daintree and the Great Barrier Reef. It’s home to the salt water crocodile and Australia’s largest land animal, the endangered flightless Southern Cassowary. I was hoping to see that latter, but unfortunately did not. I also did not see the former, but I enjoyed the next best thing, a crocodile hotdog. I love rainforests. And the fact that this is right next to the GBR means that in such a small geographic location are some of the most diverse and alien-like species on the planet – above and below sea level. Such a unique and special place.
