Witches Falls

The Witches Falls section of the Mount Tamborine National Park became Queensland's first national park in 1908. Although this walk is just 3 Km from my house I had never been down this track. Witches Falls only runs after rain and after the deluge yesterday I figured it would be worth looking at.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, 35mm f2, 1/160 sec

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Being a national park Hermione had to stay at home, this sign at the entrance to the tunnel like track . . .

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, 35mm f8, 1/10 sec

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In the early morning of a sunny day, birds chirping all around as I look at the the mist from low clouds wafting across the path winding down the mountain side . . .

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, 35mm f2, 1/30 sec

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A dark and silent wet track punctuated now an again by piccabeen palm groves . . .

Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/10 sec

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The eerie mist creeps through the palms as the lower down I went it fell completely silent as any birds were very high up in the canopy now . . .

Nikon D300, Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 @ ISO 200, 200mm f2.8, 1/40 sec

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A sudden flutter close by in the shadows scares the living crap out of me as a Bush Turkey is disturbed by my foot fall . . .

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, 35mm f2, 1/40 sec

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Massive Strangler Figs tower up through the lower trees . . .

Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f2.8, 1/30 sec

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This photo does nothing to convey the enormous size, probably a once common sight . . .

Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f2.8, 1/50 sec

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Winding ever down with moss growing on anything that is not moving . . .

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, 35mm f2, 1/160 sec

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The sun shines rays down onto the rainforest floor and within seconds thick steam rises from the cool wet forest floor to join the cloudy mist . . .

Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 400, 11mm f16, 1/5 sec

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Fenwick Creek was running, here shown cascading under the foot bridge and several metres later falling some 40 metres over a sheer cliff. Unfortunately even from the viewing platform the thick undergrowth mostly hid the view of this narrow cascade. It would look more interesting from below but there was no obvious way to get down.

Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 400, 11mm f16, 1/2 sec

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Looking upstream was more interesting with the mist falling down the mountainside behind . . .

Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 400, 11mm f8, 1/10 sec

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A very large rainforest hardwood tree, very rare in any location a timber getter could have easily extracted the tree . . .

Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 400, 11mm f2.8, 1/5 sec

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Cycads, palms, strangler figs and tall rainforest hardwoods line the path as it meanders along the ridge before winding upwards towards the plateau once again.

28°- Showers

We had heavy rain overnight here on Mt Tamborine in Queensland and more rain is forecast for today. It was a pleasant 24 degrees at 7 am so I walked around the yard and took a few pictures between showers.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 105mm f2.8 @ ISO 200, f3.5, 1/30 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 105mm f2.8 @ ISO 200, f8, 1/15 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 105mm f2.8 @ ISO 200, f3.2, 1/50 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 105mm f2.8 @ ISO 200, f8, 1/15 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 105mm f2.8 @ ISO 200, f8, 1/15 sec

-27.90465 S, +153.204625 E

The main reason we went up to the sunshine state was to celebrate with our grandson on his 9th birthday.

Also its an opportunity to do some maintenance on the house and clear the lantana from the vacant block next door taking over our fence. Lantana is listed in Queensland as a 'Weed of National Significance'. A picture of a lantana flower below.Below is the view from the corner of our street to the Gold Coast. Just down the hill some 17Km and you run straight into the Worlds Sea World, Dreamworld Wet'n'Wild Water World, Movie World, Australian Outback Spectacular etc . .

A flower we found in the Botanic Gardens a few hundred metres from our house. although its over some steep terrain :-)

The traditional owners are the Wangerriburras, the area has a history of logging and Advocado , kiwi fruit and ruhbarb farming but is now largely rural residentail surrounded on all sides by by the Tamborine National Park made up of 12 separate reserves. The platue has lookouts, gorges, cliffs, waterfalls, rainforest areas and wet eucalypt forest.

Another interesting feature is the Fig Tree roundabout at the top of the Gallery Walk a Km or so from the house. This tree was planted by a local in about 1926 to provide shade for the many bushwalkers that came by this way and stands here in the roundabout today.

The must see here is the new Brewery and cheese factory.