D’Aguilar National Park, Queensland, Australia
The rainforests of Queensland are the largest subtropical rainforests on earth. D’Aguilar National Forest is only a 30 minute drive from Brisbane and yet the forest is an entirely different, wild-jungle world of tropical vines, ferns, orchids and eucalyptus, strangler fig and palm trees.
I am in love with Queensland’s rainforests and obsessed with hiking in them–not only for their ethereal, grand visual beauty, but also for the complete aesthetic experience: the smells and sounds of the rainforests are equally as awe-inspiring. D’Anguilar Rainforest is filled with misty, eucalyptus and fern scented breezes, sounds of exotic bird calls and the quiet rustling of small, shy forest kangaroos with their joeys.
On the drive to D’Aguilar, as we climb the twisty, narrow mountain roads, we hear a repetitive loud squeak. The sound is constant, every few seconds. After five minutes, we finally pull the rented car over into a roadside turnout to determine if the sound is coming from our car. We cut the engine, roll down the windows and listen. The sound is coming from deep in the forest and it is so loud that it follows us for over 5 kilometres on our drive to the park. Tropical birds are loud!
The D’Aguilar Rainforest is home also home to tropical birds, frogs, lizards and snakes, and mammals such as: platypus, kangaroo, koala, and flying squirrels. It’s always a good idea to stay on the trail to avoid an encounter with any of the six species of venomous snakes found in the park.
Some of the older trees are massive.
Pip and I taking a rest; we’ve arrive at the top of the falls!
Queensland Rainforests: D’Aguilar National Park
A jungle stream trickles over the rocks to form the falls. The sunlight shining through the rainforest is magical.
Mistaya at the top of the falls. it’s a steep, long drop down into the rainforest basin.
Pippi discovers the impressive rhinoceros beetle in a rotten log above the falls. Apparently they scream if you pick them up.
Pippi at the top of the falls.
These 2-3 inch insects swim in the pools at the top of the waterfall. They’re iridescent in the sun.
Travelling is hard work. I have a backlog of photographs and stories from so many of our rainforest adventures and beyond. I am only beginning to sort through them and post. I hope you will enjoy the Oceania and Tahitian posts that follow 😊
D’Aguilar, Queensland, Mix Hart/17
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