It's time to finish our short tour of Springbrook National Park, and as we head back into the new week I'll leave you with another one of the locals that can be seen all around the area. Despite having Polly Parrot as my title, this is a male Australian King Parrot, endemic to eastern Australia, so perhaps Percy Parrot is more apt! Have a great week.
Whatever the time of year, it seems that there is never a lack of waterfalls in Springbrook. This 'baby' was still enough to soak me to the skin as I walked behind it.
Walking through the National Park conjures up images of trolls and dragons, elves and hidden worlds controlled by magical creatures. It's fun to let your imagination take over sometimes.
This narrow track is nice and dry right now but after the rains it is like walking through a shower.
This is one of my favourite pictures of Purlingbrook falls as they crash onto the rocks below and flow into the pool. Being there at the right time of day meant that the sun caught the spray with a gorgeous rainbow. You might just be able to make out at the very top of the picture that there is a track that passes right behind the falls (closed on this visit). Happy Friday to everyone.
This whole area of the Springbrook plateau is a remnant of the northern side of a once huge shield volcano that dominated the region about 23 million years ago. The plateau is about 1000m above sea level and along with walking tracks and spectacular views there are some superb waterfalls. Being winter and somewhat drier, the falls aren't at their best, but I was impressed as Purlingbrook Falls dropped 100m over the side of the cliff. You will have to believe me that they thunder over here after a heavy downpour and are even more spectacular.
Yesterday I alluded to the bird-life that abounds in Springbrook. A common sight is the crimson rosella, a parrot native to eastern and south-eastern Australia. With that distinctive colouring they're not going to be hiding from prying eyes too well...but they are rather nosey, so perhaps they don't mind being photographed.
Every now and again, the path climbs high enough above the tree line to give such magnificent views over this sub-tropical rainforest. The air is clear and the solitude is perfect. Usually the only sounds are the amazing calls of the various birds and the rustle in the undergrowth as something takes refuge from my large walking boots!
Come along with me as we go for a walk in the hinterland of the Gold Coast. This is Springbrook National Park, a Gondwana Rainforest Heritage area. The national park sits about 100km south of Brisbane. Beautiful winter weather makes all of the tracks easy to walk, unlike after torrential rains when mud-paddling is more the order of the day.
