George Hayward, 2012 North Queensland Sustainability student blogger, writes:

Lecture on the boardwalk

Today was very active. We went to the Daintree Discovery Centre and had a guided tour. Something really interesting that I learned on this tour is that the canopy provides structural support to the trees. The roots of these trees only go about 6-12 inches into the ground because only the top layer of soil has nutrients. This means the trees lack the strong foundation we are used to seeing in the U.S. To compensate for this, all the trees are essentially locked into position by the canopy, which keeps strong winds from knocking them over.

It took about an hour until we reached a lookout tower up in the canopy which had some spectacular views. It was natural rainforest which was abundantly exciting in itself. It was amazing to see such a distinct world living beneath the canopy. When looking up, patches of sky exist sporadically but most of the area above is tree cover.

Lecture on the boardwalk

Coming from Pennsylvania and having limited jungle experience, this was a radical shift for me! The periods of heavy rainfall we experienced helped me feel completely encapsulated by the rainforest. The sound of the rain pitter-pattering on the leaves helped to focus my visual senses; my thoughts were completely drowned out. I can’t remember a time when I felt that isolated (in a good way) and thoroughly enjoyed being among the trees and alone for that short period of time.

Following this we went to Noah Valley which is the oldest rainforest in the world. Paul said it’s also the closest thing to Jurassic Park in existence. As you can imagine, the whole time I was looking for Velociraptors. At the very least I was hoping for Pterodactyls! Sadly, nothing of the sort could be found. We spent another hour or two there and saw awesome plant life such as the Strangler Fig and intricate mangrove cover.

A frog relaxing during our nightwalk

Later that evening we went for a night walk through the rainforest. About twelve of us went, equipped with flashlights, bug spray, and all the rain gear we could find. Not surprisingly, it rained most of the time. Now I see why they call it the rainforest! We journeyed along boardwalks and saw lots of wildlife including frogs, fish, birds, and spiders. At one point, we all turned off our lights so we could experience the rainforest fully as it is during the night. Without a doubt, that was the darkest few minutes of my life. The canopy is so thick that it blocks out almost all of the moonlight, and the trees/foliage is so dense that almost no light from outside the rainforest can get in either. It was a truly unique experience, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to experience it. It was especially nice having a guide along, because it was more than just sight-seeing, it was a learning experience. I would definitely go again if I could!