Page 74 - Port Douglas Magazine 30

THE DAINTREE

RAINFOREST ...

An inspiring journey

WORDS by Tony Burke

any guests visiting the Daintree Rainforest golden orb spider weave its web in total harmony.
have high expectations - for some it’s a Our ‘’office’’ (as many tour guides relate to the Daintree) certainly
‘’bucket list’’ or a ‘’once in a lifetime’’ has its fair share of unique and bizarre plants and wildlife. The eerie
Mexperience, for me it’s to fulfill their call of a bush stone curlew can leave many people guessing as to
whether someone is being attacked, being held up by a lawyer vine
expectations and guide them through the oldest living
while walking through the Rainforest can make you wander what’s
rainforest in the world. just whipped you. Then there’s also that first sighting of a saltwater
There is something intangible about the Daintree Rainforest that crocodile in the wild that draws you unnervingly to its sheer mass
captures the senses. The smell of the rainforest during and after the and the size of its teeth or the occasional greeting by a monitor
rain, the sighting of a boyd’s forest dragon or the elusive platypus lizard, ever inquisitive and an expert scavenger.
in the first light of day fills me with emotion and makes me realize Where else can you find words such as Spangled Drongo, Wompoo
what an incredible job I have. Dove, Katydid, Chowchilla, Quandong, Pademelon or Idiot Fruit
The Daintree Rainforest contains 12 of the 19 primitive flowering amongst many other weird and wonderful names.
plants on earth and has been described by many as heaven on earth, There are few other experiences that will find a permanent place in
a place where you can completely immerse yourself in peacefulness your memory than the sight of a Southern Cassowary and chicks
and tranquillity where you can hear a bird’s melody or watch a taking a casual stroll through the rainforest, knowing how rare and

74 tourismportdouglas.com.au