Paradise lost :( — David Taylor - Master Jeweller

Late July 2023

Water flowing under the bridge, March 2022.

Since Jasper hit Cairns in late 2023 the weir at Kuranda has been letting most of the water straight down into Barron Gorge. That has meant that it has not been possible to rock hop up past the bridge.

Kayaker now turned rafting guide heading into the Rooster’s Tail back in 2022 .

Recently I bumped into one of the Barron Gorge kayakers I have got to know over the years. He now works for the rafting company that does tours from the bridge down the river to Lake Placid.

He told me that the water would be reduced above the bridge for a while. Excited at that news I made plans to venture into the Gorge for the first time in over 8 months!

Once the temporary measures to reduce the water flow were in place the river became much more gentle and the water clearer.

So after months of the rocks above the bridge being under water I was once again able to rock hop up into the Gorge. I did not care that the light was harsh and not good for photos, I just wanted to see how Barron Gorge had faired following Cyclone Jasper.

Topsoil deposited on the rocks from the huge volume of water

The first thing I noticed as I made my way across the rocks was the amount of top soil that had been washed down from the Tablelands and was now drying on the rocks in the sun.

The next thing I noticed was that all the vegetation bordering the river had been stripped bare. Little forest sections I used to walk through as I made my way up the river were gone.

A tree high up on rock stripped bare by the Cyclone Jasper flood.

Even trees 30-40 feet above where I was walking were stripped bare from the floods that followed Cyclone Jasper. The total stripping of the foliage was only made worse by what it was replaced with in places.

The raging waters that followed cyclone Jasper had deposited vast amounts of rubbish into this beautiful part of the world. I feared for what I would see as I continued on.

I sat for a while by the river trying to take in what I was seeing. During that break I spotted some small fish in the river. I was in no hurry so I sat there for quite a while watching them.

After a while the fish relaxed and seemed to want to check me out. I am not sure of what to make of the fact that I enjoy simple things like sitting and watching fish.

My destination for this day was Devil’s Pool. I took the above photo back in 2022 when I walked in with my oldest son. I rarely visit this spot as it is quite popular with locals and I like my solitude in the Gorge. That said I was pretty sure I would have it all to myself on this day.

I used to swim at this section of the Gorge :(

There are so many sections along the river that I used to swim in but will no longer. As I continue on my way to Devil’s Pool I discover one of my favourite swimming spots is now full of who knows what.

Barbed wire that has been washed down the Gorge.

When I say who knows what I really do mean it. It saddened me too much to take photos of everything but I saw items from clothing, mattresses, fencing to large car parts littering the river on my walk. There is no way I am swimming in a section of river where I can see barbed wire on the the rocks.

As I took another short break on the rocks trying to comprehend the level of rubbish around me I was joined by one of the local residents. That is one interesting insect.

No footprints, I am the only one in here.

There is a sandy section beside the river just before you arrive at Devil’s Pool. From the footprints in the sand you have a fair idea of how busy it will be when you get there. On this day there was not a footprint to be seen, I was alone.

Back in October 2023 there was already what I considered an offensive amount of rubbish at Devil’s Pool. I carried most of that shown above out in a garbage bag but there was still a lot more. Following Cyclone Jasper I would need trucks to get it all out on this day in July 2024.

Devil’s Pool for me has been destroyed by the rubbish washed down from the Tablelands. I could not bring myself to take photos showing the scale of the rubbish now at this location.

The driftwood is fine…but to the left of this photo, in other areas around the pool and all the way to there are masses of rubbish. I found it so depressing I took this photo and left.

Escaping the rubbish and heat up the hillside.

Thankfully I still have some spots in Barron Gorge that have remained untouched. So I headed to one of them to try and erase the memory of what I had just seen.

Away from the rubbish and burning sun I sat and listened to a waterfall, enjoyed some lunch and a hot chocolate. I also prayed that this spot would be saved from the curse of human waste :(

Leave no trace so that others can enjoy.