Cairns to Cape Tribulation, Australia

Tropical Queensland: An Australia Too Wild


intrigued cassowary
A cassowary, an indigenous bird from Australia known for its dangerous attacks.
hungry croc
Crocodile shoots out of the water to capture a piece of meat.
Emmagen Creek
Queensland natives try to cross Emmagen Creek in the Daintree area.
Stingers!
A sign at the entrance to a beach in Port Arthur signals the mortal danger caused by the presence of stingers (sea wasps).
Bus stop
School bus stop sign in the middle of the vastness of a sugar cane plantation on the outskirts of Cairns.
by ferry
Ferry crosses the Daintree River, one of the crocodile-infested rivers in North Queensland.
Sunset on the Daintree
Sunset tinges a river orange in the tropical Daintree region of North Queensland.
protected area
Casal speaks within the only stinger-protected area of ​​a vast beach near Port Douglas.
After, Before
Creative traffic sign alerts drivers to avoid running over birds.
sky rail
Sky rail passes over a river between Cairns and Kuranda.
Crocodiles
Groomer feeds crocodiles in a zoo on the outskirts of Cairns.
The hand
Crocodile handler feeds a specimen by hand.
friendly groom
Caretaker at a zoo in Cairns, holds a snake common in North Queensland.
Cyclones and floods are just the meteorological expression of Queensland's tropical harshness. When it's not the weather, it's the deadly fauna of the region that keeps its inhabitants on their toes.

Were it not for the scheduled passage through the far north of Queensland and one of the our long travels across the world would have flowed with a more relaxed calendar.

We enjoyed the “golden” months of Japanese autumn and winter had meanwhile installed itself with an unexpected mildness. There were, at first sight, no logical reasons to hasten the departure of that exotic Far East that was slowly cooling off.

A few thousand kilometers to the south, however, an unwanted La Niña was slowly growing and the phenomenon was the opposite. The South Pacific was warming before our eyes.

In the extension of the northeast coast of Australia, the Coral Sea reached unhealthy temperatures for the Great Barrier Reef.

We knew that the development of that pattern did not bode well for the east coast of the big island. Accordingly, we accelerated the move to the Southern Hemisphere and the discovery of Tropical Australia.

Bus stop, Queensland Tropical Australia Wild

School bus stop sign in the middle of the vastness of a sugar cane plantation on the outskirts of Cairns.

From Northern Hemisphere Winter to Australia's Torrid Summer

We landed in Cairns at the end of a high, dry season that stretched far beyond normal. The sky was clear and remained blue most days. In parallel, the humidity increased visibly and demanded deeper and deeper breaths.

Shortly thereafter, we find ourselves victims of the typical Portuguese laxity of thinking that everything can be solved at the last, and in serious work to rent a campervan. “Only if I can get you a outdoors (Australian pick-up truck) with canvas cover and arrange it your way … want me to try? “asks the blonde girl at the tourist desk in town and leaves us in undisguised despair.

Luckily, one of your last phone calls gets a positive response. We got away with the old service van of a Cairns Older Car, a much-used rental company.

It is already behind the wheel of the old van that we visit the local Salvation Army warehouses, where we try to solve the vehicle's unwelcoming nudity, buying second-hand curtains and mattresses. After the “decoration” was finished, we left for the lush northwest of Australia.

Daintree River Ferry, Queensland Tropical Australia Wild

Ferry crosses the Daintree River, one of the crocodile-infested rivers in North Queensland.

Barron Falls to Kuranda. The Journey Above the Tropical Queensland Jungle

we interrupt the trip for the first time in Barron Falls National Park.

There we take a cable car that leaves the coast, climbs the verdant slope of the Great Dividing Range and stops at Red Peak Station where an Aboriginal ranger Tjapukai has taken us and other visitors on a walk through the forest.

The humidity was more oppressive there than ever. It made the native host speak slowly. The guide explains to us, with easy examples, the sacred beliefs of your Tjapukai people. Like all things: the Sun, the Moon, the stars, the Earth and its creatures, etc. – originated in the time of the story – the Buluru.

We continued aboard the Skyrail, heading for the next station. On the way, we flew over the immense jungle that covers the region. Until Kuranda, we see little more than the countless canopies of multi-millenary trees and the occasional trickle of water.

