Stairway to heaven - seasonal waterfalls of Barron Gorge
April 2022 - updated 16th June 2022
April 2022
In Barron Gorge there are waterfalls that run all year round and others that only run after rain has waterlogged the top of the hillside. All of them generally look better in the waterfall season after we have had rain.
June 2022
Since April and into the start of June I have been journeying up the side of Barron Gorge to photograph this wonderful time of the year. At the start of June the waterfalls are drying up but 2022 has been a great waterfall season.
January 2022
Outside the wet season the side of the gorge is relatively dry like above. This year our heavy rain did not really arrive until well after the New year.
April 2022.
Once the wet settles in and the top of the Gorge becomes water logged the hillside transforms. Not only do the all year round waterfalls flow stronger but short living waterfalls pop up all over the hillside.
The Lower Falls.
May 2022.
I very much enjoy, whilst I still can, the journey up the side of the Gorge to the top. However there are many much more accessible waterfalls closer to the base.
June 2020.
Some of these waterfalls I have taken photos of many times over the years now. This particular one is a favourite.
May 2022.
There are lower sections of waterfalls that I have discovered just this year. I wonder what I am yet to discover? With all of these spots getting them at the right time of the day and after rain is the key.
The journey up the hillside
March 2022.
The easiest to spot waterfalls to make your way up are those that run all year around. They generally also have the best rocks to climb up on, in the dry! Once wet……. those rocks can kill you ……so I always have an exit plan down in the bush if it rains. If you decide to go up you should as well.
April 2022.
I get just as much fun following the waterfalls that only exist whilst the rain is present. One of the reasons for this is that I always feel like no one has been there before, I love that wilderness feeling.
From experience I know that what I am viewing there and then will more than likely never be the same again. Things always change in the rainforest.
April 2022.
Those little waterfalls can lead you to spots of magic like this all over the Gorge. Water falls that might be smaller than 20 feet in length but very pretty.
April 2022.
Even when that waterfall is less than 10 feet tall I still get a lot of enjoyment out of the colour and shapes they form.
March 2022.
Time of the day and weather will largely determine what sort of light you get under the rainforest canopy as you make your way up. When you get magic light you will know it.
March 2022.
When the light is too harsh for photos, I explore. In some of the steeper sections the giant figs will allow you to go places that you otherwise could not. When I am scaling the hillside by the figs I call that “tree swinging”. For how much longer I can do this I have no idea but as my Grandmother used to say “use it or lose it!”.
May 2022.
You may have guessed from the giant Fig Tree in the previous photo that as you explore the hillside you will come across some truly majestic trees that must be centuries old. My wife refers to this one as the Octopus Tree.
Stopping places on the way up.
May 2022.
During your climb up the hillside along most parts of the Gorge you will run into plateaus which are wonderful places to take a break and have a swim.
March 2022.
Larger flatter areas like this one I often use as a base point to explore from if I am not intending to go all the way up the hillside.
April 2022.
Tiny little flat spots on a very hot day are also great to cool of and wash the sweat out of my shirt.
Some of my Favourite spots
May 2022.
Two of my favourite spots are consecutive tiers of the same waterfall and right up near the top of the hillside. What I love about this spot is how the flowing water has stripped/cleaned the fallen tree.
May 2022.
The vegetation growing on the rock face behind it also adds a splash of colour other than green in the Gorge. We have an awful lot of green.
June 2022.
To the side of the waterfall water also trickles down the vegetation covered rock face into the pool of water below.
May 2022.
Just above the previous waterfall is this one. A favourite because of that gnarly tree on the left and the ability to be able to spread out and take a swim under the waterfall in the afternoon sun as it makes its way through the canopy.
May 2022.
And when the sun hits that rock face it is a great place to be. There also seems to be not so many bugs at this spot :)
March 2022.
This is a small section of a waterfall that runs almost all year around from the top of the hillside. It is about a third of the way up the side of the gorge and has a lovely swimming hole at the base of it shown in the next photo.
April 2022
Handy to get to if I do not feel like going to places further up the hillside. It runs all year so in the hotter drier months the water pool is still nice and fresh to swim in. The water is crystal clear but little yabby type creatures nip you now and then when you are in the water :)
So what is at the top?
May 2022.
What is at the top depends very much on where you start your ascent from at the base. Close to the top you might find a stunning water fall that flows all year round like this one..
March 2022.
