Well mates, we’re on the Atherton Plateau.  Warm in the day, cool at night.  Rainforest on the slope to the coast, progressively drier ground to the west.  Here seems a bit like California with agriculture and water being what people talk about.  They grow a lot of sugar and other things.  Today we had lunch at a coffee factory.  Day before we birded on a tea farm.

 Yesterday, we took a boat ride on the DAintree River and then took the ferry across so we could tour to Cape Tribulation.  All good fun.  On the river we were overjoyed to see a Jabaroo and Spotted Whistling Ducks, but most of the dozen passengers were there to see the “salties.”  We did not see these at first, but they were on the bank during our return after the sun had come up.  Very toothy.  No swimming in the DAintree.

Drive from Cairns to Mossman is a bit like that along California route 1 with mountains on one side and the sea on the other.  A bit more tropical.  We stopped at the Mossman River where fishermen mentioned the crocs.  I said, “a bit of a nuisance?”

They said, “Not really,” but stood back 3 meters from the shore.

This is a chore day between our float on the Great Barrrier Reef and a drive north to Mossman.  I woke with a full fledged cold and so was lazy.  No birding outing at dawn.  Laundry is now underway, and we go to shop for groceries soon.  The Kingfisher Park Lodge warns that there are few provisions nearby.  In a pinch there are restaurants one mile and five miles away.  We may sample them but will also pack groceries for our own cooking.  I don’t know if I will have access to Internet for the next five days.