Fruits
Davidson Plum - There are 3 species of
davidson plum. D. jerseyana , D. pruriens , D.
johnsonii. The D. Jerseyana grows at around 20
metres being too high to be able to retrieve.
The D. pruriens and D. Johnsonii grow from
round 5-10 metres. The D. jerseyana Leaves
are alternate between 35-75 cm long. Each leaf
has 11-17 oblong shaped leaflets, 6-30 cm long
and between 3-10 cm wide. Flowers are small
dark pink to red arranged on panicles, which
are borne on the main stem. Fruits are dark
purple in colour, oval shaped and covered with
fine hairs.
Macadamia - Australia’s most famous native
nut. Macadamias are a delicious nut native to
Queensland and New South Wales. Though
quite literally a hard nut to crack they are
popular when roasted and used in a variety of
both sweet and savoury cooking.
There are four species of macadamia and
three are made on commercial levels. The
fourth however will never be mass-produced,
not because it is too difficult or rare, but
because it is toxic! If you’re wanting to grow
your own macadamia though you better be a
patient soul as they take up to ten years to
start bearing seeds.
Mango - Mangos aren’t native to Australia
although tropical Queensland has the perfect
environment to grow them. They are grown on
large trees, similar to other stone fruits, and
are ripe once they have a beautiful orange and
yellow skins.
Daintree Climate
The area in which Daintree National Park is
located has one of the wettest climates in
Australia. During the “wet season”, from
December to April, there are heavy, frequent
downpours. Some areas receive over six metres
of rainfall annually. Maximum temperatures
through the wet season range from 27 to 33
degrees Celsius, with humidity, often exceeding
80 per cent.
In the cooler, drier months, from May to
September, the weather is pleasantly warm, with
reduced humidity and the maximum
temperature averaging 26 degrees Celsius.
Temps in the rainforest are surprisingly mild due
to the protective canopy layer of tall trees. The
air is often humid but cool.
Cape Tribulationd is a town is about 15km from
Daintree national rainforest. Cape Tribulation is
15m above sea level. In winter, there is much less
rainfall in Cape Tribulation than in summer. This
location is classified as Aw by Köppen and Geiger.
The average temperature in Cape Tribulation is
23.2 °C The annual rainfall is 1681 mm.
Daintree
Rainforest
The daintree rainforest is
found in northern and eastern
Australia in wet coastal
areas.Situated 100km
northwest of Cairns, the
Daintree Rainforest location is
just over 1,500km northwest
of Brisbane and is a vast
region of rainforest and
tropical wilderness in Far
North Queensland.
Tropical Rainforests
The tropical rainforest is a
humid, moist biome where it
rains all year long. It is known
for its dense vegetation
canopies that form three
distinct layers.To reach for
sunshine, they climb trees in
the canopy. Vines, smaller
trees, ferns, and palms
constitute the middle layer, or
understory.
Water
Leaves on the rainforest floor are large
because of the limited amount of
sunlight they get. The larger the leaf, the
more of the sun's rays it can soak up.
Large leaves are useful in collecting dew
and rainwater. If you have a container to
store water, simply angle a leaf into it
overnight or during a rainstorm and you
have some fresh drinking water in no
time. If you have a poncho, tie it to a tree
on a slant to allow the rain to collect and
drain. If it tastes a little funny, it's
because rainwater lacks certain minerals
found in groundwater or streams.
Even though water is abundant in most
tropical environments, you may, as a
survivor, have trouble finding it. If you
do find water, it may not be safe to
drink. Some of the many sources are
vines, roots, palm trees and
condensation. You can sometimes follow
animals to water. Often you can get
nearly clear water from muddy streams
or lakes by digging a hole in sandy soil
about 1 meter from the bank. Water will
seep into the hole. You must purify any
water obtained in this manner.
Food
There are many ways to
get food in the rainforest.
With there being so many
animals a main food
source would be trying to
kill animals, maybe
through traps, using your
knife or fishing. Fishing is
a good source off food as
most fish are edible in the
daintree. When in the
daintree remember to
never fish in the same
place, this is as there are
many crocs who can
attack you. Using any
type off meat, fruits or
even moss as bait should
attract fish
Some organisms can survive
in different layers, or use
different layers for different
activities, d some stay in a
certain layer their whole
lives.
Though these layers can
not be precisely in real life,
and are still all dependent
on each other, we consider
the tropical rainforest to
have six layers:
subterranean, forest floor,
shrub layer, canopy and
emergent layer.
Survival
Kit
Axe - I would take an axe as
it would help doing
multiple things. For
example an axe is good for
just walking around and
trying to cut your way
through the thick
rainforest.
Flint and steel - Fire is very
important when trying to
survive in the rainforest.
Mainly just for starting a
fire although this is one off
the most important things
in survival. Fires can
provide light especially
helpful at night, scare off
predators and cook food.
Pocket Knife - I would also
take a pocket knife as it
will help with cutting up
things like meat, killing any
animals, fleshing animals,
etc.
Animals
There are many dangerous animals in the
Daintree rainforest.
Eastern Water Dragon - These large lizards can
grow to nearly a metre in length, are excellent
swimmers and can hold their breath for nearly
forty minutes.
Snakes - Those most commonly found in the
Daintree include the Taipan, the Eastern
Brown, the Death Adder and the Red-bellied
Black. All of these snakes are dangerous to man
and should be avoided at all times. If one does
encounter a snake just walk slowly away. Most
of the snakes seen in the rainforest are
harmless though some do obtain very
impressive lengths. The Amethystine Python,
also commonly called the Scrub Python, holds
the Australian record with a particular
specimen having measured in at 8.5 metres.
They can often be seen sun baking in the tree
tops.
Crocodile - There are two species of crocodiles
in Australia, the Saltwater and Freshwater
species, and only the "salties" inhabit the
Daintree River. It's scientific name is
Crocodylus Porosus and its habitat ranges
throughout the Indo Pacific regions.
Although history suggests the animals to be
very big, the largest crocodiles seen in Australia
these days would probably be between 5-6
metres. The Daintree River has a population of
about 70 adult crocodiles, the largest being the
males at about 5 metres. The females reach
about 3.5 metres, and there are many juveniles
and hatchlings.
Shelter
A hammock with a tarp and mozzie
netting is about the most comfortable
way to sleep. I'm a total convert, I
thought I'd feel safer in a tent but there
are few places to set them up and with
the humidity it gets really hot!
There are many hammock styles and
systems. There are several with built in
flys and netting; Hennessy or Clark
good if not a little expensive options. I
have a basic nylon hammock I tie up a
ridge line for the rain fly. Make sure the
fly is big enough to cover the entire
hammock and enough area to cook and
keep dry.