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Lace lichen on a fallen log
Termites nest
Mosaic of floodwater
Side stream feeding the flood
My companion for the day was Frank. I've known Frank for a few years and he's one of those salt-of-the-earth type people. Without his help I wouldn't have known about where we were going, let alone how to get there. Just before we reached the house where we had to get permission we came across a stream of reflections. Despite the drought conditions it still made for a diversion from the dry scrub we were about to encounter.
Sometime during your visit to the New England area you'll come across a standout rock. It will be granite. It's when you get to see them up close that their huge size is even more impressive but, from a distance, as shown here, initially they may not seem that large.
This particular one requires a scramble through the scrub. This is genuine Aussie bushwalking country. One minute climbing over the granite, next stumbling over dead trees and then brushing aside intruding branches.
After achieving our initial goal we sought new experiences and headed south along the ridge, seeking a rock formation I had espied from the paddock. At times there were glimpses out west through the foliage and the granite. At other times the going was awkward (see pics 2,3,4), having to navigate our way through cracks and looking for leads though often the way was interrupted by fallen trees, slowly in the process of rotting, something that takes a while out here due to the dry nature of sclerophyll forests.
In time we walked around the back side of the mountain. Here were different shapes, different angles, different formations. The first shows probably my favourite spot on the walk where moss clung in profusion upon this mostly sheltered rock face. The next shot was taken only about 50 metres further on and I put myself in so you can gauge the size of the crack in the granite.
The plant life is varied here, clinging to its existence in unfavourable circumstances. Yet, despite that there is diversification. Whether or not it is lichen clinging to a fence post (pic 1), amazing fungus halfway up a tree (Pic 2), grasses in a minamilist soil area (pic 4) or glamorous gum trees standing magnificently in a paddock (pic 3), there is variety for even the casual observer.
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