Off-season advantages

Ok maybe it's a bit cloudy (though still 30 degrees) and you can't get out to the Great Barrier Reef easily, but there are upsides to roaming around north Queensland at this time of year. Namely, no crowds. In fact, sometimes, no people at all!

I have a four-bed dorm to myself in a little cabin in the rainforest, my neighbours also have their own cabin although a possum tried to join them last night. I took a river cruise yesterday to look for crocodiles, and ended up with a personal tour - just the guide and me. Dan kindly manoeuvred the boat back and forth just so I could try and get the best photos of the python, tree snake, azure kingfisher, tree frog and mother crocodile with little ones* that we found**.

Needless to say I've really been enjoying it up here, it's beautiful. Today I ate ten different types of exotic fruit (mangosteen and Davidson plum - yum! Yellow sapote - hmm) and another four as ice-cream (it came as a set ok?!); did a couple of nature walks amongst the mangroves and rainforest which I had almost entirely to myself; and went out to Cape Tribulation point to walk along the beach in the rain. Last night I did a guided nightwalk, and although we didn't see any really exciting mammals or big reptiles, it was still quite impressive to see the huge insects and headless birds, and to hear all about the trees and plants. Alright so the birds weren't actually headless, but they looked it - one was the cutest little puffball of feathers snoozing away with his head under his wing on a branch that we had to duck to get under. I've remained remarkably calm in the presence of spiders 10cm long and huge ugly cane toads trying to get squished underfoot. But I couldn't stay much longer - couldn't afford the mozzie spray I'm getting through!

*A confession - apparently there were baby crocodiles (tiny, only about 10cm) but either they looked very like sticks, or I couldn't spot them through the grass.
**When I say "we", I mean Dan, I'm bloody awful at finding things, see above!