Mossman Gorge (Day 2)

After Cape Tribulation it was off for a short hike through part of the Daintree Rain Forest, which ended in a covered picnic area, where lunch was provided for us by our tour operator. The food was great, a really good BBQ, with a choice of local fruit for desert, some of which you will recognise such as watermelons. There were however other fruit we had never heard of, one that stood out tasted like apple flavoured custard and had a similar texture. Not my cup of tea I must admit but worth trying all the same.

After lunch it was off to our guided boat cruise. A different guide mind you, not our bus driver, whom by the way was named, Mick Maloney! The picture below shows one of the highest mountains in Daintree and after that a few pictures of crocs. Beware, just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're not there!

After the boat cruise, it was off to Mossman Gorge. We were really looking forward to seeing the gorge and to be honest for us it was a bit of a dissappointment. Perhaps we felt that we could have seen the same river and boulders in any other part of the world including back home. After the uniqueness of the rest of the tour it was all a bit familiar. Ye on the other hand can make up your own mind with the following pics.

So that was our first full day in Cairns. We found the sights amazing and while I am not trying to detract from the experience, it seemed we spent the whole day travelling to destination after destination only to be given a few minutes at each one. For instance in Cape Tribulation we got 20 minutes to have a look around. 20 minutes!!! Carl Lewis would have been hard set to reach the look out in that length of time. It was a similar situation in Mossman Gorge, again another 20 minute sprint to the look out, point camera, click and back to the bus.

In fairness to the tour operator it is not really their fault, Mick explained on the way home that the tour excluded Mossman Gorge originally and it wasn't very successful. They decided to include Mossman and it just took off. So they are meeting an obvious demand. Sharon and I both agreed after the tour that we would have preferred to have gone to these destinations by ourselves over a couple of days and taken the time to experience the places at our own pace. But then again for most of our trip to Australia we wanted to spend more time at most destinations which demonstrates just how much we enjoyed this trip.

The other draw back, and we are aware of the irony, is that you never get to see the places without the rest of your tour companions! It would not have been too bad if it wasn't for the other five bus loads in the car park. I guess it is a big ask to have some time by yourself in a World Heritage Site. My advice, for what it's worth, find out which way the bus tours go and, if you only have the day, travel the same route in reverse order. At least you'll miss most of the crowds.

Cathal