Barron Gorge after the big rain
6th February 2021
The first thing I notice when I venture for the first time into the Gorge since the big rain is the silt that covers all the rocks indicating that water has flow over them. If it starts to rain while I am in there that silt mixed with any amount of water will make the rock surface very slippery…. so note to myself to be careful.
In sections the rocks are so heavily covered with silt that mould or something else has started to grow in it and once sunbaked started to crack forming lovely patterns.
During the big rain and for a fair while after the water in the Gorge was a reddish brown colour from all the top soil being washed down from the Tablelands. It is now starting to clear up and looks very inviting for swimming.
Flowing down into the Gorge from the sides are quite a few smaller waterfalls and one of those is what I wanted to explore this day. I have visited this one many times before with my wife. It has many tiers up the side of the Gorge and this photo show part from the base.
As I make my way up the waterfall, just like up the Tablelands, the insects are loving the fresh vegetation that the rain has brought.
The second bottom tier of this waterfall is where I photographed the psychedelic leaves a while ago. Those leaves are now well and truly washed away by the heavy rain. The Gorge is constantly changing.
Having arrived further up the waterfall at the spot my wife and I love to picnic at I sat and enjoyed the late afternoon. A touch greener makes all the difference to what is already a beautiful spot.
If I visit these falls during the middle of the day I love to sit under it to cool off. With the last of the daylight starting to fade I packed up and headed back down the side of the Gorge.
By the time I am exiting the Gorge it is almost dark and was so stunning I stopped and had another coffee.
I have been talking to Steve Vlasits who kayaks the Gorge weekly about the rubbish there. He recently removed two wheelie bins that were thrown over the side of the road into the Gorge and has prompted me to start taking out a bit of larger rubbish whenever I can. I always carry a rubbish bag with me to take out smaller stuff.
We have a very large truck tyre and a fridge on our target list. Steve recently emailed me this photo of a road sign that was actually in the river itself that he removed.
It is great to see more and more people visiting the Gorge but the rubbish and behaviour of some is disappointing.
