Higher Barron - than normal above the bridge
September 2021
Up past the bridge September 2020.
My last post here was about the water flow below the bridge being much lower than normal due to the Power Plant not releasing water at the base of the bridge.
When this happens to compensate a little more water is released up past the bridge at Kuranda. This results in the water level on the river past the bridge being higher than the tranquil normal shown in the photo above from September last year.
Under the bridge June 2020.
What also happens when they release more water from Kuranda is that the area shown above under the bridge gets covered a lot more by very fast flowing water. Other than swimming across a quieter section below the bridge and then making my way up it is not usually possible for me to rock hop up the Gorge at these times.
Up past the bridge September 2021.
As soon as the Power Plant starting releasing water again they stopped releasing water at Kuranda which resulted in the water level above the bridge dropping greatly.
I could now make my way up past the bridge to Devils Pool and the day after they turned the water off at Kuranda I did just that.
Up past the bridge September 2021.
This is one of the spots that I walk through on my way up to Devils Pool and there is usually a very minimal amount of water here. That silt indicates that the water flow was quite high there the day before.
The bend before Devils Pool, September 2021.
Just before Devils pool and the amount of water that was passing through there the day before is really clear. Normally there is not enough water flow past the bridge for kayaking but the day before there would have been.
The kayakers do come in here when the water is high enough. I believe it was on one of those kayaking trips that Dale Peake lost his life back in 2010 (memorial shown in that linked post).
September 2021.
On this day however the water was calm and I enjoyed a very dry and pleasant journey to Devils Pool. You can see that the moss has not even had time to dry out yet since the water level dropped.
Devils Pool September 2021.
The scale of that huge rock hides the size of the pool and also the extent to which the water was higher the previous day. I think that silt mark is about 5 feet above the current water level.
Devils Pool September 2021.
That drasctic rise in water level carries drift wood down the river and deposits it on rocks at bootle necks in the water flow.
Devils Pool September 2021.
I did not get any beautiful colour or light on this day but I did have a very enjoyable time at Devils Pool which I had all to myself. Seeing the Gorge past the bridge in this silt marked state was also a first for me.