Day 18 – Trekking in the tropical rainforest

$25 dollars (£13) well spent on an inflatable mattress and pump. Six hours of solid sleep, which would have been even longer if it was not for the singing Kookaburras laughing hysterically in the distance. Like a troop of monkeys high in the trees mischievously making sure the whole forest and all it’s inhabitants were wide awake.

Very funny

We arose and were just leaving the the tent when a goana strides no more than a metre away from us and the front of the tent. He nonchalantly strolled in and out of the trees without a care in the world. He definitely wasn’t in the slight bit concerned about us. We could hear the other site dwellers also getting breakfast and packing up, all of whom the cheeky Kookaburras had obviously woken. We had our porridge with bananas and packed up all the gear.

Not only do the fire service keep the forests safe, they do a fantastic job keeping the campgrounds spotlessly clean.

Through the forest

We went to the other side of the campsite and embarked on a trek through the woods. A completely different terrain saw us criss-crossing the river which was still covering parts of the trail from the floods, though luckily the water has receded enough to allow safe passage.

More new creatures to add to our long list of ‘not seen one of them before’. Still no snakes though, but we are being very vigilant at looking at the high and low ground as well as in the trees above. Nearly went face first into a web with a no so nice looking spider sat right in the middle waiting to pounce on any unsuspecting traveller.

Enough of creeks, it was time to head to our next destination, Bangalow campground up in the mountains for the next two nights.

Oh look a snake, I’m not getting too near to that fella. A red-bellied black snake no less. Venomous – of course. Time to brush up on what to do if bitten by a snake and wishing maybe we should have invested in a first aid snake bite kit after all.