Today, we packed up to leave Cape Trib. After loading the car we saw a big goanna walking through the leaves alongside the path — probably a lace monitor. He was at least 3 feet long and completely unconcerned that we were watching him.

After leaving the Beach House, we decided to walk one of the boardwalks again. As we were returning to the parking lot, Julie spied another cassowary — our fourth of our trip! We followed it down the road from a distance for a bit.

Our last stop on this side of the Daintree River was at the wonderful Daintree Ice Cream Company. The handmade ice cream was exquisite. Julie got a rainforest take on mint chocolate chip, and I got a sampler of mango, coconut, black sapote (a fruit from South America), and wattleseed (a ground up seed that tastes a bit like like a combination of caramel and coffee).

We sat outside on a simple table among tropical flowers and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. After our snack we still had some time, so we decided to explore one more beautiful beach — Cow Bay Beach.

We had another casual stroll keeping 15 feet from the water and one eye out for crocs. From the beach it was a short drive back to the ferry. On the other side of the river, we drove just a couple of minutes to reach a public dock, where we’d booked a boat tour. Unfortunately, I was attacked by a croc almost immediately.

I managed to escape, and we headed down to the boat.

These warning signs are hilarious. Oh, so diving is the thing to worry about on this river? Nope. About 100 meters from the dock, we encountered our first Salty – an 8-year-old female about five feet long.

Note that she’s got a tooth sticking up through her upper jaw near her snout. Not that she should feel selfconscious about it. She was a beaut! Indeed, she was practically dainty compared to the next croc we saw — a 15-foot giant.

Based on his size he was over 80. As crocs age they just get bigger, tougher, and more awesome. #spiritanimal. We were pretty close to this guy, but he wasn’t interested in us.

The next crocs we saw were much smaller and younger, starting with this toothy four year old, who was about three feet long.

Our guide told us that this croc was entering a dangerous time, as he was now big enough to compete with the older crocs for food. The old guard might turn him into a snack.

Julie wanted to take the last terrifying croc home with us — all 12 inches of reptilian death. Because all babies are cute.

As much as Salties are dangerous animals, only 1 in 70 make it to maturity. They face all kinds of hazards in the Daintree River, including bull sharks that hunt in these waters. Sharks eat crocs, and crocs eat sharks. These are not waters to swim in. Yeah, but there should definitely be a sign warning people about the dangers of diving into the water headfirst.

Crocs weren’t the only wildlife we saw. We also saw a green lipped frog with a zen-like expression.

Along the banks there were also sprays of tropical orchids.

As we headed back to the dock, we could see the ferry in the distance.

Once back on land, we headed to nearby Port Douglas, an upscale holiday town with resorts, restaurants, and bars. As we pulled into our AirBNB we saw trees filled with huge bats.

We spent the next day recovering and catching up on work. Towards the end of the day, we walked along a short seaside path and enjoyed a beer looking out over the Coral Sea.

The trail looped back towards town, where we saw a gorgeous sunset.

We ended our day watching the flying foxes munch on fruit.

Port Douglas happens to have a large population of these bats, but they are unfortunately endangered. The particular species are Spectacled Flying Foxes, named for the lighter areas around their eyes, which look a little bit like bat glasses.

Yeah, so these are nerd bats. Just adorable.

We’ve had an incredible time in tropical Queensland. From the reefs to the rainforests, we’ve had unforgettable experiences.

-Will