July 25: Daintree: Capes Captivate

Walking along the smooth, white sandy beach of Cape Tribulation in the Daintree Rainforest area, I stopped in my tracks, captivated by a large, paisley shaped work of art at my feet created by hundreds of evenly spaced, pencil eraser sized spherical balls fanning out like leaves from small dark circular centers. Who could have created such a masterpiece in the short time that the tide had been out?

Just then, a cute little Sand Bubbler Crab popped out of one of the black holes, scooped up a mouthful of sand, took the nutrients it needed from the sample, rolled the leftover bits into a ball, and then flicked it aside with its claws, adding another beautiful point to the flowery picture radiating out from his burrow before dropping back into his hideout.

I had already been taken in by the curved coastline, light blue and turquoise waters, shimmering pink-white sand, and surrounding tree-covered mountains. But strolling along the hard packed sandy surface seeing dozens of similar spectacular creations, I felt like I was in an outdoor art gallery wishing I could take a piece home with me.

As my tour group continued down the coastline from Cape Tribulation, we were treated to one stunning ocean view after another, passing the spot where the rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef and stopping at Rocky Point.

With the sun beginning to set in the sky, the heavens took on a rosy hue right where the sky met the velvety surface of Coral Bay, the white speckled brown rocky outcropping in the foreground dramatically framing the view in the horizon. It turns out that the Daintree area is not just about the forest!