23.09.-24.09.2018

The ferry crosses the river every half an hour, there is heavy traffic. We are accompanied mainly by off-roaders, in their red sandy 4WD vehicles, loaded with petrol cans, water supplies and whatever else belongs to the 100km off-road tour to Cooktown. In addition, locals in their pick-ups who have done their shopping in Mossman at Woolworths, and of course young people with cornrows in colorful half-wrecked campervans, on their way to camping by the sea.

Our colonial-style country house is a 5-minute drive from the ferry. Steep uphill, we reach the large guest house, which is located in the middle of a tropical garden, surrounded by rainforest. A flock of guinea fowls cluck in the garden. Errol keeps them because their stomping on the grass and clucking keeps snakes away - allegedly. In addition, there is a rooster, two hens (with 6 chicks) under the veranda, as well as two dogs and a cat sneaking around us. Palms, fruit trees, pineapples and vegetables/herbs grow in the garden. Errol is more self-sufficient, not dependent on the supermarket, he uses the ferry to take guests to Cairns Airport, 100 km away. Same today. Simon, who has recently started working here, gladly takes care of the German guests. We have stocked up on supplies for the evening in Mossman. We set up for a tropical evening on the veranda. More guests arrive: Surprisingly, we meet Uwe and Svenja again, whom we met on the cattle farm.

We sit together with cheese and grapes and tell each other about the experiences we have had in the meantime. At sunset, in the last light, hordes of fruit bats (flying foxes) coming from the tall trees fly over the house. They are very large and give us the impression that Count Dracula is visiting us personally. We sleep like angels.

Errol welcomes us in an apron for breakfast at half past eight. There is no bread, no jam as usual. Errol has prepared a delicate souffle with fine spices and fresh herbs from the garden for us, along with fruit that we have never seen or tasted before. Harvested this morning in the garden, he says.

We drive along the narrow road to Cape Tribulation and hike along the lonely beach. The boats do not go to the reef today, it is too stormy, the sea is too churned up.

The Marrdja Boardwalk takes us deep into the rainforest, then into the mangrove forest.

A rain shower comes down on us, we seek shelter under the umbrella palm, where else? Today we are caught in the rain at regular intervals, that's how it is in the rainforest. An occasional warm shower as a pleasing cooling off in the increasing humidity. Swimming in the sea is not recommended here in the mangrove forest - beware of crocodiles.

On the way back to our accommodation, we have a coffee on the side of the road. One table is occupied:

Seen a lot, experienced a lot.

We end the evening on the veranda with Errol, Svenja&Uwe, and the fruit bats.

Conclusion: 1 python, many unknown fruits, always rain in the rainforest.

Tomorrow travel day via Port Douglas to Cairns