Ian- before you sent me off on a wild cassowary-hunt you could have at least told me that they can gut one with those talons ! A country where even the birds can kill you- what's not to love !!
I did look into a YHA in the Daintree, for $65 a night one gets a room with no bath, ac or coffee-machine. I then tried the spiff Heritage Lodge, offering a/c, bath, DVD player w/ free DVDs, spa and very nice restaurant for $100 a night. A tough decision! But if it makes you feel better Ian I did go drinking at a backpacker's in Port Douglas.
I went beach-tucker hunting one of the Kubirri Warra brothers this morning, spearing crabs and foraging for mangrove-snails and mussels. At the end we had a mini-cook up...I highly recommend this one . They also do night spear-fishing (using spears, not fishing for them ! ) , I hope to do this this week if the water clears up enough to allow this. Their website is
(their website)
Ok, off to try to drink a few backpackers under the table before the hunt begins tomorrow.
Which reminds me, the guy I went " fishing" with had a mate who startled a mother cassowary ( with nest ) while hunting pigs- she ripped his stomach open and lopped off a ball. They got his stomach patched, but the ball was a loss. He was then referred to as "one-ball".
<blockquote>Quote<br><hr>I did look into a YHA in the Daintree, for $65 a night one gets a room with no bath<hr></blockquote>But you do get chicks (and blokes) wandering around in the nuddie, and some very relaxed morals on all sides too (DTE, EG, GSOH, etc). Some things money can't buy... good luck with the deadly cassowary. But I am disappointed - no close encounters with <a target=new class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.marinestingers.com/marinestingers/00_00/00_02.html">Box Jellyfish</a> yet!
When I was working at Mission Beach, people were coming back all the time telling us about the cassowaries they had seen on one of the walks. So one day off I set out to do the walk. The track was lovely and peaceful, nice semi tropical setting with a fair bit of cassowary poo around, but no birds. And then, when we finished the walk and were back in the asphalt car park, a bird and some chicks wandered past. So I wouldn't bother looking for them in the wilderness, just head to the nearest car park. ;-)
I brought up cassowaries first I believe and said they were dangerous, and Ian seconded that, so you were told. Must have slipped your mind in the excitement of sporting black fish nets to the beach. I'd second Kate's observaton, we walked miles around Mission Beach, and the only wildlife we encountered in the rain forest were leeches. Bloody awful things, pardon the pun. The cassowary was standing in the middle of the road, not in a hurry to get out of the way either.
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