Anzac Day 2023
25th April 2023
Walking in the rainforest, Barron Gorge.
I thought most of the rain was behind us this year but come Anzac Day it returned. I decided to head into the rainforest in Barron Gorge and hopefully be present when the sun came out and spread its glory all over that wet rainforest.
A bit of sunshine on the way up the hillside.
As I roamed the rainforest I got pockets of sunlight during which I did my best to capture some nice photos. This shot was taken as I made my way up to a waterfall. The waterfall is about 200 metres up the hillside from this spot and that large log used to be way up there.
Little Gorge Falls, June 2022.
My destination for the day was to visit a tiny little waterfall near the top of the hillside. To get there I needed to pass through Little Gorge Falls, a waterfall at the base of a small gorge that runs along the top of the hillside.
When I took this photo back in 2022 near the end of the waterfall season there were some very large pieces of deadfall in the pond.
Little Gorge Falls, Anzac Day 2023.
On Anzac Day 2023 the deadfall had all been washed away and the pond was over flowing. You can only imagine the amount of water that flows down here during the wet to move such large pieces of deadfall down the hillside.
Just below Little Gorge Falls, early March 2023.
Back in March 2023 as soon as we got a break in the torrential rain I headed up the hillside to the spot as well. The water had subsided by about 4 feet but it was still flowing quite strong and that dead fall had already gone.
On Anzac day visit I passed Little Gorge Falls into the gorge above it. You can see how the recent strong water flow has exposed the roots of the trees and cleaned everything.
My destination for the day.
By the time I arrived at my destination the rain was well and truly settled in. I waited a couple of hours to get a touch of sun through the clouds to get this mediocre photo. This water fall is the highest point I have reached on this track and I first made it there last waterfall season. I am yet to find a safe way past it.
I was hoping to get a good photo here but realise now that this is one spot that needs a lot more water than most to make a good photo. I will try again closer to heavy rain. Time to head back down to the river in the rain.
Dragon Falls, Anzac Day 2023.
By the time I was back at the base of the hillside mother nature decided to give me a bit of light. I decided to make my way back up the hillside at another location along the river to visit Dragon Falls.
Notice the deadfall stuck under the roots to the left. The water would have been about 5 feet higher to carry that there. It was worth the walk, truly one of my favourite spots to just sit and relax.
Joining a spider under a rock out of the rain.
Normally by the time I am out of the rainforest in Barron Gorge and back at the road the rafting companies have well and truly gone from the river. I was early this day and hearing the screams of the rafters decided to go sit under a rock out of the rain and watch them go by.
A muddy Barron River again.
I very rarely photograph the rafting companies and took none on this day. I sat and watched the different levels of skill displayed by the raft guides as they manoeuvred the rafts through the Rooster’s Tail.
The only photo I took of the river was a piece of driftwood stuck on a rock on a now again muddy Barron River. Great Anzac Day and lest we forget. Ever so grateful for the sacrifices made to afford me my freedoms.