July 14th..Day 28

What a day! It was full of action! We travelled south through the Daintree NP to Cape Tribulation and are camped in quite a remote park on Cape Kimberley. The sea is wild with wind and grey skies. We have enjoyed two beach walks today.

New bridge being built and the old concrete ford which we used

In 1990 when we were up here the crossing of the Bloomfield River was exciting and memorable. It is quite a wide river where crocodiles live. We were in a convoy of five vehicles. When we arrived at the crossing point there was an army truck part way across. It had run over the edge of the shallow stone ford..nose into the water doing considerable damage  to its engine. There was an army guy on the bank with a gun ready for any crocodile attack. A grader driver drove in from the other side offering to pull them out for a 'slab of beer'. But, no, there was to be no payment of beer so the grader reversed out of the river and left them in the water. Our five vehicles were able to carefully cross. I think the army truck eventually got through when the tide went out. Today was very different.
The guy at the new bridge warned us that the road through to Cape Tribulation was very slippery. We came through OK but, in some patches, it was BIG TIME slippery. After one down hill section I said 'I felt as if I was going sideways' the reply came very swiftly  'You were'. Yes it was very slippery. One hill we came down at 2 km per hour it was just so bad...slippery and rutted. People we met told us about a couple of cars off the road. The next 'event' was a queue of vehicles which were waiting to go up a long steep section. The Donovan Range hill. We took our turn and after John inspecting the road on foot and lowering the air pressure in our tyres we drove up without a hitch. What will be the challenge tomorrow as we proceed south to Mosman.
 The walks we had in the Cape Tribulation Rainforest were fascinating. Everything is so green and tall with vines growing and twisting where they wish .The growth is incredible and very dense. Note the twisted branches behind John.

John in the rain forest

Mangrove trees showing their wonderful roots.