Sky rail, Queensland Tropical Australia Wild

Sky rail passes over a river between Cairns and Kuranda.

On the way back, the panorama repeats itself. Until another approach to the Coral Sea, when the predominant green of the jungle gives way to a gradient of blue.

The forest we just flew over is 135 million years old. It is the oldest in the world, considered a privileged stage of the Earth's evolutionary stages.

In North Queensland, this natural process has intensified as in few other parts of the planet. It gave rise to a biodiversity so vast that it deserved the UNESCO recognition. The organization declared the Daintree National Park (a few kilometers to the north) a World Heritage Site.

Casuar, Queensland Tropical Australia Wild

A cassowary, an indigenous bird from Australia known for its dangerous attacks.

Soon, we would understand better why the title.

Back on the Road, Cook Highway Above

Back in the makeshift campervan, we ride the Captain Cook Highway further north. We enter an Australia lost among the dense jungles to the west and the wild beaches that welcome the Coral Sea.

Emmagen Creek, Queensland Tropical Australia Wild

Queensland natives try to cross Emmagen Creek in the Daintree area.

We keep an eye out for the road, ready to avoid the jumping crossings of wallabies and other kangaroos, causing frequent accidents all over Australia.

Worn out by the heat, we gave in to the appeal of the white sands and calm waters of a beach called Four Miles. At the entrance, a huge yellow sign alerts, in several languages, to different dangers: currents, crocodiles and the presence of jellyfish (stingers).

Stingers, Queensland Tropical Australia Wild

A sign at the entrance to a beach in Port Arthur signals the mortal danger caused by the presence of stingers (sea wasps).

“They just arrived at these parts, right?” asks the ozzy lifeguard, under his hat akubra and distinctly looking for fun. "Well, it seemed to me ... I regret to inform you that they can only enter the sea within that area".

We look carefully. We found that this was a mere fifteen square meters of the almost 900 meters long beach. When it seems difficult for things to get worse, we realized that, within the limits of the buoys, the water didn't even reach our knees.

The floating square has little nets. The nets that prevented the entry of various species of jellyfish and jellyfish feared for injecting lethal chemicals when biting victims (hence the English name stingers).

Stinger Protected Area, Queensland Tropical Australia Wild

Casal speaks within the only stinger-protected area of ​​a vast beach near Port Douglas.

These creatures are born at the mouths of rivers that descend from the Great Dividing Range and colonize the coastal waters of the Coral Sea. They do this during the five hot months of the rainy season, when the temperature of the Coral Sea can exceed 30º.

Australia Even More Wild of Daintree National Park

Unlike disappointment, the shower is short. Then, we return to the path towards the Daintree National Park, with successive strategic stops on other attractive coastlines.

As we toured the Cow Bay sand, we met James Pratt, a resident of a Beach house next. We only need to mention the frustration of not being able to refresh ourselves in such inviting waters to usher in a new Australian drama.

"So it is. Queensland is really dangerous. In fact, my poodles are in danger right now. I shouldn't let them run so close to the water. You never know when a croc is around… “When it's not the crocs, it's the stingers. Come on, these only bother a few months…”.

Crocodiles, Queensland Tropical Australia Wild

Groomer feeds crocodiles in a zoo on the outskirts of Cairns.

There is little to add about the first threat. Like the rest of the Australian Top End, the far north of Queensland has been, since the ends of time, a privileged habitat for the world's largest reptile, the estuarine crocodile. They patrol rivers, mangroves, lakes and, because they are able to swim in salt water, too the beaches.

Unlike their freshwater neighbors – which are smaller and only attack humans in extreme cases of self-defense – estuarine crocodiles are aggressive.

They can exceed six meters in length and cause, every year, fatal victims in accidents that the sensational Australian newspapers take advantage of to make their front pages.

Croc, Queensland Tropical Australia Wild

Crocodile shoots out of the water to capture a piece of meat.

Crocodiles aren't the only ones to deserve it. Despite the tiny size of the creatures, the jellyfish are not far behind.

As Expected, Tropical Queensland's Cyclones and Floods

For two weeks filled with intense experiences and sensations, we continued to explore the region. However, we flew from Cairns to Alice Springs, in the center of the Australian continent. It is there that we celebrate the entry into the new year.

A few days later, the plan was fulfilled.

On every Australian TV and radio station, all over the world it was reported that North Queensland was under water.

