Daintree Forest

The Battle for the Daintree Rainforest in the 1980’s is well documented. It was played out initially with a very few people on each side, and like the beginnings of a civil war, if divided friends and neighbours into two opposing camps. On one side were a mix of hippie, recluse and nature lovers who had come to live in far North Queensland because it was remote, wild and incredibly beautiful and had recognised its priceless unique properties. On the other were people who were there because they wanted to make a home and business from the land, growing sugar cane, or fruit or other tropical crops. The battle was waged on whether a last piece of road should be carved along the coast, through the forest, to join up the Northern settlements with the South, and to give access to facilities, health care and transport of goods with the rest of Australia or whether it should be left as a walking track, with development limited to small group eco-tourism and scientific study.
It is said today that the Battle was lost and the War was won. The road was bull-dozed through but the publicity it generated globally was instrumental in giving the site World heritage status, to join with that given to the adjoining Great Barrier Reef.
In the late 1990s1998 2 scientific research facilities were built, administered through James Cook University, Orpheus Reef Observatory and  Daintree Rainforest Observatory. I had applied to volunteer at the DRO earlier In the year and the manager, Dr. Michele, Schleffer had accepted me – at the time I had not fully realised how unusual this was asthe privilege – I am the only volunteer placement here for this year.
I arrived early this morning and this is the first view I got of the facility, a rather surreal 20th Century installation, set against the forests of Mount Sorrow and overlooking Cape Tribulation. Captain James Cook, who named the landmarks, had a very bad moment here! I hoped I would have some better ones.