Daintree centre

It rained this morning for quite a while. Not heavy but fairly constant. I think it will probably do the same tomorrow morning. I stayed in bed and watched videos of the Bloomfield track.

When the rain stopped at about midday I rode up to the Daintree Rainforest centre. It is a board walk like all rainforest centres. I really would love to say it was great, but it was pretty boring. It cost $35 too. I'm not doing anything else that costs $35.

They had an example of the Idiot Fruit tree, which is a living fossil of an early flowering plant. It is called an idiot fruit because either you're an idiot to eat it, or because you turn into an idiot after you eat it. It is highly toxic. Even cassowaries won't eat them, which means they have no way to disperse their seeds so they grow in clumps in the forest. When it was rediscovered in 1971 it was regarded by botanists as the greatest find in Australia. I'd say the Wollombi Pine has probably usurped it now.

Here it is, the tree that so excited botanists. If they get excited over this imagine how they'd be if you showed them literally any animal.

A lizard on a branch. 

This tree probably had a 4 minute description on the audio guide. Zzzzz

The only other thing I even really remember is that there was a plant called a Vicious Hairy Mary, and that the description of the electric fern said "despite its name the electric fern isn't actually a fern". What, so it IS electric?

After I left the $35 centre I rode about a km along the same road and came to a free national park board walk that was longer and better.

I went for a wander and stopped off for some ice cream. There are heaps of places selling home made ice-cream for some reason. I know you aren't meant to take anything organic from the rainforest so I shall remember to leave my plastic organic ice-cream tub behind when I leave.

Tomorrow I'm going to go on the Bloomfield track. It is supposed to be steep and dirt which I hope doesn't turn to mud in the rain. There is also a creek crossing. I'm looking forward to it but am slightly nervous.