Jourama Falls

Up in the mountains, between Ingham and Townsville, are some great waterfalls. Some of them spill into pretty spectacular rainforest, protected by National Park. Jourama Falls is a series of half a dozen waterfalls, dropping from the mountain top to the boulder strewn Jourama Creek below.

Jourama Creek

Strangler Fig - Jourama Creek

The water level in Jourama Creek can change quickly.  The rocks are worn smooth and some coated with a slippery algae that makes staying upright difficult. There are some great swimming holes (if you dont mind numbingly cold water) and camping in the National Parks is excellent.

Dangerous wildlife photography

Birdlife in these rainforests is great, although photographing them from directly underneath is not a real good idea.

Murray Falls

Further north are Murray Falls,  set in a similar pocket of rainforest with a couple of short access walks. The falls are surrounded by deceptively slippery rocks which have claimed a number of lives. This has prompted National Parks to restrict access to the immediate area. However, their boardwalks and viewing platforms  provide excellent access without having to crawl over the rocks.

Murray Falls Boardwalk

Strangler Fig - Murray Falls

Wandering around in these rainforests with a 10mm lens is a lot of fun. All sorts of weird shapes and lines, and great colours to play around with.

Strangler fig roots

Weird granite slab

We discovered this massive granite slab perched on a collection of small rocks – obviously the work of aliens. Or maybe the trees did it?

Strangler fig holding rock

Further up Murray creek we found this big rock being gripped by a strangler fig, probably intending to balance it somewhere precarious to entertain humans

Defensive Green Ant

These little guys join leaves into a fist sized ball to build their nest. If the nest is threatened they all stand up in this aggressive pose to scare off the predator. Funny thing is, they don’t seem to bite. Aboriginal kids bite off and eat the green bulbous tail.

Winds, following a recent cyclone, have brought down a number of trees along the edge of the rainforest. The broken roots and tangled vines make interesting drawing subjects.

Rainforest Mushrooms

More weird rainforest stuff. These mushrooms pop up in clusters through the undergrowth. They seem to emerge from a shell like case that opens like petals. As appetising as they look, we resisted the temptation to barbecue them with our steak.