When most people picture Australia, the endless brown wastelands of the Outback come to mind; after all, it is the world’s driest country. But there’s a lesser-known landscape nestled far in the country’s remote northeast that’s anything but dry and barren; through the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland run mighty rivers and dramatic waterfalls, ancient rainforests that house 18% of the nation’s bird population in just 0.2% of its landmass, and endure a mind-blowing 250 inches of rain a year — most of which falls between February and April. It also boasts some of Australia’s most beautiful beaches, which are just a dozen or so miles by boat or seaplane from the edge of the Great Barrier Reef.
Cape Tribulation is literally where the road ends — at least for any vehicle other than a heavy-duty 4×4 snorkle truck — and the Reef is how it got its name. Captain Cook ran aground on it on June 10, 1770, nearly sinking, and recorded in his log: that “the north point [was named] Cape Tribulation because here began all our troubles.” He had a bad time of it in the Wet Tropics, giving nearby landmarks colorful names like Mount Sorrow, Mount Awful and Weary Bay. That’s the other side of the coin when it comes to visiting Cape Tribulation, as I did last March — it’s beautiful and remote, but the potential dangers and pitfalls are many. Read on to see what I found there.
Bordering the Cape is the Daintree rainforest. At more than 135 million years old, it’s the oldest and one of the most spectacular rainforests on the planet. As it was explained to me by park rangers, the reason it’s survived for so long is that plate tectonics over the eons haven’t shifted the Tropical Far North much; Antarctica, for instance, may have had rainforests 135 million years ago, but its dramatic shift south buried them under mountains of ice. Daintree, on the other hand, has had a pretty consistent climate for the last 135 million years or so (despite ice ages and so on). It’s not hard to imagine dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures running around in the thick, humid underbrush — because they did. The 600 million year old zamia fern, for instance, developed an underground root system to defend against browsing dinosaurs.
There are plenty of above-ground root systems, too — many of which are as thick around as a bodybuilder’s bicep.
Water is everywhere: you’ve never been anywhere so humid in your life.
This spider had to have been five inches long — and it wasn’t the largest I saw, by far.
Not far away, an unbelievable confluence of waterfalls creates a deafening but beautiful sight.
Cape Tribulation itself juts out into the water like the sleeping head of a snake.
Exotic fruits and vegetables are everywhere. I stayed in a cabin on a fruit farm while on the Cape, and I’m not sure I recognized a single fruit or plant.
These were all delicious. In there somewhere are a West Indian lime, a yellow sapote, a breadfruit (that’s the big one), a longan, an abiu, a dragonfruit (the crazy-looking pink one), a salak, a davidson plum (extremely bitter), an atemoya and a rollimia.
The tasty, hypercolor insides of a dragonfruit:
This farm that grew those also grows durian, the powerful and clothes-penetrating aroma of which is often likened to rotting flesh — unfortunately, they didn’t have any on hand to sample.
Close by is a place called the Copper River, known for its robust population of crocodiles. We hired a guide to take us out to look for crocs, but only found one — faraway and frightened of us.
Despite the beauty of the landscape, there was much to be wary of. We were there during box jellyfish season — which is nearly half the year — during which you can’t swim in the ocean for fear of becoming entangled in the incredibly poisonous and painful appendages of one of these creatures, which in recent years have become something of a plague along Queensland beaches.
If you happen to get stung and somehow make it out of the water and back up the trailhead, you’ll find a handy jug of vinegar waiting to be poured on your wounds. In a pinch, urine will also do.
The only way you can swim in the ocean during box jellyfish season (near the shore, at least) is inside these specially-designed jellyfish nets that some of the tourist towns have set up. It’s kind of a depressing way to enjoy the vast beach, though.
Crocodiles are an ever-present danger, as well. There are scary warning signs near just about every body of fresh water.
And yet, twenty feet away …
But it’s not just animals that are out to get you — some of the plants lurking in Queensland’s primeval rainforests are just as dangerous. Take, for instance, “the stinging tree.”
In case the fine print is a bit too small to read, here’s a close-up. I think nothing in Australia made me more paranoid than this sign.
Hell, there are even warning signs on the vending machines! Is nowhere safe??
Creepy crawly nasties aside, though, Cape Trib is an strange an amazing place, and I think it can truly be said that there’s nowhere else like it on the planet.
Check out more Strange Geographies columns here.
To order prints or get high-resolution downloads of the photos in this essay, click here.
Comments (16)
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That pink flower looks a lot like the Persian silk trees that grow here in the US. They are often mistakenly called mimosas, but they aren’t related. Interesting.
posted by Kieran on 11-30-2009 at 7:40 am
Another stellar photo essay. Thank your lucky stars you get to travel and see these wonderful places!!
posted by Lulu on 11-30-2009 at 9:20 am
Great post! I went to Cape Trib on a visit to Australia a few years ago, and your photos brought back so many wonderful memories of my trip!
posted by Tara on 11-30-2009 at 11:47 am
I cannot find any Cape Trib pics on your personal page link. Have you added them yet?
posted by Starla on 11-30-2009 at 1:18 pm
Wonderful! I couldn’t help but read this with an accent, though… LOL!
posted by Helenann on 11-30-2009 at 3:17 pm
I’ll be in Cairns in January, maybe I’ll take a day trip and visit Cape Tribulation? I’m going to be in Australia till the end of April, gotta love study abroad!
posted by Aaron on 11-30-2009 at 9:44 pm
Nice photos.
