Darwin Mangroves & Cairns (Great Barrier Reef & Kuranda Rain Forest), Australia
Darwin is located on Australia’s north coast and has a population of approximately 146,000. It is a mere 860 miles south of the equator and was one of the hottest places I’ve ever experienced. With temperatures above 106 degrees fahrenheit or 41 degrees celsius, relative humidity of 98 percent, and near cloudless skies, it was a roaster in my Zodiac. It is important to remember that in Australia everything can kill you. From the aquatic life in the sea (including sharks, stinger jellyfish, salt-water crocodiles, and some of the beautiful mollusks), to the creatures on land, like scorpions, spiders and snakes, just to mention a few. This is in contrast to the United States, where the largest threat to humans is posed by other humans. After a few days in Darwin I travelled to Cairns, Queensland which is on the northeast coast of Australia. With a population of approximately 148,000, it’s about the same size as Darwin. There are plenty of things to do here. The Great Barrier Reef with its 133,000 square miles is just off the coast. It is our planet’s largest single structure made by living organisms. Unfortunately, due to environmental factors the reef has lost half of its coral cover in the past 30 years.
Tidal mangroves with many salt-water crocodiles. They are just extremely hard to see as only their eyes are above water. They are known as “ambush predators” because they remain completely still and then ambush their prey. Good thing these large reptiles don’t know the Zodiac is made of rubber.Crocodile Dundee. His real name was Greg and he was the real deal, from the accent to the hat. Great guide through the mangroves. And we never got lost.This explains the lack of people walking around. What an awesome site. Then I discover it was not alive. An incredible letdown. But I was intrigued and later discovered that a real crocodile emerged from the waters in this frame only 6 years ago. It was this size (4 meters, or 14 feet). The croc was captured, transferred to a sanctuary, and now immortalized in this croc sculpture.Cigarette machine with a stern warning. Because a pack of cigarettes can cost $32 (that’s USD) you rarely see people smoking here. Because the deterrent of death is not strong enough, the Aussies imposed a very high cigarette tax.My copter ride to and over the Great Barrier Reef. Parts of the reef are unfortunately dying as a result of climate change and pollution. No jokes here as this is an extremely sad situation. Mass coral bleaching caused by elevated ocean temperatures, although not an annual occurrence, is happening more frequently.Close up of Green Island. The diving and snorkeling is amazing here.Another shot of Green Island on my approach.During low tide my copter can land on this sandy atoll. Unfortunately the tide wasn’t low enough. I had all my gear and everything. What a letdown, but since my pilot got me back without incident I still gave him a great tip.Both sand expanses and bleaching can be seen here.Waterfall at Barron Gorge on my way to and through the rainforest.Another image of the falls. Unfortunately this day the river was in a low flow mode. But still a very stunning falls.Another view of Barron Gorge which carves its way though the rainforest.Boris the spider. Not too poisonous, if this White-tailed spider bites you, you have a day or so to seek medical attention, other spiders can be lethal in as little as a few hours.Crashed plane in what was at one time an uninhabited jungle. Now it’s a tangled sculpture.Hippie village A/K/A Kuranda Village. This place is authentic flower-power. I think many of the people who live in this tropical environment are some of the same people who attended Woodstock in 1969. It also appears that old hippies don’t age very well.Street scene in the Village.No flower-power time capsule would be complete without a shop selling dream-catchers and incense.Great warning in Cairns. Quite a spectacle too. These bats were in almost every tree, but only in a small 2-3 block radius.Just hanging out. Since the bats sleep upside-down there is little chance of being nailed by bat-shit.In flight is where you must be alert and on guard for being hit by their waste. These bats have some crazy radar and as a result are incredibly accurate.Good bat form. Great posture and neck extension. The wing span was approximately 2-3 feet. The judges gave it a 10. Holy bat-shit Batman.Interesting posting in the toilet. No comments here. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words.
