Where the Rainforest meets the Reef.

by Veerle Beelen (Australia)

I didn't expect to find Australia

Listening to the sound of the rain falling on the iron roof for the past 24 hours, had been driving me insane. My parents and I were stuck in the rainforest without any phone reception or internet and I could only think that we hadn’t travelled this far to just play monopoly and drink wine. While Australia had been fighting against the devastating bushfires, covering large areas in thick grey smoke, it was hard to imagine that the same time last year heavy unstoppable rain turned the streets into rivers. The water level on the Daintree river was high and the dark grey water was streaming fast and taking branches of trees with her. The brochure in our holiday house promoted “Where the rainforest meets the reef” and promised beautiful corals and colourful fish at the famous Great Barrier Reef. As a passionate scuba diver, I was beyond excited to be in this promising place. However, while the rain started to become heavier, and the sky greyer, I only had a drop of hope left that we would ever see the reef and find Nemo. The unstoppable rain was overwhelming and made the world feel small. The wooden house we stayed in felt stuffy and I was afraid of any insects creeping in through the small holes in the old dark brown wooden planks. We were supposed to have quality time, my parents and I, catching up after not seeing me for a year, since I moved to Australia to immerse myself into new experiences and to mend my broken heart after an unpromising relationship. Although I knew that I couldn’t control the weather, I felt pressured to give them a great holiday, since they flew halfway across the globe to see me. Although I tried to be a super daughter / mindful travel guide, “This must be a beautiful place when it is not raining.” was the most positive thought that came to my mind. The dark clouds covered the trees with a thick blanket of rain and waterfalls were spontaneously emerging down the hills. Splashing on the asphalt and making paddles which were rapidly changing into small rivers, streaming on each side of the road. "No, we don't have WIFI" said the blonde twenty-something woman, behind the counter of a small forsaken tourist information desk. Still open to my surprise, but closing soon she said. She had been working in this area for a few months now on a working holiday visa but had never seen anything like this before. "The ferry has been shut down because the river has flooded. It might reopen in a few days. Until then we are basically stuck here at this side of the river. There is no other way to leave." When she mentioned that some trees had fallen already and roads were blocked, we didn’t hesitate any longer to make our way back. The windshield wipers were struggling to clear the windows from the heavy rainfall. As a professional co-pilot, I warned my dad for branches on the road and deep puddles, while we were praying that we would get back home safely. The idea of monopoly and wine in our dark wooden shed suddenly didn’t sound so bad anymore. We decided to drive to the ferry pier, which was only 5 minutes away from our holiday house, to see the situation with our own eyes. It was shocking to see that the road we had been driving on a few hours before had turned into a whirling river. I took my shoes off and walked with my bare foot on the asphalt. The water came up to my ankles and I felt the current pushing me forward. Not long after, I found out that the crocodiles, whose natural habitat is the river, had left the flooded riverbanks for shelter and could basically be anywhere... This was not the crocodile tour I signed up for. Overnight, as a miracle the water level had dropped, so we gave it another try and joined the queue of stranded tourists desperately waiting in their cars for the ferry to depart. Where the rainforest meets the reef… it was time to go.