BZ3620: Daintree Pt 1

On the way to the Daintree, we had a quick stop at Mt Lewis just outside of Julatten to look at upland rainforest.
We stopped at the blue faced parrot finch site, which is a clearing at the beginning of the Ho Chi Minh trail. This little area is kept clear to provide habitat for the blue faced parrot finch, which only occur at this altitude.

As would be expected, the plants in and around this clearing are primarily pioneer species, lots of Alphitonia, some eucalypts and Acacia, as well as Rubus.

Plenty of epiphytes, too.

The upper branches of the large emergents are completely festooned and encrusted with epiphytes, which is always a nice sight.
Especially when some of those epiphytes are one of the oldest lineages of extant vascular plants - tassel ferns.
Not actually a fern, they are a type of spikemoss and they are AWESOME. Very special plants. So seeing them growing and thriving in the wild was a very cool experience.

The ropey dangling tassels are the reproductive structures.

While going along the track, we came upon a fallen log which had a lovely little pile of bird guts on it, accompanied by a little powder puff of feathers on the ground. The work of a quoll, perhaps?

After a bit more walking, we stopped for lunch in a dry ecotone on the side of a hill. Large granite boulders dotted the hillside, and these were in turn covered by orchids. The whole ecotone was a little orchid hotbed. So cool.

Bulbophyllum newportii

Cymbidium madidum (this one was in a fallen log)

Dendrobium jonesii (I think)

More jonesii, with Dianella in the foreground

More newportii

A horrible photo, but you can see how Den jonesii and Bulb newportii grow together on the boulders with that lovely Casuarina/Allocasuarina leaf litter mulch.

Also plenty of basket ferns (Drynaria)

Cymbidium suave on a tree

Now this really is a horrible photo. But it is a cooktown orchid, Dendrobium bigibbum, which is pretty unusual for it to be this far south. Something to keep an eye on for future trips.

After all that, it was time to kiss Mt Lewis goodbye and get back on the road.

Finally made it to the Daintree River! There is no bridge, so everyone has to go over on this cool looking old ferry. Apparently there is a tree kangaroo that hangs around the boat ramps here, but we didn't see it this time.

A lovely rainforested Jurassic Park-esque drive later, we arrived at the CSIRO Daintree Rainforest Observatory (DRO) facility smack bang in the middle of the rainforest. We were lucky in that we were the first group to use the new upgraded facilities. Oh boy. It was so fancy. I would pay good money to stay there again.

Anyway that will have to do for now, the next part of the trip is deserving of it's own post.