At last, we catch a glimpse of the plains beyond.
Monthly Archives: December 2010
She’ll Be Comin’ Down the Mountain – Part 3
As with the eastern side of the Tops, the western side was also wonderfully green.
It was however the shifting light that made the scene extra special.
She’ll Be Comin’ Down the Mountain – Part 2
The road down to Scone was narrow and winding – but spectacular.
She’ll Be Comin’ Down the Mountain – Part 1
We drove across the Barrington Tops plateau along a bumpy road, past some more state forests, until we reached the other side. Below were more hills and plains beyond…
The Tops – Lookout
I’m back from my holiday! Hope you all had a great Christmas Day.
But back to the Barrington Tops. Today, we come to Thunderbolt’s Lookout proper. As you can see, you can see for miles from up here.
Aside from the view, I was also drawn to the hardy trees, standing and fallen, and the moss and lichen that grow on almost everything.
The Tops – Cool Glen
We’re in the Barrington Tops National Park proper now, making our way to Thunderbolts Lookout.
Captain Thunderbolt (otherwise known as Fred Ward), was a bushranger who roamed the Hunter Valley-New England area in the 1860’s, robbing his way into history until one day he was allegedly killed by the police. Others say that it was his uncle who was killed, and that Fred and his mum made a quick getaway to Canada where he lived till a ripe old age.
I can imagine Fred and his merry gang resting in this quiet, sheltered glen. Can you?
I’ll be away on holidays for a little while, and will finish this series when I return.
The Tops – Uprooted
Showing you just how brutal nature can be up on the plateau.
The Tops – Ferns
Being in a wet area, there were lots of ferns around. But these are quite special ferns since they have adapted to the cool sub-alpine climate.
Their stamen are very delicate-looking, though they must be hardy to withstand the erratic weather of the Tops.
The Tops – The River
The Manning River flowed not far from the camp site. Usually it’s just a running stream, but with all the rain that’s been around it’s a swollen torrent. I wonder how the river looks in Taree, near the mouth. I wonder how it looks now, when there are dozens of rivers bursting their banks in the region.
The Tops – Dead or Alive
We saw a bit of wildlife up on the Tops – a rock wallaby, colourful finches (and heard many more birds), but the only ones we managed to capture were these:
A skink basking in sunlight.
And the shell of a cicada, still lodged to the tree.
Static and Silence 