Daintree River Views (IR)

Daintree River, Queensland, 22 July 2022
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Click on any image to see it larger (If you are on a PC at least).

The last post was of wildlife on the Daintree River and there were a few river views as well, in normal colour. At the same time I took river views in infrared, which is what you see here. Usually I process each one differently, sometimes in different editors. I was short of time on this occasion, so I quickly processed one in Lightroom, copied to the others, and made a few individual adjustments. So while some of them may have been more dramatic processed differently, they do form a coherent group.

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Rorschach river views anyone?.

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Daintree River Wildlife

Mar5

Daintree River, Queensland, 22 July 2022
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Click on any image to see it larger (If you are on a PC at least).

We got up early for a dawn wildlife cruise on the Daintree River with Murray Hunt of Daintree Boatman Wildlife Cruises.

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Early on, there were a few Brahman cattle on the banks.

… together with a few young ones and also some cattle egrets.

Common tree snake, hidden in the foliage at the edge of the river.

Australasian Darter at top right. I suspect the bird at bottom left is a juvenile pied heron.

(Click on image for a better view).

Common tree snake.

Flowering plant beside the river.

Common tree snake.

I think this is a Striated Heron.

… and away it goes….

Great-billed Heron.

Salt water crocodile (this one called “Lumpy”).

Swimming not advised.

Common tree snake.

Sacred Kingfisher (above) and Black Bittern (below).

Cattle Egret.

Azure Kingfisher.

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Papuan Frogmouth.

Saltwater crocodile (“Lumpy”).

(Not “Lumpy”).

A flock of white birds in the sky.

… descending into a tree.

Where we can see they are cattle egrets.

I think a Little Pied Cormorant.

Rainbow Bee-Eater (male).

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He’s just about to take off but I didn’t successfully manage to catch him in flight.

On a new perch.

Welcome Swallow.

Daintree Valley

Feb26

Daintree, Queensland, 21 July 2022
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Click on any image to see it larger (If you are on a PC at least).

It was only half an hour’s drive from our accommodation near Mossman Gorge to the accomodation for our next night at Daintree Village. We needed to be there for a wildlife cruise the next morning. So we had most of a day to fill and we decided to drive up the valley beside the Daintree River and also explore some of the side roads.

Daintree river.

A stream down a side road.

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We got to a sign on the main road down the valley that said four wheel drive only beyond there. We only had a tiny Chinese MG hire car so we turned around. At this place there was a massive broad-leafed rainforest plant beside the road. I asked Jools to stand beside it to show you how large it was.

Daintree River.

Daintree River, suddenly showing autumn colours.

Autumn can be quite brief, especially in Queensland in July.

At the end of a side road we got to a point where we couldn’t drive further. Based on the colour of that water, perhaps it was just as well.

Appearances can change quite rapidly though.

On the way back from that bridge….

“Red sky in the morning, Shepherd’s warning”. This was mid-afternoon though.

Some cattle perhaps interested in gaining our acquaintance.

The last two images show a glimpse of the coast. We drove there through a motor camp that may have been private no access but no-one stopped us.

You might perhaps have noticed that some of these images are infrared. Eight are infrared and six are normal. One is perhaps less obvious than the others.

Mossman Gorge

Feb19

Mossman Gorge, Queensland, 20 July 2022
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Click on any image to see it larger (If you are on a PC at least).

We travelled south from Cooktown to Mossman where we stayed at a delightful B&B near the entrance to Mossman Gorge. In the morning during breakfast I photographed a few birds on the feeder, having their brreakfast perhaps.

Macleay’s Honeyeater.

Helmeted Friarbird.

After breakfast we proceeded to Mossman Gorge.

In many ways I found the Gorge quite disappointing. Rather than being a quiet place to commune with nature, it is for the most part a giant tourist trap. The Visitors’ Centre I found to be something of a travesty. Its only purpose was to sell you things. there was no historical or ecological information about the area and even maps of walking trails were not available. Fortunately I had already printed one out before we left Canberra.

