During a long day recently spent scrambling across some pretty inaccessible terrain in a local State Conservation Area, I unexpectedly happened upon a deep chasm cut into the surrounding sandstone ridges.
I had been searching for populations of a rare plant and had already located a number of the shrubs growing along a gully in a eucalypt-dominated dry sclerophyll forest, when I found myself standing on top of what would normally have been a waterfall, on eye-level with the tops of rainforest trees growing from the depths below.
Probably no more than fifty metres deep, and less than forty wide, chiselled out of the sandstone by flowing water over millions of years, this 300m long canyon was spectacular and awe-inspiring, with massive boulders littering the floor at the base of towering cliffs covered with ferns and epiphytes.
The sun barely reaches into the depths, which has allowed the rainforest to flourish, with ancient Water Gums, Brush Box, and Tree Ferns, and rocks adorned with orchids, Maidenhair, and Hare’s-foot Ferns, along with mosses and lichens.
As I clambered through the labyrinth of boulders I marvelled at the fact that this gem of nature was only a few hundred metres from human habitation and cleared paddocks full of grazing livestock, yet few people know of its existence, and even fewer have ever had the opportunity to experience its wonder.
So much of our national parks’ estate contains features of great beauty such as this, and while it’s comforting to know they are protected, it seems a shame that more nature-lovers couldn’t share this wondrous experience.
I’m aware of the risk of these icons being “loved to death”, but the therapeutic values they possess could provide relief to many in this stressed-out world.
Tourism and passive recreation are a major driver of the region’s economy, something that should encourage the powers that be to invest more heavily in support of that industry. More walking trails, with interpretive signage and lookout points, and more funding to remove weeds and feral animals, could all add to the experience.
- John Edwards
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