Who is looking at who?

This White Lipped Green Tree Frog was discovered recently on a Mason's Nightwalk. At times it was hard to work out who was the spectator as the frog moved its head from side to side, checking out the walkers. Everyone was able to get fantastic shots, and this specimen was a really bright green.

White Lipped Green Tree Frogs can be seen any time of year, but are easier to spot in the green season, when they migrate to castal swamps at Cape Tribulation and breed in their thousands. The croaking sound like aboriginal clicking sticks from a distance.

Mason's nightwalks are on real jungle trails, with boardwalks or concrete paths. It is real jungle all the way. The guide carries a spotlight and all guests are given rechargeable flashlights.

Why not try the excitement of a Mason's Nightwalk when you come to the Daintree?

February weather great!

Despite all the media hype, the weather at Cape Tribulation has been generally fantastic in February. While it is true that some areas, notably Ingham and Karumba have suffered massive floods, we have not.
Ingham is well south of Cairns, near Townsville, and Karumba is on the west coast of Queensland, nowhere near here.
The picture was taken on the Valentine's day weekend, a couple of kilometres east of Cape Trib, and shows the wonderful calm conditions, and blue skys. The fish were biting too!
While it is true that March can be a very wet month here, I urge anyone thinking of coming here to ring first and ask about the weather on 07 40980070, rather than relying on the media.

Mason's Cafe Opens

Mason's Tours are pleased to announce the opening of Mason's Cafe. The cafe has been operational for some years but was previously leased and traded as Myall Creek Takeaway. Run by Sharon Mason, the cafe serves burgers, fish and chips, sandwiches,wraps, shakes, fresh juices and much more. Sharon is commited to having daily specials, and offerings so far have included Thai Fish Cakes, Salt and Pepper Calamari, Lasagne (including a yummy vego version), and Chicken Pasta salad.

Mason's Cafe sells Tichum Creek Coffee, grown on the Atherton Tableland, west of Cairns. 'Mario's Blend' is delicious, and the ground coffee can be purchased on site if you wish to take some home. Local Daintree Tea is also served, and likewise can be purchased on site.

All cakes and biscuits served on Mason's 4WD Tours are prepared in the Cafe, and being freshly baked are proving popular. Ann Mason has trained Sharon to make all the old favourites such as Banana and Walnut cake so look out for the family recipes on your next Mason's Tour.

Sharon is also making yummy decadent cakes for sale in the cafe well so look out for these when you visit!

Mason's Cafe also can cater to groups who want lunch as a one off or on a regular basis. Please phone 40980016 to order. Our Green season hours will be 1030 to 1600, but this may vary so ring to check if you are not sure.

Mason's Cafe is 34km north of the Daintree Ferry midway between Cape Trib Resort and Spa and PK's Jungle Village

Amazing Crocodile Sighting

Last week, a nightwalk group went to Myall Creek as usual to look for Crocodiles. We see Crocs on average about half the time, and many of those sightings are simply the eyes shining back at us. As you can imagine, to see a whole Crocodile on foot, you need to be careful to keep safe, and its not always possible to get close enough on foot to get a really good look.
On this occassion, the guide was scanning the water with the spotlight when a huge commotion was heard up stream. The group went to investigate, and from a high bank were able to clearly see about a 3m Crocodile killing what they believe was a wild pig. For around 15 minutes they watched it death roll and snap at the pig. This is a very lucky sighting, and even for the guide, a once in a lifetime sighting.
The next night the Croc was still there, guarding its victim. Later in the week there was no sign, either the Croc moved the body, or it became soft enough to eat!

Boyd's Forest Dragon

These amazing Lizards are only found from Townsville to Cooktown in the Wet Tropics. Previously named as part of an Asian genus of Dragon Lizards, they are now recognised seperately as Hypsilurus.
Dragon Lizards are 'Agamids' and the Boyd's has the typical habit of favouring the rear legs when on the ground. It gives them a bow legged gait, often described as like a little old man trying to run.
They have a sticky tongue which can shoot out up to 3cm, amd they use this to good effect picking up ants, one of their favourite foods.
Boyd's love sleeping on tree trunks, and are often seen at night clinging tightly to a tree, just like in the picture. They end up the same temperature as the tree, making it harder for things like the Amethystine Python to sense them.
This one is fairly light coloured, but in the morning they darken up, so as to better absorb heat from the air. They tend not to bask in the sun, but more rely on warm air circulating around them. I have seen Boyd's actually holding their body out so air can circulate around them.
Males tend to have larger heads and jaws, and I would say this one is male for that reason. Boyd's are very common at Cape Tribulation, despite being considered fairly rare by textbooks.