Sunset in Daintree, Queensland Tropical Australia Wild

Sunset tinges a river orange in the tropical, semi-wetland of Daintree, North Queensland.

More tropical storms and cyclones were expected, more than expected during the months of the Queensland rainy season.

Two hundred thousand people had to leave their homes. Thirty lost their lives. Nine were reported missing.

The final loss amounted to more than 800 billion Australian dollars (to date, around XNUMX million euros).

As always happens in these times of calamity, hyperexploited cases of humans attacked by crocodiles have resurfaced in the newly formed aquatic wilderness.

Cape Cross, Namíbia

The Most Turbulent of the African Colonies

Diogo Cão landed in this cape of Africa in 1486, installed a pattern and turned around. The immediate coastline to the north and south was German, South African, and finally Namibian. Indifferent to successive transfers of nationality, one of the largest seal colonies in the world has maintained its hold there and animates it with deafening marine barks and endless tantrums.
NP Gorongosa, Mozambique

The Wild Heart of Mozambique shows Signs of Life

Gorongosa was home to one of the most exuberant ecosystems in Africa, but from 1980 to 1992 it succumbed to the Civil War waged between FRELIMO and RENAMO. Greg Carr, Voice Mail's millionaire inventor received a message from the Mozambican ambassador to the UN challenging him to support Mozambique. For the good of the country and humanity, Carr pledged to resurrect the stunning national park that the Portuguese colonial government had created there.
Miranda, Brazil

Maria dos Jacarés: the Pantanal shelters such Creatures

Eurides Fátima de Barros was born in the interior of the Miranda region. 38 years ago, he settled in a small business on the side of BR262 that crosses the Pantanal and gained an affinity with the alligators that lived on his doorstep. Disgusted that once upon a time the creatures were being slaughtered there, she began to take care of them. Now known as Maria dos Jacarés, she named each of the animals after a soccer player or coach. It also makes sure they recognize your calls.
Iberá Wetlands, Argentina

The Pantanal of the Pampas

On the world map, south of the famous brazilian wetland, a little-known flooded region appears, but almost as vast and rich in biodiversity. the Guarani expression Y bera defines it as “shining waters”. The adjective fits more than its strong luminance.
Sydney, Australia

From the Exile of Criminals to an Exemplary City

The first of the Australian colonies was built by exiled inmates. Today, Sydney's Aussies boast former convicts of their family tree and pride themselves on the cosmopolitan prosperity of the megalopolis they inhabit.
Atherton Tableland, Australia

Miles Away from Christmas (part XNUMX)

On December 25th, we explored the high, bucolic yet tropical interior of North Queensland. We ignore the whereabouts of most of the inhabitants and find the absolute absence of the Christmas season strange.
Iriomote, Japan

The Small Tropical Japanese Amazon of Iriomote

Impenetrable rainforests and mangroves fill Iriomote under a pressure cooker climate. Here, foreign visitors are as rare as the yamaneko, an elusive endemic lynx.
Discovering tassie, Part 3, Tasmania, Australia

Tasmania from Top to Bottom

The favorite victim of Australian anecdotes has long been the Tasmania never lost the pride in the way aussie ruder to be. Tassie remains shrouded in mystery and mysticism in a kind of hindquarters of the antipodes. In this article, we narrate the peculiar route from Hobart, the capital located in the unlikely south of the island to the north coast, the turn to the Australian continent.
Discovering tassie, Part 1 - Hobart, Australia

Australia's Backdoor

Hobart, the capital of Tasmania and the southernmost of Australia, was colonized by thousands of convicts from England. Unsurprisingly, its population maintains a strong admiration for marginal ways of life.
Alice Springs to Darwin, Australia

Stuart Road, on its way to Australia's Top End

Do Red Center to the tropical Top End, the Stuart Highway road travels more than 1.500km lonely through Australia. Along this route, the Northern Territory radically changes its look but remains faithful to its rugged soul.
Marajó Island, Brazil

The Buffalo Island

A vessel that transported buffaloes from the India it will have sunk at the mouth of the Amazon River. Today, the island of Marajó that hosted them has one of the largest herds in the world and Brazil is no longer without these bovine animals.
Chobe NP, Botswana

