We were approaching our northernmost part of the journey: Cape Tribulation – or Cape Trib as our Aussie friends called it. It wasn’t due to our lack of adventurism or time, which stopped us from going further north. It was Europcar’s contract terms and conditions. So we took the ferry to Daintree National Park, drove  the windy road up to the visitor centre and enjoyed the spectacular views while sweating in the moist, damp heat of the tropics.

When you visit Daintree National Park, stop by the Visitor Centre and take a few hours to explore the boardwalks there – particularly when you travel with small kids. The walks offer an audio guide and are very entertaining and informative.

We seemed to have been on the lucky side with Cassowaries. Close to the Daintree Center we saw another male bird guarding a single chick. This brought our Cassowary sightings up to five. Given the total estimated remaining population of this endangered bird is about 1200, we say almost a half percent of the total global population during our journey. We thought this is pretty amazing.

Time flew by and we finished the day by getting a good night’s sleep in one of the secluded hideaways. The next morning, we briefly drove by Cape Tribulation beach. But faced with the heat and ‘no swimming’ warning signs of crocodiles and jelly fish, we decided to turn south again.