I got back last week from a 3 week trip to the Northern Rivers region on the north coast of New South Wales. It was a great trip, I caught up with my family and just basically relaxed. I got up on most mornings for the sunrises and as a result I think I have seen more sunrises in the last couple of weeks than I have in my entire life. I took a few days to drive up there stopping off along the way at some of N.S.W.’s world heritage listed national park the Gondwana rainforests.
When I thought about Australia and national parks a sea of trees sprung to mind such as the views you get in the Blue Mountains. When I thought about being down under the canopies I thought about the type of scrubby bush that I grew up in and around and visited on camping trips with my parents. Nice to some I guess but as they say familiarity breeds contempt. I wouldn’t say I was at the contempt stage but I just found it hard to get excited about it. The trip north really changed all that for me and opened my eyes up to a lot more of what Australia has on offer. In 3 days I visited 7 national parks on my whistle-stop tour. Not enough time to really get to know any but enough to scratch the surface and peek inside.
I tried to visit as many of the World Heritage Gondwana Rainforests as I could (the list is quite long) even if it was only briefly. I was reasonably lucky with the weather. I was following a storm up the coast so although I didn’t get much rain all the waterfalls running not something that always happens in these areas. If I want to be picky I wouldn’t have minded a slight drizzle for photographing in the forests as this really brings out the colours and adds a beautiful atmosphere.
I would certainly like to return to a few of them and spend a few days walking around photographing them. I am also planning to visit some more of the Shield Group which is up on the Queensland and New South Wales border as I didn’t get to see too many of these.
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- Inside the Gibraltar Ranges National Park part of the World Heritage listed Gondwana Rainforests.
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- Clouds swirl around the cliffs in Oxley WIld Rivers National Park.
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- Stars shine over the extinct volcanic peak of Mount Warning in the north of New South Wales.
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- The road driving into Lamington National Park takes you through some magnificent Forests. Lamington National Park is part of the Gondwana Rainforests Heritage listing.
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- Smoke from bushfires around the area gathers in the valleys and tints the sunrise near Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia.
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- The distinctive plumage of the Regent Bowerbird is a common sight in the Lamington National Park in Southern Queensland
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- Brindle Creek in the Border Ranges National Park on the border between New South Wales and Queensland.
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- the beautiful Tinebank Creek in Willi Willi National Park
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- Early morning mists in the trees of the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.
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- Following a Trail in the New England National Park, part of the Gondwana Rainforest group.
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- Looking from Point Lookout across the New Engand National Park, part of the World Heritage listed Gondwana Rainforests.
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- A tree fern in the Washpool National Park. Washpool National Park is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage listing.
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- Along the circuit in the Washpool National Park. Washpool National Park is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage listing.