The gorge itself was fine, at least when you had got off the main metal walkway and onto the less frequented loop track.

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I did not include the humans by choice, I had no option, despite this being a scenic viewpoint from the main track.

A bush turkey, very common in Queensland including in suburbs.

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Lots of fish in the river.

Laura and Cooktown Infrareds

Jan22

Far North Queensland, 13-19 July 2022
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Click on any image to see it larger (If you are on a PC at least). It makes a big difference for most images.

Links go to ordinary colour posts at the same location (for more information and context). Only three images have normal colour versions. If an image does not have a link, the preceding one applies..

The road into the Laura Bush Camp.

Laura Bush Camp Day 1.

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Cooktown fishermen (Endeavour River).

Cooktown and Rock Art.

Mouth of the Endeavour River from Grassy Hill Lookout.

Bunya Pine, Botanic Gardens.

Swamp views, Mulbabidgee.

Keating’s Lagoon (Mulbabidgee).

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Black Mountain or Kalkajaka.

View from Rex Range Lookout, looking north towards the Daintree.

Keating’s Lagoon (Mulbabidgee)

Jan15

Cooktown, Queensland, 19 July 2022
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Click on any image to see it larger (If you are on a PC at least).

Gastro stopped me seeing as much of Cooktown as I would have liked but we are now on our way out, heading towards Mosman Gorge. On the way we stopped at Keatings Lagoon or Mulbabidgeee.

Mulbabidgeee is a wetlands area on the outskirts of Cooktown.

I could have got closer on the way in, going off the path, but something was holding me back.

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A bit further on there is a view across the lagoon from a bird hide.

… and some distant waterbirds….

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Giant waterlily in flower.

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After a while one a bit came closer. Note the extraordinary toes.

This is a juvenile comb-crested jacana. It becomes more spectacular as an adult.

They roost and build nests on the floating lilypads.

Walking back with some reflection(s).

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The black pile of rocks in the background is Black Mountain or Kalkajaka.

This was originally a tongue of volcanic magma. Over time, heat and water led to fractures and it is now a heap of granite boulders with the solid granite core buried well beneath.

Beneath the surface rocks is a maze of passages and chambers, with sheer drops in complete darkness, pockets of bad air and likely encounters with bats and snakes. So access is prohibited and it also includes many sites sacred to Aborigines.

It houses unique wildlife, including Black Mountain boulderfrog, Black Mountain skink and Black Mountain gecko, as well as Godman’s rock-wallabies and amethystine pythons that can grow to more than five metres long. There have been numerous reports as recently as a few decades ago of an animal appearing to be a thylaceo or marsupial lion and reputedly living here, though supposedly extinct for 20,000 years.

Aboriginal legend has it that the twin-peaked black mountain was built by two brothers who were competing for the same girl. They were so invested in this task that they did not notice an approaching cyclone which blew the brothers into the cracks between the boulders and drowned the girl.

Somewhat further on, we stopped near a bridge and I took some images of the small river flowing through.

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Much further in the journey, getting close to our Mosman Gorge destination, this is the view from Rex Range Lookout, looking north towards the Daintree.

Now in our B&B near Mosman Gorge, this is the view from our bedroom window.

Cooktown and Rock Art

Jan8

Cooktown, Queensland, 17-18 July 2022
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Click on any image to see it larger (If you are on a PC at least).

From the bush camp (posts Laura Bush Camp 1 and 2, with much more rock art), we returned to Laura and then to Cooktown. However, the journey back from the bush camp was quite different for me than the way in. I was hit by gastro on the last night there. I have been to several countries including India and Madagasacar where you need to be careful about directly or indirectly consuming water without having problems but it didn’t occur to me I might need to take care within Australia and fulled my camel (backpack water container) with tap water at Laura. The bouncy and speedy drive in on the tiny four wheel drive was great fun but the journey out was torture and they had to stop several times so I could vomit at the side of the road. From Laura we went straight to Cooktown and I also stayed in bed for all of the next day.