I agree with Helenann. It’s a pity we have to suffer ANOTHER web entry about a vacuous American that struggles to understand anything that isn’t homogenised and franchised like their own culture. Us Aussies find Sepos to be much like the French.
Before you have a go at Aussies (we have an ugly past too), please appreciate that we read more books and attend more cultural events per capita than any country on earth. Yes we do often play up to your stereotypes for a laugh, but we see that more as a function of your ignorance than ours.
Most of what you said was on the right track but considerably off the mark.
BTW, we have been breeding up the jellyfish and the crocs to keep tourist numbers under control ;-)
You quite rightly mentioned that you need to watch out for yourself, but that’s probably the same anywhere in the world.
If you really feel the need to labour the point; in the top end of down under Crocs grow bigger than alligators and will readily attack humans for prey (unlike alligators). You also forgot to mention that the area is home to stonefish (perfectly camoflauged and deadly poisonous to step on), sharks, cassowaries (agressive 6-7 foot tall birds that can run 35mph and disembowel a human with a single kick) and the world’s second most deadly snake (the most deadly lives a bit inland from there). The stingers/jellyfish not only include bluebottles/portugese manowar, but also box jellyfish and irukandji. Irukandji have a clear body an inch long with 1m tentacles but’ll put you in intesive care for a couple of weeks if you can get to hospital in time.
posted by L on 11-30-2009 at 10:41 pm
@L: Huh? I don’t understand why you sound defensive. It seems that you misread something in the post. Care to elaborate?
@Ransom: Thanks for continuing this series! I look forward to future posts.
posted by bigfatmeanie on 11-30-2009 at 11:05 pm
L — what the heck are you talking about?? I am baffled.
posted by Ransom Riggs on 11-30-2009 at 11:41 pm
Another great entry. The jealousy continues – although this time at a lower level (not sure I want to be in a place so close to not only crocs, but those big ass spiders).
That said, you visit some great places and take some awesome pics. Love your stuff.
posted by Ian from Baltimore on 12-1-2009 at 11:58 am
Sorry if I was not clear enough Ransom.
As an Aussie I found the article a bit condescending, and portrayed a beautiful place in a bad light. There were several beautiful photographs which I congratulate you again on. However, 7 of the 20 written pieces extolled the dangerous nature of the place. I don’t think it’s any more dangerous than anywhere else, it’s just that you noticed there are different dangers unique to each environment.
Perhaps I was a bit harsh on Americans too. I realise there are millions of wonderful Americans. Like any group of people there are few idiots, a few champs and the vast majority are fine.
It’s just that of the hundreds of Americans I know from travelling and studying at an american university I have found a lower proportion of amicable people than I have with people from other countries.
I find it a constant source of frustration that (the) Americans (I have known) seem to have no problem enforcing their cultural nuances upon others, and seem unable and/or unwilling to reciprocate. This tone seemed to have suffused throughout your article.
Cape Trib is a beautiful place with some of the most important ecosystems in the world. I’m glad you enjoyed it, but it’s not dangerous if you are sensible and follow the obvious instructions for those ignorant to the terrain.
posted by L on 12-1-2009 at 10:02 pm
Dear L above…..
You’re a prat.
Article for yanks by yanks. But actually more thoughtful about FNQ than most of the pop culture guff dished to us about the ‘real’ good ol USA.
posted by xcgumby on 2-7-2010 at 6:43 am
Lovely pics
I was actually born in the Daintree. My mother built a house there and i lived there for the first year or so of my life.
Understandably its very close to my heart and these pictures beautifully capture its wild essence :)
posted by Katie on 5-11-2011 at 10:28 am
oh and btw – the stinging tree is as bad as it sounds. the warning is definitely not an over-reaction – my mum described the pain as wanting to cut off her own leg.
posted by Katie on 5-11-2011 at 10:33 am
Some incredible photos, and you’re right – that isn’t at all what I think of when I think of Australia! That waterfall looks especially amazing.
posted by Dayna on 1-21-2012 at 12:17 pm
Hey L – while I get where you’re coming from, I’m not American and I have to agree with kinda EVERY tourist that comes to Oz, its a far more dangerous place than pretty much anywhere else on the planet. I absolutely love Australia, and have visited twice now, but it does seem to be a cultural thing that Aussie’s generally are not bothered by the spiders, crocs, sharks, jellyfish, stonefish, dingoes etc etc that grace your shores. For the rest of us who live in countries where the most dangerous animal might be a rabid goat (I’m British), then Australia is a pretty scary and daunting place. I thought Cape Tribulation was beautiful, but you have to admit there are some dangers there to consider! Yes we’ll all be careful, but I certainly don’t think pointing out the dangers is condecending to Australians. You’re lucky to live in such a fabulous country, but you have a completely different view of it in terms of safety that foreigners do.
posted by Hobbers on 1-21-2012 at 6:34 pm