Chobe: A River on the Border of Life with Death

Chobe marks the divide between Botswana and three of its neighboring countries, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. But its capricious bed has a far more crucial function than this political delimitation.
Masai Mara Reservation, Masai Land Travel, Kenya, Masai Convivial
Safari
Masai Mara, Kenya

A Journey Through the Masai Lands

The Mara savannah became famous for the confrontation between millions of herbivores and their predators. But, in a reckless communion with wildlife, it is the Masai humans who stand out there.
Mount Lamjung Kailas Himal, Nepal, altitude sickness, mountain prevent treat, travel
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 2th - Chame a Upper BananaNepal

(I) Eminent Annapurnas

We woke up in Chame, still below 3000m. There we saw, for the first time, the snowy and highest peaks of the Himalayas. From there, we set off for another walk along the Annapurna Circuit through the foothills and slopes of the great mountain range. towards Upper Banana.
Sheets of Bahia, Eternal Diamonds, Brazil
Architecture & Design
Sheets of Bahia, Brazil

Lençóis da Bahia: not Even Diamonds Are Forever

In the XNUMXth century, Lençóis became the world's largest supplier of diamonds. But the gem trade did not last as expected. Today, the colonial architecture that he inherited is his most precious possession.
lagoons and fumaroles, volcanoes, PN tongariro, new zealand
Adventure
Tongariro, New Zealand

The Volcanoes of All Discords

In the late XNUMXth century, an indigenous chief ceded the PN Tongariro volcanoes to the British crown. Today, a significant part of the Maori people claim their mountains of fire from European settlers.
Ceremonies and Festivities
Military

Defenders of Their Homelands

Even in times of peace, we detect military personnel everywhere. On duty, in cities, they fulfill routine missions that require rigor and patience.
Street Bar, Fremont Street, Las Vegas, United States
Cities
Las Vegas, USA

The Sin City Cradle

The famous Strip has not always focused the attention of Las Vegas. Many of its hotels and casinos replicated the neon glamor of the street that once stood out, Fremont Street.
Cocoa, Chocolate, Sao Tome Principe, Agua Izé farm
Meal
São Tomé and Principe

Cocoa Roças, Corallo and the Chocolate Factory

At the beginning of the century. In the XNUMXth century, São Tomé and Príncipe generated more cocoa than any other territory. Thanks to the dedication of some entrepreneurs, production survives and the two islands taste like the best chocolate.
scarlet summer
Culture

Valencia to Xativa, Spain (España)

Across Iberia

Leaving aside the modernity of Valencia, we explore the natural and historical settings that the "community" shares with the Mediterranean. The more we travel, the more its bright life seduces us.

Spectator, Melbourne Cricket Ground-Rules footbal, Melbourne, Australia
Sport
Melbourne, Australia

The Football the Australians Rule

Although played since 1841, Australian Football has only conquered part of the big island. Internationalization has never gone beyond paper, held back by competition from rugby and classical football.
Traveling
Annapurna Circuit: 5th - Ngawal a BragaNepal

Towards the Nepalese Braga

We spent another morning of glorious weather discovering Ngawal. There is a short journey towards Manang, the main town on the way to the zenith of the Annapurna circuit. We stayed for Braga (Braka). The hamlet would soon prove to be one of its most unforgettable places.
Resident of Dali, Yunnan, China
Ethnic
Dali, China

The Surrealist China of Dali

Embedded in a magical lakeside setting, the ancient capital of the Bai people has remained, until some time ago, a refuge for the backpacker community of travelers. The social and economic changes of China they fomented the invasion of Chinese to discover the southwest corner of the nation.
ice tunnel, black gold route, Valdez, Alaska, USA
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

Sensations vs Impressions

End of the World Train, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
History
Ushuaia, Argentina

Last Station: End of the World

Until 1947, the Tren del Fin del Mundo made countless trips for the inmates of the Ushuaia prison to cut firewood. Today, passengers are different, but no other train goes further south.
Alcatraz Island, California, United States
Islands
Alcatraz, San Francisco, USA

Back to the Rock

Forty years after his sentence ended, the former Alcatraz prison receives more visitors than ever. A few minutes of his seclusion explain why The Rock's imagination made the worst criminals shiver.
Maksim, Sami people, Inari, Finland-2
Winter White
Inari, Finland

The Guardians of Boreal Europe

Long discriminated against by Scandinavian, Finnish and Russian settlers, the Sami people regain their autonomy and pride themselves on their nationality.
José Saramago in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain, Glorieta de Saramago
Literature
Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain (España)

