A RAIN forest Walk

[Mad Aussie]

My daughter and her boyfriend are up from Sydney for the week of Christmas and yesterday (Dec 24 here) we went for a drive into the Gold Coast rainforests.

I'll add posts to this thread as I process my photos.

On a wooden bridge over a rainforest creek we found this amazing creature ... a Spiny-Legged Rainforest Katydid.
After taking a couple of shots I moved him up onto a tree as you can see by in the final shot ...
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5168/5288179247_00007d409b_o.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5170/5288179393_4f09d5ed69_o.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5246/5288782940_ccb028574c_o.jpg

[Mad Aussie]

I like the rainforest flora highlighted in the rainforest light ...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5043/5288801192_6f8bf25a88_o.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5043/5288278129_817d245930_o.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5249/5289130085_45bcdd66a3_o.jpg

[Mad Aussie]

Down by the waterfall I found this

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5085/5289067863_5f630659fb_o.jpg

A Blue Damselfly
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5130/5288881538_c2118e0878_o.jpg

As a Strangler Fig lives off and slowly kills a rainforest tree, staghorns live on the Fig
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5044/5289670526_9d05010c00_o.jpg


Might have time in a couple of days to get the waterfall photos up. ... here's a teaser ...

Natural Bridge Waterfall ... where the river flows through a hole in the creek bed and falls into a cave of Glow Worms and Mini Bent Bats.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5281/5288277813_acc89a10bf_o.jpg

[miker]

Very cool set MA. Love the look of the Spiny-Legged Rainforest Katydid (cool name for that one too..) and especially #5 as well which is just very simple, pure, and super crisp. Nice :-)

[Mad Aussie]

Very cool set MA. Love the look of the Spiny-Legged Rainforest Katydid (cool name for that one too..) and especially #5 as well which is just very simple, pure, and super crisp. Nice :-)
Thanks Miker :)

[Bambi]

a very nice set. The Katydid is cool. Love the leaf shots

[casil403]

Leaf shots for me please!

[QuietOne]

I like the second shot of the katydid best. Weird looking critter.

[Mad Aussie]

Thanks Bambi, Casil and Q1 :)

[Rinkdaddy]

Love the Damselfly and the #2 Katydid

[Iguanasan]

It's a wonderful set, to be sure. I certainly understand why the leaf was nominated. It looks so real I thought my keyboard would get wet! :eek:

[Mad Aussie]

:) Thanks Iggy and RD

[Mad Aussie]

Here's what it called 'Natural Bridge' ... the river flows through the rainforest and suddenly drops about 5 metres down through a large hole in a cave roof.
Inside live Glow Worms and Bent Wing Bats.

Showed you this one earlier ... what the camera sees ... and so do you until your eyes adjust
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5281/5288277813_acc89a10bf_o.jpg

But after awhile ...
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5085/5293806111_8e42a7d6e4_o.jpg

[Mad Aussie]

Purlingbrook Falls
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5210/5294844422_93e40bc2a7_o.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5041/5289068121_1877780a23_o.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5005/5294857272_c80ef22250_o.jpg

[Bambi]

wow, the palm tree shots are stunning!

[Mad Aussie]

wow, the palm tree shots are stunning!

Thanks Bambi :)

[casil403]

wow, the palm tree shots are stunning!
Absolutely in agreement! :)

[Richard]

Impressive set MA, some outstanding shots as always, the natural bridge is fascinating.

[Marko]

Really lovely set MA, such variety.

[Hillbillygirl]

No preference her MA, they are all beautiful. Love the green background bokeh in the flora and damselfly shots, very smmmmmoooooth.

[Mad Aussie]

Thanks Casil, Richard, Marko and HBG :)

[Mad Aussie]

This is the hole in the roof of the Natural Bridge cave and the river falling in ...
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5249/5297328331_461ae8f75b_o.jpg

And another from just outside the entrance before you walk down into it ...
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5168/5297328785_bf486edcac_o.jpg

[Bambi]

wow, it looks positively magical. I just want to run and jump in it ;)

[Mad Aussie]

wow, it looks positively magical. I just want to run and jump in it ;)

:) Actually my friends used to ... from the top ... through the hole. There's a ledge up there that you stand on but you can't see the water so it's blind jump. You launch as hard as you can and drop 5m into the cave. All fenced these days so it doesn't happen much anymore.

[Bambi]

:) Actually my friends used to ... from the top ... through the hole. There's a ledge up there that you stand on but you can't see the water so it's blind jump. You launch as hard as you can and drop 5m into the cave. All fenced these days so it doesn't happen much anymore.

reminds me of this swimming place I used to go to when I was younger. You could climb this tree and edge out along a branch and then jump or dive right in. It was a blast. My mother would have killed me had she known....

[Mad Aussie]

Getting to the end of what I have for this days outing I think.

Some more from down by the Purlingbrook Falls ...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5248/5298991783_d0944a8414_o.jpg


You can see the walkway that leads behind the falls in this shot ...
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5169/5298991473_8bfc96c1e9_o.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5007/5299592184_6945c8e745_o.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5209/5299591902_0d682c9c8b_o.jpg

[casil403]

Lol...I'm thinking no Train snowplows seen in this area!
Very photo friendly for certain!

[Mad Aussie]

Yeh we missed the snow by about 30 degrees C :)

[aubintbay]

Very nice set! I really like all the waterfall shots:thumbup: One in particular though looks like the wate is falling into a hole. Am I seeing that right??:confused:

[Mad Aussie]

Very nice set! I really like all the waterfall shots:thumbup: One in particular though looks like the wate is falling into a hole. Am I seeing that right??:confused:

Yes. It disappears into that hole and appears inside the cave as the waterfall you see in the other shots.