If you come to Mission Beach, which is a popular day trip from Cairns, there is a chance you will see this bird. Be careful when driving in this area as these birds have been known to jump out on the road and cause accidents. In fact, I saw one almost get hit when I was driving through the area last year. 

The roads are lined with signs warning drivers to keep an eye out and to drive with caution. However, if a bird is running up to its max of 50 kilometres per hour out of the forest, it would be extremely hard to catch until very late, especially given their dark body colour. 

While I was living there I saw quite a few people park in dangerous places because they saw a Cassowary and they wanted to jump out of the car and follow it to get a photograph. Please be aware of where you are parking and that other vehicles are utilising the same roads at the same times. Do not put you, your family, the bird, and/or other road users at risk because you want a photograph. 

Please also be aware that the birds are wild animals, if they get spooked or feel threatened, they will attack. One kick from that dagger-like claw (up to 10cms in length) on their foot will kill you. If you are chasing a dad who is looking after his young, he will be defensive.

The Big Cassowary statue is a feature in Mission Beach for good reason. It stands 5 meters tall at the shopping complex near Wongaling Beach, and unlike a live cassowary, this one is safe to pet!

Hartley’s Crocodile Farm north of Cairns have Cassowary. You can visit there and learn all about the bird if you want to get up close and personal with one.

There is a resident bird at Etty Bay. I drove down there a few times but I did not see him.

I was told a few fun facts though:

• they will steal your food, but do not let them have the opportunity. I saw a man going around telling everyone how funny he thought it was that he was feeding the Cassowary his chips. Please do not do this. You may think that chips are just potatoes, but cassowary do not eat potato, let alone ones that have been deep fried in oil. The majority of our food is processed and it can make the birds (any bird actually) very sick as they cannot digest the food.
• If you can, only drive light coloured vehicles down to Etty Bay, the local Cassowary have been known to see their reflection in the darker colour cars and, thinking it is another bird, kick the car doing significant damage.
• Raising babies is the sole responsibility of the male with the female leaving the nesting site as soon as the eggs are laid. Chicks generally stay with the father until approximately nine months of age, they are then driven out of the nesting site to live independently.