Daintree Rainforest and Clear Water Creek

Saturday May 12, 2012, Daintree Rainforest and Clear Water Creek. After the Daintree River Cruise, we hopped back onto our 4WD bus to explore some more. At our next stop, we enjoyed a guided walk through a portion of the Daintree tropical rainforest. Then, we rode through the Rainforest. As we were riding, Taylor spotted two cassowaries standing in the forest about 20 meters away from the road. A cassowary is a large, flightless Australian bird with a bright blue and red color and a large horn on top of its head, averaging about 6 feet tall.  It was interesting to learn that several of the trees in the rainforest depend on them for reproduction because their seeds must pass through the cassowary's digestive system before they can germinate. People are also warned to keep their distance from these birds, because they can be aggressive and dangerous. We then had an amazing steak lunch prepared by the guides at a Mountain Resort.  After lunch, we travelled to Emmagen creek, a clear water creek in Daintree. Some of the students took a swim in the creek, which was safe to swim in because the crocodiles won't swim in water this cold. Meanwhile, the tour guides set up a tropical fruit-tasting table. We were able to try several new tropical fruits that we had never heard of before such as, Sour Sop and Apple Custard.  Then, our tour guide showed us a huge Golden Orb Spider. This spider was as large as our hands! We had a great day learning about Daintree and all its wildlife.

-Paige, Jordan, & Taylor Kent