At the same waterfall if you turn the other way and look into the setting sun you have views across Barron River to the other side of the Gorge. If you look closely near the edge you can see my black camera bag on a rock.
March 2022.
In front of my camera bag at the edge is an infinity pool bordered by the stunning root system of a very old tree.
May 2022.
And in that infinity pool and others up the side of Barron Gorge you will find Cherabin, giant freshwater prawns. My guess is they get washed down from brackish water pools a little further up where they can breed.
Looking down the hillside from near the top, May 2022
At most points near the top of the Gorge it will be very uncommon to have a clear view across to the other side as the vegetation is quite thick up there.
If you are searching for the source of the waterfalls at the top like I was at one stage……. that is a bit of a disappointment. This is the start of a waterfall that runs from the top down to the river. The water seeps out from the ground under that fallen tree and builds up as it makes its way down the hillside.
May 2022.
About 100 metres down from that previous spot and the water is starting to build up and flow over beautifully colours rocks.
May 2022.
In other sections at the top there are mini gorges that run along the top edge of the hillside. As you can see the sun struggles to get through the canopy. The little gorges gather up the water along the top and provide a larger source of water to falls like the next one.
June 2022.
Once at or very near the top I do feel a sense of achievement. As I get older I also understand that I will not be able to make my way up that hillside forever.
The trip is always worth it to the top. You never know what you will see on the way it always different each visit. After that it is always good exercise.
A lot of fallen trees.
March 2022.
No mater if you travel up one of the all year round waterfalls or attempt a seasonal, one thing that you will soon learn about the rainforest is that trees fall down everywhere.
May 2022.
In some places the dead fall adds to the beauty of the location. These dead trees have a vine growing over them as they decompose at the base of a waterfall.
May 2022,
Fallen dead trees become hosts to new life as they decompose and give nutrients back to the soil.
May 2022.
You are going to come across a lot of bush that looks like a tree graveyard but what might be around the corner is what keeps me coming back.
May 2022.
Fallen trees will be in your way, in the waterfalls, your memories and your photos. This is the circle of life in the rainforest.
Things to avoid!
March 2022.
To access many waterfalls safely I often have to ascend the hillside in a safe area and then make my way horizontally back to the waterfall. Finding pathways across that are easier to travel and relatively free of “wait a while” and “gympie gympie” can be hard.
Touch the stinging tree or “gympie gympie” and you will know it for weeks and or months. Up to six months. Wet and cold water as well as pressure can reignite the pain of the sting for months after the initial more intense pain has subsided.
The sting is caused by hairs that contain toxin and cover the leaves and stems. They look like they are covered with soft, downy, fur that would be nice to touch but do not. Trust me on this.
April 2022.
I have left my camera bag next to the tree to show you how big some of these can grow to. Most are smaller but some are larger still.
I have been stung 3 times this year and I am really careful. LOL obviously not careful enough but also an indication of how much time I spend on the hillside and the vast amount of it present. I usually get stung exploring new areas when I am concentrating more on not falling than getting stung.
I carry hair removal wax strips in my camera bag to remove as many of the stinging hairs as soon and as well as I can.
Locals
May 2021.
If snakes freak you out then keep an eye out as you roam the hillside. Most are pythons but I have seen others. Golden rule for me is leave them alone.
April 2022.
You are more likely to see one of these little fellas as you roam the Gorge. This one joined me to sit and watch the waterfalls. I see them often :)
Be prepared to be visited by insects and to also view the occasional very interesting one. The second insect above I discovered way up the top of the hillside and looks like a cross between some sort of crayfish and grasshopper. Speaking of crustaceans, if you feel something nipping you in the water it may well be a Cherabin.
Final words
May 2022.
If you have mobility issues, are not prepared to wear sensible clothing and take precautions with slippery rock faces and terrain, then stay out of the bush in Barron Gorge during the wet.
Probably stay out of there in the dry as well because if you are not an outdoors type person then just the insects alone will drive you mad.
April 2022.
For those that respect this little bit of wilderness on our doorstep then a treasure trove of Mother Nature’s delights await.
May 2022.
The seasonal waterfalls will soon be gone and I will spend more time down on the river chasing those sunsets that are obscured by the rainforest as you roam the side of the Gorge.
May 2022.
Please leave it as you find it and take any rubbish you find left by others out with you. Above all be careful in the Gorge, go prepared and let some one know where you are going. Remember, the journey climbing back down is often more dangerous than the one up.
May 2022.