Page 52 - Port Douglas Magazine 32

AIRPORT TRANSFERS

“Dreamers, explorers,
and free spirits of the CAIRNS > PORT DOUGLAS > CAIRNS
‘70s were drawn to
the “Shangri-La” of
Cape Tribulation – its
beauty and remoteness
made it a perfect life
approaching place for
young people attempting

to find harmony within
themselves...”

WATCHERS IN THE WOODS place to publish full stories, but you can learn more about these legends by
What’s that rustling in the forest? Within the primitive floral of the oldest joining a local tour such as Walkabout Cultural Adventures.
continually surviving rainforest on earth, sightings of extinct and mythical The Daintree is naturally filled with some of the purest waterholes in the world
creatures have been told. and they are ideal for splashing off the tropical heat – however, not all are the
Have you ever heard of the Queensland Tiger? You’d be forgiven if you haven’t same.
because it’s believed to have become extinct well over 2000 years ago. That’s There is a hidden place that needs to remain that way – “The Blue Hole”,
until there have been reports of sightings. I guess anything is possible in a known as an Aboriginal sacred site, reserved for women’s business, a healing
rainforest renowned for preserving life. pool and birthing place. It is said that men and even women who go swimming
Some people tell of large cat-like paw prints being discovered in the light in the pool without seeking permission can become terribly ill.
of day, glimpses of glowing red eyes flashed in the dark with a large cat-like So, with plenty of choices take a miss on this one and respect the wishes of the
silhouette and a creature resembling a tiger with large saber-tooth fangs lurking traditional owners.
around. The giant cat is said to be similar to the Tasmanian Tiger with stripes
on its back but with a ruthless temperament, and suddenly nobody said, “here PICK OF THE LITTER
kitty, kitty, kitty”. Sea rubbish is a sad reality. There is no beach in the world that is immune
No elusive beast story would be complete without sightings of the notorious from the pollutant pandemic - even Cape Tribulation and the remote Daintree
Yowie. Some places may know him as Yeti, Sasquatch, or Big Foot – yes, he or beaches. Amid the litter washed up, some finds are somewhat more bizarre than
she has been spotted in Cape Tribulation and Daintree. the usual plastics bottles and old thongs.
It has been said that the sounds of mysterious cries or haunting howls followed There are stories of pirates in international waters - not your peg-legged, eye-
by skin-tingling growls like nothing that has been heard before coming from patch-wearing, “ARRRRR” yelling kind of pirates. But the type with anxious
the bush, could only be that of a Yowie. How does one explain the alleged trigger fingers holding semi-automatic machine guns, half-smoked cigarillos
sighting of a very large man-like creature with an oblong-shaped head covered cast from their bottom lips that plunder cargo ships and smuggle “contraband”.
in coarse hair running with its long arms dragging behind him? Or the ancient The ones that tell of their “loot” being lost at sea and swept up on shore.
Aboriginal cave paintings that illustrate such beings. There is too much evidence Some say they have heard of barrels being washed up on a Daintree beach
out for the Yowie not to exist in the Daintree, so keep your eyes peeled when many, many years ago. Inside these barrels was revealed to be millions of dollars
looking into the thick scrub. worth of cocaine. This amount of the “Devil’s Dust” would be pretty tempting.
One story goes that the finder is still living off such a barrel full of illegal riches.
ABORIGINAL LORE Another tells an elder burying them up in the hills never to be discovered as he
Cape Tribulation and Daintree is part of Kuku Yalanji country. This area has knew that these barrels would only bring harm to the community.
great spiritual and cultural significance to the Kuku Yalanji people that need More recently, while fishing on a beach near Cape Trib, a bloke stumbled
to be respected. upon what he thought appeared to be a part of a yacht’s rudder covered in
The area is said to have a powerful feminine energy and vibration with some sand and shells. Not too interesting, right? After photos were posted online,
tales telling of males heading into the bush to hunt only never to return. comments flowed in stating that the sea debris was part of an aircraft. Under
Kulki (later named Cape Tribulation after Cook was having some struggles) further investigation there became speculation that the finding was a piece of
is on the traditional land of the Eastern Kuku Yalanji. Kulki was a special the mysterious ill-fated MH370 Malaysia Airlines plane that vanished from
place that was revered as a ceremony ground and a meeting place where the radar screens carrying 239 passengers in March 2014, so far unrecovered.
traditional owners gathered tools, medicine, and food. No matter what your hot take is, these rainforest legends prove anything is
However, the lore begins a little further south at Wundu (Thornton’s Peak) - possible where the oldest living rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef. SECURE ONLINE BOOKINGS
this is a story about a tribe of shape-shifting women who live in Wundu and Do you believe? Local Shuttles
lured men into the mountain never to come out … Go explore and find out for yourself. SR COACHES RELIABLE 24/7
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