Today we leave Kuranda and head north to Newell Beach, which is 4 km's north of Mossman
We have booked into a cabin at the Newell Beach Caravan Park for 2 nights. On the Wednesday we spent the day going to the Daintree Nation Park, which is accessed by crossing the Daintree River on a car ferry. The road from the ferry to Cape Tribulation is now sealed all the way, not mud with a river crossing over a rocky bottom like it was was on our last visit in our Mitsubishi Magna in 1989, The place is now much busier, with tourists able to drive their little hire cars up there.
On Friday, after my early start, 6:30 - 8:30 am, bird-watching boat trip, we left for the final drive north of our trip, to Cooktown. Lynn had spoken to people who had got out of Cooktown a couple of days earlier because of the 200 kph (124 mph) winds, now there's something to look forward to.
The highway is good and the scenery interesting, dryish, cattle, termite mounds (small ones) banana plantations (on very flat ground which surprised me) but not that many birds but, what there were, were very good.
Click on photos to enlarge.
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| These 3 days. |
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| Overlooking Wangetti Beach from Rex Lookout on the Captain Cook Hwy. |
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| Our cabin at Newell Beach Caravan Park. |
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| The view from our cabin at Newell Beach Caravan Park. |
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| Newell Beach across the road from our cabin. |
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| Newell Beach, looking south towards Port Douglas on the point. |
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| Beach debris at Newell Beach. |
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| This large twin-trunked rainforest tree was washed up onto Newell Beach. |
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| Cutting sugarcane at Newell Beach. |
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JAPANESE AIR RAID ON DOUGLAS SHIRE 1942.
At 3:30 am on 31/7/1942 a Japanese aircraft dropped 8 bombs in this
Shire (Mossman area), one landing 50 metres directly behind this point.
A 2 1/2 year old girl, Carmel Zullo, was injured by a piece of shrapnel.
50 years later (1992) this monument was unveiled by the same
Carmel Zullo (married name Emmi). |
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| Boat on the Daintree River. |
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| No going into the water here. |
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| Daintree River Ferry (punt). |
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| Strangler Fig on Paperbark Tree. |
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| Daintree Discovery Centre (we didn't go in). |
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| Along the Jindalba boardwalk, Daintree National Park. |
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| Along the Jindalba boardwalk, Daintree National Park. |
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| Along the Jindalba boardwalk, Daintree National Park. |
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| Plants of the rainforest. |
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| Along the Jindalba boardwalk, Daintree National Park. |
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| Fan Palms, along the Jindalba boardwalk, Daintree National Park. |
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| Along the Jindalba boardwalk, Daintree National Park. |
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| Orange amongst all the green. |
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| The beach at Cape Tribulation, where the rainforest meets the sea, from Lookout Point. |
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| The beach at Cape Tribulation. |
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| The beach at Cape Tribulation. |
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| Sand worm castings at Cape Tribulation. |
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| Red Mangrove (Rhizophora stylosa), Cape Tribulation. |
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The foot of the giant 'Cape Tribulation Chicken'.
(mangrove root) |
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| Birds Nest Fern growing right down on the beach at Cape Tribulation. |
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| Beach Turkey. |
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| (clockwise from top left) Could be Harpullia rhyticarpa (Slender Harpulia) /---/ Balanophora fungosa. These brown knobs look like mushrooms but the common name, Fungus Root, is misleading as this is a true plant. It does not produce green leaves but is a parasite on the roots of other plants, also known as Forest Marbles. /---/ Silver Bush; Sea-coast Laburnum (Sophora tomentosa). at Cape Tribulation. /--/ A bracket fungi. All at Cape Tribulation. |
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| What has Lynn spotted? |
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| Golden-orb Spiders. |
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| So this is where we are. |
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| Ulysses Butterfly (blue) and a Green-spotted Triangle Butterfly (green). |
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| All the little 'beach beads' made by the Bubbler Crabs at Thornton Beach. |
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| 'beach beads' made by the Bubbler Crabs. |
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| The 'bouncing rocks' at Thornton Beach. |
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View from Mount Alexandra Lookout to
the mouth of the Daintree River. |
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| This crocodile was swimming along side our 'Daintree River Wild Watch' birdwatching boat. |
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| Green Tree Snake seen from our 'Daintree River Wild Watch' birdwatching boat. |
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(clockwise from top left) Green (Yellow) Oriole (juvenile),
Little Pied Cormorant, Olive-backed Sunbird (on nest), Great-billed Heron. |
After my 6:30am birdwatching boat trip it was off to Cooktown.
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| The Mulligan Highway to Cooktown. |
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| James Earl Lookout. |
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| James Earl Lookout. |
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| James Earl Lookout. |
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| James Earl Lookout. |
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| James Earl Lookout. |
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| Janis loves somebody at James Earl Lookout. |
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| Mistletoe and Eucalypt flowers at James Earl Lookout. |
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| Back on the Mulligan Highway again. |
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| Lunch stop, under a Poinciana Tree, at Lakeland . |
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| Lakeland Coffee House and Store. |
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| Black Mountain. |
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| Black Mountain. |
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| Black Mountain. |
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| Mistletoe flowers at Keatings Lagoon Conservation Park. |
Some of the birds seen over these few days.
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(clockwise from top left) Radjah Shelduck, Striated Heron (adult),
Striated Heron (juvenile), Pheasant Coucal, Olive-backed Oriole. |
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(clockwise from top left) Forest Kingfisher, Grey Tattler,
not sure if this was a different bird, could be the Grey Tattler or a
Common Sandpiper, Beach Stone-Curlew, Little Egret. |
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(clockwise from top left) Bridled Honeyeater, Australian Swiftlet,
Helmeted Friarbird, Topknot Pigeon, Cassowary. |
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(clockwise from top left) Little Shrikethrush, Spangled Drongo,
Shining Flycatcher (male), Shining Flycatcher (female). |
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(clockwise from top left) White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Great Bowerbird,
Comb-crested Jacana, Green Pygmy-Goose, Red-winged Parrot, Barred Cuckoo-shrike. |
Cameras: Canon PowerShot SX60 HS and Sony DSC-W690.
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