Sunday, July 24, 2011

Hunting Part I

Almost twelve months ago I posted about a mountain valley behind Marysville where the forest was destroyed in the 2009 bushfires.

Deb and I went up that way again today

The trees in the Taggerty River Valley still stand like the ghosts they are. What is changing somewhat is millions of seeds have germinated so saplings are beginning to race for the light between their parents’ skeletons.

We were back because as you know I love photography. One of my favourite subjects is streams and waterfalls.

The drought of previous years is well and truly over and it has rained and rained and rained for what seems like months. The bonus of this is of course waterfalls and rivers are very healthy at the moment.

We wove our way up into the valley along the muddy goat track that serves as a road up there.

It was cold and raining so I was well rugged up. Deb took one look at the weather and elected to sit in the car knitting.

From the valley floor began the climb up this track towards the first waterfall on my hit-list. You get an idea of how rampant the regrowth is.

In the steeper sections there are well made stairs which make the going easier. I paused on this corner for a breather and a piccie. I’d just climbed the stairs down to the right and was about to climb the ones to the left.

Further up I paused again to catch the ghosts of the trees vanishing into the mist (that is the trail and some of the stairs in the right of the frame).

I crossed the stream that forms the falls further up. It's divided here into multiple streamlets that tumble over fern clad boulders.

To give you an idea of how wet it is at the moment a fairy sized waterfall beside the path.Then finally I reached my target the Phantom Falls. It finally stopped raining as I photographed so I got to wear my hat rather than trying to keep the camera lens dry.

These falls are hard to photograph because to see them you have to get really close. But I think I have done them justice.

Just to make sure a close up.

9 comments:

Old Kitty said...

What a beautiful stunning beautiful place!! Wow!! Oh to be there too...!! Brilliant shots as always - magical!!! Thanks for sharing! Take care
x

Kathleen Jones said...

Really beautiful Al - it's so good to see the forest growing again. Nature is so amazing!

Kit Courteney said...

Wow! Fantastic photos.

Those trees look quite eerie though!

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

Thanks for taking us for a walk with you. (and we didn't even have to get wet!) It's amazing how resilient nature is, isn't it? Lovely pictures.

John Going Gently said...

all it needs is a few CGI dinosaurs and the photos would be complete!

Misha Gerrick said...

Beautiful photos! I love the ones with the skeleton trees. They look so forlorn, but the growth underneath brings beautiful life to the picture.

:-)

MTeacress said...

I really enjoy looking throught he pictures you post. You take us through, step by step, and I can imagine being there - plus, the animals - I don't get to see things like that here.

Al said...

Hi Jennifer,
You are most welcome. It is lovely although pretty stark too these days.

Hi Kathleen,
Nature is amazing there is a patch not so very far from there where the trees were all killed in a fire in 1931. You can tell because most of the trees are the same size, but is amazing how the bush bounces back.

Hi Kit,
Thank you. It is pretty strange especially in a mist.

Hi Susan,
You are most welcome, part two tonight.
It is amazing and the Aussie bush is really good at bouncing back from a fire.


Hi John,
I’ll have to paste some in!
Hi Misha,
It is hear breaking to see such beauties pass on. Oz trees usually survive a fire but that was a record breaking fire.
The bush is amazing at bouncing back.

Hi Michelle,
Thank you. I love sharing them too! I don’t catch so many animals because Oz creatures are mostly nocturnal.

J.L. Campbell said...

I've looked at this post and the one after and you take some really nice pictures. Some of them are almost eerie. Good stuff for book covers and I can almost see images in the waterfall.