That next day Jools went out and got some medicine for gastro from the Chemist. Unfortunately, we later found it produces hallucinations when you are dehydrated, which is what happens with gastro. I got up during the night for a piss and didn’t turn the light on so as not to disturb Jools. I then saw dogs and cats in the corners of the room though I knew they were not real. Walls completely changed in appearance from one look to the next. The short trip to the toilet became a maze and I became quite disoriented and repeatedly bumped into things. We were in a split level apartment and I ended up falling down the four steps to the lower level in the dark. I bruised my left forearm and severely bruised the palm of my left hand. It took months for my left hand to fully recover but I didn’t hit my head so it could have been much worse. Also, I am right-handed, otherwise I might not have been able to use the camera.

Mouth of the Endeavour River from Grassy Hill Lookout.

The day after that I was semi-recovered and we went for a short drive in the afternoon. We did not see much of Queenstown in our time there but at least our accommodation was a good place to recover.

Grassy Hill Lighthouse from 1886.

Hibiscus flowers nearby.

I think this is Finch Bay, not far from Grassy Hill.

In the late afternoon we visited the bird hide at Keating’s Lagoon.

These are images from trees in the river along the way.

I might have been able to get closer images off the path except that the crocodile warning signs made that inadvisable. More images from here in the next post.

The following day we joined a rock art tour with Culture Connect and set off along this road.

We stopped at a river crossing that we later drove through.

Looking down the river.

Later, on foot, a stream crossing requiring care when carrying camera gear.

Rock art. Kangaroo.

Lungfish maybe?

Turtles on the left.

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We walked to another rock art site.

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Crocodile, northern quoll perhaps, cassowary (maybe emu), fish, head of the previous figure.

Crocodile.

This image and the next one were taken looking upwards in a cramped overhang space that was logistically quite awkward.

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Xanthorrhoea flower cone.

View from the road on the way out.

Laura Bush Camp Day 2

Dec25

Near Laura, Queensland, 14 August 2022
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Click on any image to see it larger (If you are on a PC at least).

(For the benefit of some Americans who may be reading this, this post has absolutely nothing to do with Laura Bush).

Gnaingar.

On our way to another rock art site, this is the flowers of Gnaingar, or Eucalyptus Phœnicia, or Scarlet Gum, endemic to the far north of Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia.

A kangaroo, perhaps.

Male figure.

Female figure.

Main figure a snake, probably dreamtime serpent.

Fish, perhaps.

A cave for special female ceremonies.

Inside, dragonflies on the walls.

At the next site, perhaps a family group. Appears to be made by a negative process with removal of colour.

Two females, one over a long figure perhaps snake, eel or lungfish.

Here is the site overall. You can see some of the figures shown above.

We dropped down to a pool fed by a small waterfall.

A tree trying to grow in a most surprising place.

Contorted trunk and roots of a eucalypt beside the pool.

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On the move now. Taken from a moving four wheel drive vehicle. There has been some fire stick farming going on to manage the land. This involves small scale slow cool burns that do not escape to destroy land and wildlife.

Images on the move.

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Passing a large termite mound. The black pole with a blue cap is on the vehicle.

Back to the main rock art site.

I was looking for a different perspective this time. Most of my shots on the previous day were taken with a very wide angle lens (Fujifilm 8-16mm) whereas most of these were taken with a moderate telephoto (Fujifilm 80mm macro).

These figures may be very old, maybe 20,000 years.

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The upside-down person represents someone who has transgressed fundamental rules of the society and received serious punishment such as exile or death.

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Given how far north we are, this is probably a cassowary rather than an emu.

Dingo at the front.

A wider view with many figures.

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Back at the base now, probably after dinner. The is a macro landscape with some combination of ground cover, bush and miniature tree.

Rock Art.

In other words, Art created by the Rock.

Balanda Rock Painting.

Perhaps reminiscent of the cargo cult of Papua New Guinea, this is designed to encourage the great gyroscopic whirring bird to drop from the sky.

