On the same Sydney / Cairns / Port Douglas trip, I was researching options for my rainforest / Great Barrier Reef visit before leaving the Sydney office.  Some of the guys on my dev team started teasing me about all the mean, stingy, biting, venomous and otherwise deadly creatures that inhabit the Australian land and oceans.

BTW… You might be amazed to discover how many of the world's most poisonous insects, most venomous snakes, or most deadly creatures in the water or on land live in Australia. What an inviting place to visit!  No wonder the tourists love it!

Dangers on the Great Barrier Reef

Six of the eight creatures shown on this page are from Australia.  (Deadly, but they LOOK cool.)

 Australia's Most Dangerous Animals

A box jelly and the results of its sting. This isn't me, by the way. It is from the site linked to below: 'Box jellyfish are probably the most toxic creatures on Earth'

The guest book instructions were quite simple: In case of a severe sting, make the person as comfortable as possible, because it is likely that they are going to die. (!!!)  This accompanied a warning to stay out of the waters that weren't netted for safety during the months of November to May.

Later that day, on a rainforest tour, I was laughing with new friends about the web sites I had seen and the instructions in the guest book . The tour guide overheard the conversation, and asked thoughtfully, "You're an American, right?" When I confirmed that I was, he continued, "Well, I guess you don't need to worry about Sea Crocs. They only seem to eat Germans.  Make sure you stay close to your dive boat, though. They have a thing for losing Americans."
(I looked online when I got back to the office and it was true! In the past couple of years, there had been a couple of incidents in the past year where German tourists had been attacked by Sea Crocs, and two or three incidents where Reef dive boats had made it back to shore missing one or more American tourists who were never seen again.  )

We didn't see a Sea Croc on our tour, but we did see a Cassowary wandering in the rainforest.  I don't think I knew this then (since I chased it down, trying to get a picture <G>), but the Cassowary is one of the most  dangerous creatures in the Australian rainforest.

Guinness World Records lists the cassowary as the world's most dangerous bird.  Cassowaries, deftly using their surroundings to conceal their movements, have been known to out-flank organized groups of human predators. Cassowaries are considered to be one of the most dangerous animals to keep in zoos, based on the frequency and severity of injuries incurred by zookeepers.  - Wikipedia

Aside from all the talk about dangerous creatures and plants, the rainforest was amazing.

Did you know that rainforests have three levels of canopies, and that different species of plants, animals, and insects inhabit each level?  Do you know how hard it is to get a good picture of a kangaroo eating out of your hand, especially if you are the one trying to take the picture? Similarly, did you know that it is really tough to get a well-framed, focused picture of red and green Lories (a small parrot) flying around your head, regardless of how memorable the moment?

Two things happened to make the trip less than perfect.

 I was warned about how dangerous the sun is off the reef and had applied a heavy-duty waterproof sunscreen before we left. After the first dive, I replaced the sunscreen on my face, arms and shoulders, but--never having burned my legs regardless of the conditions -- I didn't reapply it to my legs.
BIG MISTAKE. I was only in the water for another 45 minutes, but oh did I burn!

That evening, I needed something soft against the back of my legs while I went to dinner. (The folds in the cloth of my jeans left deep, seemingly permanent indentations in my painfully fragile skin.) I pulled on some sweat pants that I had taken on dive trip in case I got cold. Apparently some sea water had splashed on the pants, because they were slightly damp, but they were soft, so I decided to live with it.

During dinner, I noticed my legs starting to sting and itch, but I thought it was just the sunburn. After dinner, back in my room, I discovered hundreds of little bites on my legs, which I later learned were the result of sea fleas. (These weren't the burrowing little crabs that create air holes in the sand after the tide sweeps over it -- these were microscopic, aggressive, and only abandoned my sweat pants after everything was washed in hot, hot water.)

The next day at the airport, I wore shorts. Someone standing behind me in line suggested that maybe I should see a doctor instead of getting on the flight. (I guess sometimes it is good that you can't see what you look like from behind.) The gate clerk took a look and decided I would probably survive, but gave me the best suggestion for dealing with a BAD sunburn that I've ever heard. In addition to Aloe Vera (that you can buy huge stalks of fresh at the grocery stores in Australia), he asked if I had some moisturizing shaving cream in my bag. He recommended applying a thick layer to the backs of my legs and leaving it to dry. Turns out, the shaving cream not only moisturizes the tender skin without holding in the heat, but also created a protective layer on my skin. It looked odd, but it felt great. I wore dried shaving cream on the backs of my legs for weeks!