16 JUNE 2022
On this early, sunny morning, we went to Mossman Gorge. We walked down the long boardwalks that led to some glorious rapids. There were many people swimming joyfully in the pools and I decided to wade too. The water was rather cold but I believed it was hot for winter. The rapids had a soft, sandy bottom and it also had many rocks surrounding it. I decided that it was more cooling than cold. The sand was stuck in my toes once I got out of the water, so I went back in again.🤣 I tried several times to get the sand out of my toes, and finally, on my third or fifth attempt, I succeeded!
Thereafter, we continued with our journey in Mossman Gorge. This was on dry land, of course, as we had quite enough of watery adventures.🌵💦🌊🤽♀️ We walked along some paths and went into the forest along the stream. I saw some rocks that were covered with green moss. I guess that is how Mossman Gorge got its name!🔠✉️
If you have touched moss before, you will know how it feels. If not, here is their texture and description:
- Silky
- Wet/moist
- A little prickly
Here is a video of how Mossman Gorge’s tiny stream looks like:
After visiting Mossman Gorge, we had lunch at Beechwoods in Mossman town. It was not our first choice as the restaurant where my father wanted to bring us for lunch closed down. However, we were so fortunate to end up in Beechwoods as my father claimed that the Open Turkey Grill there was one of the most unique turkey dishes he had tried. This is despite my grandmother being such a great cook but she does not usually cook turkey.🦃
After lunch, we drove some distance to the Daintree River which we needed to get across to go to the Daintree Rainforest, which is the OLDEST and most amazingly spectacular rainforest. To get across the river, we had to drive our car onto a ferry. After crossing the river, we made a stop at the Mount Alexandra Lookout. The view was majestic from there as we could see about the Rainforest joining the coast.
PS: Some trees were so old that they looked prehistoric to me!
Here is a video that was taken from the Mount Alexandra Lookout:
We saw many different species of birds and other animals. The weird prehistoric trees gives it a sense of mystery, I think it was a terrific journey so far.
After exploring so much of the rainforest, we were all hungry. That is why we went to Floravilla Ice Cream Factory. They produced unique flavors of ice cream which were only found there. These unique flavors were made from tropical fruits such as Jackfruit, Longan and Bananas. I think that the most unique and the strangest flavor of them all was the ‘Daintree’ flavor, which was made of a combination of different tropical fruits that made it green, like trees.🍏💚🟩🟢
After enjoying our time at the world’s oldest rainforest, we went to Daintree Tea Company which was closed when we arrived in the late afternoon. We did not get to see the machines BUT we still saw the plants. 🌿🍵🧋🫖☕
Suggestion: If you want to see the machines and vehicles, DO NOT go to Daintree Tea Company in the LATE AFTERNOON as it is closed at that time.
Thereafter, we went to Madja Boardwalk to spot one of the animals that is indigenious to Australia, also the most dangerous bird in the world, introducing the…Cassowary! We walked slowly and silently along the boardwalk, in order not to scare them away. There were some bridges there as there were streams and mangrove swamps which we couldn’t cross easily. Although we could hear the cassowaries making a deep, low sound, we could not see them. In the end, we did not spot any cassowaries. However, we had a great time there. Below are some photos of the Madja Broadwalk.
On the way back, we stopped at Thornton Beach because it was so scenic. I wrote the date that I visited it on the its sandy beach as shown in the photo. Do you know what gave me the idea of doing that? Well, I saw some other drawings at the beach, and it inspired me to do the same.😀✍️
Lastly, we drove some distance to the Daintree River which we needed to get across again in order to get back from where we came from.
Our car navigated the winding coastal roads on the way back to our accommodation as I admired the rich opulent red and purple sky which was a contrast to the prior aqua blue as the setting sun made its final performance of the day. My dad drove slower in order for us to admire the beautiful sunset. A dog that sat on a nearby hill stopped moving to admire at the beauty too. Like a retired opera singer, the climax of the high notes was over as soon as the sun set beyond the hills.
The final moment of dusk was surreal as time seemed to pause to catch its concluding breath. Farewell till tomorrow, sun!
What a brilliant day!!!☀️🌞🌄🌅🌇