Our alarm clock is the raucous call of two pair of orange footed scrub fowl that are nesting around camp. It is sort of like roosters in camp. We are up early and there are two trails within walking distance so we are at the trailhead by daylight. This is Cassowary country and they say that best time to view is early. We dodge rain sprinkles and watch intently but no Cassowary to be found. So, what’s the difference between temperate rainforest and tropical. Oh, maybe 20 degrees hotter and lots more vines climbing up and down and just waiving out in thin air in search of something to grab onto.
We head back home for a late breakfast and hope that the rain eases up. It doesn’t but we decide to head out anyway to the discovery center. It is a lot like the US National Park Visitor Centers with lots of information about the rainforest and great boardwalks plus a high tower to get a close up look at each level of the rainforest. It is all very well done but the heavy rain today makes it difficult to appreciate and pretty much impossible to see any wildlife. Still, a fun walk.
Our way home takes us past an ice cream shop and we have to stop – it quit raining now! Their specialty is tropical fruit flavors locally grown. A sampler cup includes mango, sweet banana, black sota, and wattle seed. Yes, I ate banana ice cream. They are all delicious.
Passing beauty, a Ulysses butterfly. It is a magnificent iridescent blue. In the lawn at the Ice cream stop was a lone Kangaroo, our 1st confirmed siting.
Moving on, we have a couple more trails. Birding is slow except for a huge group of large bats high in the canopy. They are very noisy and constantly moving jockeying for the best roosting spot it guess. Amazing and a bit creepy. I am glad I have my hat!
We close out the night with a quiet dinner in camp. Overnight score, mouse (2) people (0). Lost another apple and a bag of corn chips