José Saramago's Basalt Raft

In 1993, frustrated by the Portuguese government's disregard for his work “The Gospel According to Jesus Christ”, Saramago moved with his wife Pilar del Río to Lanzarote. Back on this somewhat extraterrestrial Canary Island, we visited his home. And the refuge from the portuguese censorship that haunted the writer.
Table Mountain view from Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa.
Nature
Table Mountain, South Africa

At the Adamastor Monster Table

From the earliest times of the Discoveries to the present, Table Mountain has always stood out above the South African immensity South African and the surrounding ocean. The centuries passed and Cape Town expanded at his feet. The Capetonians and the visiting outsiders got used to contemplating, ascending and venerating this imposing and mythical plateau.
Sheki, Autumn in the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Autumn Homes
Autumn
Sheki, Azerbaijan

autumn in the caucasus

Lost among the snowy mountains that separate Europe from Asia, Sheki is one of Azerbaijan's most iconic towns. Its largely silky history includes periods of great harshness. When we visited it, autumn pastels added color to a peculiar post-Soviet and Muslim life.
travelers contemplate, monte fitz roy, argentina
Natural Parks
El Chalten, Argentina

The Granite Appeal of Patagonia

Two stone mountains have created a border dispute between Argentina and Chile. But these countries are not the only suitors. The Fitz Roy and Torre hills have long attracted die-hard climbers
intersection
UNESCO World Heritage
Hungduan, Philippines

Country Style Philippines

The GI's left with the end of World War II, but the music from the interior of the USA that they heard still enlivens the Cordillera de Luzon. It's by tricycle and at your own pace that we visit the Hungduan rice terraces.
Characters
Look-alikes, Actors and Extras

Make-believe stars

They are the protagonists of events or are street entrepreneurs. They embody unavoidable characters, represent social classes or epochs. Even miles from Hollywood, without them, the world would be more dull.
Moorea aerial view
Beaches
Moorea, French Polynesia

The Polynesian Sister Any Island Would Like to Have

A mere 17km from Tahiti, Moorea does not have a single city and is home to a tenth of its inhabitants. Tahitians have long watched the sun go down and transform the island next door into a misty silhouette, only to return to its exuberant colors and shapes hours later. For those who visit these remote parts of the Pacific, getting to know Moorea is a double privilege.
Bride gets in car, traditional wedding, Meiji temple, Tokyo, Japan
Religion
Tokyo, Japan

A Matchmaking Sanctuary

Tokyo's Meiji Temple was erected to honor the deified spirits of one of the most influential couples in Japanese history. Over time, it specialized in celebrating traditional weddings.
On Rails
On Rails

Train Travel: The World Best on Rails

No way to travel is as repetitive and enriching as going on rails. Climb aboard these disparate carriages and trains and enjoy the best scenery in the world on Rails.
View of Fa Island, Tonga, Last Polynesian Monarchy
Society
Tongatapu, Tonga

The Last Polynesian Monarchy

From New Zealand to Easter Island and Hawaii, no other monarchy has resisted the arrival of European discoverers and modernity. For Tonga, for several decades, the challenge was to resist the monarchy.
Saksun, Faroe Islands, Streymoy, warning
Daily life
Saksun, streymoyFaroe Islands

The Faroese Village That Doesn't Want to be Disneyland

Saksun is one of several stunning small villages in the Faroe Islands that more and more outsiders visit. It is distinguished by the aversion to tourists of its main rural owner, author of repeated antipathies and attacks against the invaders of his land.
Lake Manyara, National Park, Ernest Hemingway, Giraffes
Wildlife
Lake Manyara NP, Tanzania

Hemingway's Favorite Africa

Situated on the western edge of the Rift Valley, Lake Manyara National Park is one of the smallest but charming and richest in Europe. wild life of Tanzania. In 1933, between hunting and literary discussions, Ernest Hemingway dedicated a month of his troubled life to him. He narrated those adventurous safari days in “The Green Hills of Africa".
Full Dog Mushing
Scenic Flights
Seward, Alaska

The Alaskan Dog Mushing Summer

It's almost 30 degrees and the glaciers are melting. In Alaska, entrepreneurs have little time to get rich. Until the end of August, dog mushing cannot stop.