den: (revs)
den ([personal profile] den) wrote2008-04-13 12:15 pm
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Road Trip Day 4

April 2

Morning: Mt Field National Park, rainforests and waterfalls
Afternoon: Visiting [livejournal.com profile] tatterdemalion, tea, laughing a lot, and not wanting to leave
Evening: Dinner with the rellies, chicken and talk.

Please excuse the large number of forest photos. It's been a long time since I've seen so much green vegetation. The forests around home are mostly open woodland with a little dry sclerophyll forest on the hills. Today I headed up to the Mt Field National Park to do the short hike up to Russell Falls. The day was grey and rainy, and I am loving my Canon digital to death, and the image stabilizing lens lets me take hand-held photos in places I'd normally need a tripod.

I arrived at Mount Field NP fairly early, but not early enough to beat a coach load of grumpy tourists. "It's cold! It's raining! I'm wet. The forest is too dark. It's too far! EW!" So I waited for a few minutes and found a little Tasmanian pademelon* to photograph.

Tasmanian Pademelon

When I'd judged the coach load had reached the falls, complained and left, I headed into the forest.

Mt Field National Park Mt Field National Park

Mt Field National Park

I proceeded along the path, taking my time and soaking in the colour, silence and damp, while the noise of the falls gradually increased. And then I was there.

Mt Field National Park Mt Field National Park

Mt Field National Park

I stood there for at least half an hour, just watching the water and listening to the sounds it made in the forest. Then I followed the path across the creek and to the top of the falls, which has a great view of the national park.

Mt Field National Park

And then on to Horseshoe Falls, which technically is the very highest cascade of Russell Falls.

Mt Field National Park

I proceeded back to the information cetre for a nice long lunch and coffee, and then on to Hobart for a happy afternoon with [livejournal.com profile] tatterdemalion. And then it was on to Huonville to have dinner with Aunty Jenny, and to meet cousins I haven't seen for 10 years.

Back to the room above the cafe at 12pm.



*A very small species of wallaby.

[identity profile] beki.livejournal.com 2008-04-13 02:18 am (UTC)(link)
That's some mighty pretty territory. Does it happen to be a bit of rain forest? I know there is a helluva drought there, but it reminds me a lot of the rain forest on the other side of Mt Ranier.

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2008-04-13 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
It's all rainforest.