Nature photography Archives

Cobbold Gorge

Cobbold Gorge is young and very beautiful. It was born about 10,000 years ago when a creek in Western Queensland was blocked and needed to find another way down into the Robertson River.

This is sandstone country so erosion proceeds quickly and the gorge is now many metres deep – still very narrow, and fantastically carved by floodwaters and the debris they carry. The creek water is some metres deep, we were told, and is darkened to a rich jade green by sediments it carries.

Zooming in

But let’s start a bit further back, for context, and zoom in from far above…

Continue reading “Cobbold Gorge”

Einasleigh and Outback Queensland

Einasleigh is an outback town by any definition of “outback” but with a population of just under one hundred, perhaps only Aussies would call it a “town”.

It’s in the Shire of Etheridge, which constitutes most of the middle of North Queensland, and it is typical of our small Western towns – Prairie, Pentland and Torrens Creek on the road from Charters Towers to Hughenden come to mind.

Einasleigh

Einasleigh has a pub (of course) and a caravan park, and a loose scattering of fading houses. It has no servo, if the sign back at the Lynd Junction roadhouse is to be believed Continue reading “Einasleigh and Outback Queensland”

Cobbold Gorge, Undara Lava Tubes and the Atherton Tablelands

It’s over a week since the last post on Green Path and the reason this time is that we were celebrating the end of lockdown with a trip to Western Queensland and the Atherton Tablelands. Our route was Greenvale – The Lynd – Einasleigh – Forsayth – Cobbold Gorge – Georgetown – Undara Lava Tubes – Mount Garnet – Ravenshoe – Yungaburra – Millaa Millaa, and home via Innisfail after a total distance of about 1350 km over six days.

Many of these places deserve (and will get) posts to themselves, but that will take some time since there are so many photos to sort. In the meantime, here’s a taste Continue reading “Cobbold Gorge, Undara Lava Tubes and the Atherton Tablelands”

Who knew that Bazas shelled their grasshoppers?

Pacific Bazas, also known as Crested Hawks, are beautiful birds of prey which are uncommon enough to call for a photo at every opportunity. We saw one in the Quarantine Station picnic grounds at Pallarenda on Friday as it flew up to perch in a tree.

From behind, we could see its head jerking up and down as it tore at prey which it was holding against its perch; from in front, I was able to get photos showing us what it was doing. It was carefully shelling a Giant Grasshopper in exactly the way we would shell a prawn, and for the same reason: to avoid the crunchy bits.

Pacific Baza with prey — Baza with lunch

Freshwater Crocodiles in Ross River

We know they are there, but we don’t often see them – freshwater crocodiles in Ross River, that is.

Freshies, as many locals call them, are smaller than salties. They are generally shy, attacking only when startled into defending themselves; and when they do, their narrow jaws and relatively small teeth can’t do as much damage as a saltie’s heavy head, although the Australian Museum warns us that they can still cause serious injuries.

They can also be hard to spot, even in plain view.

crocodile on log — Catching some sunshine

Continue reading “Freshwater Crocodiles in Ross River”