Boulders, basalt, and turtles

If you prepare a 3-months journey, you can’t plan each and every stop. Most milestones for the first few weeks had been defined, but further north the itinerary becomes more “blurry”. I had written down some of the bigger towns — Rockhampton, Mackay, Bowen, Townsville —, but after experiences like Springbrook or Cape Hillsborough we are too spoiled to set up tent next to a highway or Coles supermarket.

The more we travel north, the more fellow travellers we meet, many of whom are going in the opposite direction. So they can share some tips with us. And that’s how we end up at Paluma Ranges National Park, a park that had not been on our radar before. As part of the Queensland Wet Tropics Rainforests it is found on the UNESCO world heritage list. That seems to apply to the majority of national parks in this part of north-eastern Queensland.

But indeed Paluma Ranges is special: The part that we visit features the Jourama Falls. Over several steps they cascade down from a ridge, which is probably 150 metres high, into a valley dotted with boulders. Granite and basalt form an interesting contrast. Even now, in the dry season, the scenery is spectacular. We try to imagine what this valley may look like in The Wet. As access to the campsite requires 2 creek crossings, we doubt that you can get here in heavy rainfall.

Close to the day visitor area you can find a platform overlooking the creek. We spend hours sitting there and watching the turtles surface and return into the dark again.

[Paluma Ranges National Park, Jourama Falls camping area, 29.-31. July]