Syrup, hot damper and sapotes: What dwells in yonder rainforest

We left the sugar growing region of Mareeba with its tasselled cane tops waving against the blue sky and headed into country that was more dairy oriented, dotted with large tracts of remnant rainforest.

And here we saw a tree kangaroo, which was so exciting for all of us. We have seen their cousins before: rock wallabies, most recently while we were on Magnetic Island, but this tree dwelling marsupial was a first for us. He hung out on a branch so high in the top layer of the forest canopy that we had to crane our necks to watch him. Here, the quiet little fellow unwittingly put on a brilliant display of tree kangaroo behaviors for those below, as his long pendulous tail swung distinctively below the leaves and branches. He ate a mango with his front paws, nibbling at it most delicately. He climbed higher, hugging the trunk like a koala, using his strong hind legs to inch up further while his arms kept him safely and squarely in position. He showed how well he could jump, leaping skilfully from one strong branch to another, albeit after much careful consideration and a good assessment of lurking danger.

No fool this fellow. The overseas visitors who came to see the Curtain Fig scored a double whammy as the tree kangaroo was sighted on the same boardwalk. Which caused quite a sensation and gave everyone a big thrill.

The Curtain Fig, deeper in the rainforest, is a piece of nature’s artwork. Here, a strangler fig toppled a tall tree in the rainforest. This first host tree fell on top of another forest tree at an angle of about 45º. The strangler then hollowed out the second host tree, holding it straight and tall in its roots. Between the two trees, he slanted one resting on the tall straight one, the strangler fig sent its roots straight to the ground searching for soil and water. The resulting mass of roots is like a waterfall of fine fig root filaments falling straight to the ground like a curtain. Hence the name. It brings tourists by the bus load.

As does the pretty town of Yungaburra, which appears quite trendy with its colourful hanging baskets and pretty painted shop signs. Its lovely wooden pub so appealed to a group of quad bikers returning from a trek to the tip of Cape York, that they took a well earned bit of rest and relaxation in this green and gracious setting.

We stayed the night at Lake Eacham, a prettier lake in a prettier setting would be hard to find anywhere. The road into the lake is thick with rainforest, grown incredibly tall with all the rain that falls here.

Luckily, our time has been in the sun. But, about two o’clock in the morning, the temperature did drop to around 2°C as a cold spell blew in from the south, and Miss Bec was not at all inclined to poke even her nose out from under her warm covers.