A fascinating 90-minute walking tour of the Mossman Gorge brings the life of the ancient Daintree Rainforest to life.
The old Aboriginal hunting tracks that snake their way under a Shrek-green canopy have been used anywhere from five thousand to fifty thousand years. How long exactly, no one really knows. What is known, however, is that the 140-million-year-old Daintree Rainforest covers a patch of land the size of Sydney and is teeming with unimaginable natural treasures.
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This ecosystem is home to 30 percent of Australia’s frog, reptile and marsupial species, 65 percent of the country’s bat and butterfly species, as well as 18 percent of all bird species. And, in one square hectare alone, scientists believe there are between 120 to 150 different types of trees. This is indeed a wonderland, not seen elsewhere on the planet. It’s also said to be the inspiration for James Cameron’s blockbuster movie Avatar, the story about a paradise worth fighting for.
To truly understand the Daintree Rainforest, it is best to close the reference books and grab a gold passport. In this case, a Kuku Yalanji guide, like Rodney, and take a 90-minute guided walking tour that departs from the Mossman Gorge Centre.
One of 18 tribal groups located in the Wet Tropics Heritage Area to call this rich biosphere their playground – as well as their hunting ground, supermarket, and infirmary – even the Kuku Yalanji must first stop at the edge of the rainforest to seek permission from the Old People before entering onto this sacred land. Visitors also wash their bodies in smoky plumes to erase any evil spirits and to “help smell as one”.
It would be easy to get lost in the miles of vegetation that cloak the forest like a sodden carpet, but the Kuku Yalanji use well-practised tips and tricks to get by. Some of these are shared.
Bending close to the earth, Rodney points out a narrow reed that has been snapped and angled in a northerly direction. This, he says, is no different from the reflective road signs found along the Bruce Highway and is a method used by his People to signpost difficult terrain. He also points out a fungus that clings to a small sapling and explains that its soft luminescent light was used as a torch to help his ancestors travel at night.
Much of the guided walking tour focuses on understanding the bush foods of the Kuku Yalanji, a nomadic tribe who moved into the forest to harvest nuts and seeds as an important source of carbohydrates and proteins, particularly during the wet season. Of the 112 plants that have been identified as food sources for rainforest dwellers, Rodney tells us that a little over 10 percent are toxic. Knowing which species are edible is a matter of life and death.
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To prove his point, Rodney picks up a marble-sized yellow walnut once favoured as a high-carb treat. This, he says, should only be eaten after a lengthy process of steaming followed by days of leaching in running creek water.
The yellow nut, like many other toxic nuts found in the forest, contains cyanide and he tells us that failing to process it properly can result in pain and even death.
Just ask botanist and bush tucker enthusiast Tony Irvine who documented his brush with pain after returning to his Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) laboratory in Atherton with an orange fruit from a tree related to the macadamia. After cracking open the fruit and taking a tiny matchstick-sized nibble from the brown seed inside, he was violently ill and spent a night in hospital. The pleasant, macadamia flavour turned out to be a dangerous poison.
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No one knows how food knowledge originated, but archaeological investigations have discovered discarded nut shells in the Daintree Rainforest that date back 5,000 years and 35,000 years around Mt Mulligan, a few hours’ drive from the Mossman Gorge.
We ask Rodney how he learned which plants are edible and his response is a matter of fact. “If your family has been living here for 70,000 years then you’d also know. However, if you need another hint, consider this; if the animals don’t eat them, then you shouldn’t, either.”
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Rodney next points out a tiny shrub that he calls Milly, which he fears more than the giant saltwater crocodile.
The leaves and stems of Milly are covered in fine, hypodermic-needle-like hairs less than two mm long. Hardly visible, Rodney warns that if touched, their tips will penetrate the skin, snap off, and release an irritant that causes such savage pain that it’s known to drive people crazy. Worse, the pain can recur in waves for many months. The pain is so bad we are told, that cows and dogs have been known to kill themselves rather than suffer the ongoing agony.
Milly makes Lawyer Cane look positively benign. This long ropey vine that grows up to 35 metres in length can be found just about anywhere in the Daintree rainforest and comes with barbed thorns. For this reason, it is also nicknamed ‘wait-a-while’ as a result of the time it takes to stop and unhook each of the sticky thorns if you happen to stumble into it. Found throughout the rainforest, Lawyer Cane has stronger-than-steel tensile strength and was often strung between trees to catch animals, or used as rope to climb trees or make fish traps.
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Toward the end of the journey, Rodney leads us to a small clearing by the banks of the Mossman River where sweet-tasting water gushes over a pretty scattering of boulders before cascading into metre-deep pits. A couple of members of the group opt to stop for a picnic on the banks of the river, and the rest head back to the Mayi café at the Centre to try some traditionally inspired dishes, like the chicken, mango and macadamia salad – with toxic-free nuts, of course!
Images: Tourism & Events Queensland