Eastern Water Dragon

Look at the top left! Nightwalkers on a tour in December 2007 are looking at an Eastern water Dragon as the walk along the trail. The water Dragon has chosen a typical spot to sleep; a sloping vine near a small creek.

Eastern Water Dragons live right down the coast as far south as Sydney, and there are several subspecies. Thsi one is almost certainly a female, judging from the size of the head and body. The males can get much larger, I have seen examples well over 1 metre long. (Note that reference books measure lizards snout- vent, which does not incluse the tail)

Eastern Water Dragons tend to form Harems, with one male having a teritory that includes several females. We notice that their range seems to shrink in dry weather and they spread out along smaller creeks when it rains. Water Dragons can swim and dive, and have nostrils on the top of their snout, so it seems they have evolved for some time to be aquatic.

At least once a year someone comes up from our waterhole and says that they have just seen a samll crocodile there. It always turns out to be a Water Dragon!

This lovely Amethystine Python was seen on a Nightwalk in December 2007. It was about 2m long. Amethystine Pythons get their name because of the wonderful shimmering that you can see off their scales in torchlight or sunlight.

If you look cloesly at the picture you can see this shimmering from the neck down.

This image also allows you to see the heat sensing pits on the nose in front of the eyes, that are characteristic of these pythons. The pits allow the snake to detect the heat of warm blooded prey up to ten metres away!

At the moment the photo was taken, the snake has poked its tongue out. This allows the python to 'taste' the air, something we can only imagine. It has been variously described as a combination of smell and taste all in one.

Amethestine Pythons eat mammals, birds, reptiles, even other snakes! They are not venemous, but have many backward facing teeth to help hold on when they lunge at their prey. They then wrap around and aspyxiate the victim before swallowing it. They grow commonly to 4 metres long, and occassionally to as long as 8.6m. Large examples can eat dogs, pigs, and other large animals.

Thsi photo was taken on a nightwalk in December 2007. It is a great view of a common frog at Cape Tribulation, The White Lipped Green Tree Frog. These frogs live througout the forest, but migrate to coastal swaps to breed when the heavy rains fill the swamps.

Their calls are loud, from a distance it sounds like millions of aboriginal clicking sticks, closer it is a distict brack-ack, brack-ack.

Only the males call, and the calls are dual purpose, to repel other males and attract females. Apparently the females can select the best male frog from the calls. In my opinion these are the most spectacular frog we have here, and I never get tired of looking at them.

Extreme Crossing of Eammagen Creek

This crossing was made after an early start to the wet season in 2000. The group had to wait for the water to recede before coming home after a flash flood. Mason's Tours have fitted their vehicles with snorkels and winches to make rare crossings this deep safer. Out of the image is another Mason's 4WD with a towrope ready just in case! The drivers had also walked the crossing to check depth, rocks and current prior to driving in. The crossing was succesful!

Green Season Arives

Over the last three days Cape Tribulation has experienced about 250mm of rain, and the whole area has changed from brown to green. Creeks and rivers that had slowed to a trickle are now flowing fast, and there are frogs everywhere!
Today the weather has improved, and it is forecast to be reasonably fine later in the week. A Wet or 'Green' Season is a bit like a winter, in that the worst of the weather rarely persists the whole season. Generally there arer rain periods interpersed with periods of calm, fine weather.
In my view, this is the best time to see the forest. The rivers run strong and clear, the waterfalls are spectacular, and the wildlife at its best.
Cape Tribulation has plenty of good accommodation, with either air-conditioned roooms, or well ventilated designs with fans, so you can sleep in comfort after a days exploring.
Visitors are often coinfused about waht to wear...I tell them swimwear with shorts and a t-shirt. Although we provide raincoats, the rain is usually so warm, its more fun to get wet. A 'sacrificial' pair of shoes is also a good idea. Most activities require footwear, so a set of cheap sneakers that you don't mind getting wet is a godsend.
Seeing the Daintree Rainforest in the rain is a fantastic experience, one I recommend. Don't be sad about the rain, enjoy the forest at its best!