We say goodbye to Tim&Stephen and make our way to Yungaburra, in the Atherton Tableland, moving away from the coast with the goal of Mount Quincan Crater. Tim recommends that we take the slightly longer alternative route to visit Paronella Park and Mamu Skywalk - High in the Rainforest. Said and done, and we continue on to Crater Retreat, passing by sugarcane, tea, banana, and coffee plantations, and blooming mango trees. The farmers sell their own fruit by the side of the road, and we stock up.
In the treehouse Upon check-in, we are given a basket with grill meat and bread for the evening, breakfast for the next morning - and of course, the fancy blue cabin slippers, matching the tiles in the kitchen and bathroom.
From now on, there is no one around, no Wi-Fi, nothing (except for an emergency phone number), just us in the treehouse and the wild nature surrounding us.
Bush turkey on the terrace The forest residents at the edge of the crater come to greet us: wallabies on the forest floor, bush turkeys, and possums, both fearless, on the terrace. Accompanied by a variety of unidentifiable sounds from the darkness, as well as tinnitus that can be attributed to cicadas, we fall into sweet dreams. View into the crater Early in the morning, the crater basks in the sunshine. With each step on our way through, it becomes hotter and more humid. Meanwhile, a tree kangaroo watches us from the tree.The tree kangaroo is watching us The evening is cool at the edge of the crater, the wind blows in gusts from the tableland - now we treat ourselves to the Jacuzzi and a crackling fire with soothing pan flute and bird song, this time from a recording. Jacuzzi with a view Lucky us, ....
Our journey continues north towards Daintree NP.
We make a stop in Yungaburra, the nearest town, today is market day.
The Aussies of the Tablelands gather.
Market in YungaburraTime for a chat Yungaburra's number one hotel in town We stroll through the town, along Petersen Creek back to the car, and can't believe our eyes, because Platypus, the duck-billed animalaccompanies us in the creek. This is something you very rarely get to see, and we are completely captivated by this small, shy animal. By the way, it is the only mammal that lays eggs - right, Stellan? 😉On we go, through plantation country until we immerse ourselves in increasingly dense rainforest and suddenly find ourselves in front of the Daintree River, where the car ferry takes us across to the Daintree National Park. Errol, our host, apologizes - he had to take guests to the airport in Cairns - but Simon, a 'workaway' from Germany, welcomes us and lets us move into our jungle domicile.More about that tomorrow... Conclusion: 3 platypus, 2 tree kangaroos, at least 1 ringtail possum, 0 crocodile, 0 cassowary Tomorrow: Where the rainforest meets the reef.