Night sky from near the tent, a ten second exposure from 5:30am.

If you are on a PC or Mac, this image will appear very dark against the white page here. You need to click on it for a larger version to see it properly.

There is also something moving in the sky with a somewhat discontinuous light, perhaps a satellite or a plane.

Lockdown is for the Birds

Aug29

Brisbane, Queensland, 1 to 6 August 2021.

(Click on any image to see it in a larger size.).
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Butcher Bird.

At the end of the last post, we had stopped off in Brisbane for a couple of days en route to a photographic tour in North Queensland, when our progress was arrested by a sudden seven-day lockdown. So we spent the next seven days with our friends Jim and Milena in their new home, and with the birds that either visited or lived there.

The same Butcher Bird from the verandah (also then next two images).

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Back inside, with Percy and Polly (Rainbow Lorikeets) and Milena. One of the lorikeets is interested in learning how to use the coffee machine.

The other, not so much.

On the verandah again, two Kookaburras.

Juvenile Magpie soaring up for food. this one has a damaged foot.

Juvenile Magpie on the rail (the adults are black rather than grey).

The Australian Magpie is not related to the Eurasian Magpie. It is related to the Butcherbird, though.

Kookaburra.

Though we were in a city, we were able to go for a brief walk in a forest nearby.

Inside with the lorikeets again.

They are very fast inside the house and challenging to photograph.

Ironically, I had brought a Nikon D850 and 300mm f2.8 lens (plus teleconverters), specifically for photographing birds in flight, mainly from various bird hides I expected to encounter. I did not anticipate the my BIF photography would be indoors.

These indoor images were all taken with a Fujifilm X-E4 and a 27mm f2.8 lens (40mm full frame equivalent), heavily croppped. I couldn’t predict when and where they were going to fly I needed loose compositions. They are all on 1/2,000 sec because the lorikeets are very quick and light levels were quite low so they are all on high ISOs, more that two thirds on 6400 or 12,800. As well as that, this was a new camera and when I had set up Custom Quick Menus, I hadn’t realised that as well as the values on the Quick Menus, there were also many other values I needed to set or they would revert to the original camera defaults. This meant I was shooting JPEG instead of RAW so many of the images are lacking highlight or shadow detail.

This might represent an interesting lorikeet decal on the splashback except that it was a bit too transient for full appreciation at the time.

Lorikeet and Jools.

Percy and Polly powering past.

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Also a Budgie, even more elusive on the wing.

… and here playing hide-and-seek.

Back on the balcony, an adult Magpie in midair leaping for food, plus a Butcher Bird.

… Coming in to land ….

Magpie pair.

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Again, a lorikeet as an interior decoration….

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Jim with Percy and Polly.

It was difficult to find lockdown information at this time as the Queensland Government told people not to ring them and if you did, you could wait for a long time and then drop out. Eventually, we worked out that we were free to fly back to the ACT, even while the lockdown continued in Brisbane. Jools did so first, I did so after receiving an email from the ACT Government advising against further travel.

Now Queensland is out of lockdown and we are in lockdown in Canberra. The main problem is New South Wales, which failed to lockdown for ten days after their first case and is now spiralling out of control with over a thousand cases per day. (That won’t sound high if you live in Montenegro, Malaysia or Miami but is the highest we have seen in Australasia). (The other problem is the low vaccination rate, due to the incompetence of the Federal Government). Fortunately it doesn’t seem too bad in the ACT and we may be out of lockdown in a couple of weeks, though the situation remains precarious.

At the water’s edge

Aug15

Brisbane, Queensland, 31 July 2021.

(Click on any image to see it in a larger size.).
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We are on our second day in Brisbane, staying with friends, en route to Northern Queensland, or so we thought.

Though inside Brisbane, we are on a scenic drive that goes in part through a national park, and we are looking down some distance at a house on farmland. It appears to be the mansion of a drug baron. Perhaps a nineteenth century drug baron. Probably opium, in that case.

Near the road, we noticed this compact granny flat. Specially adapted for natural air conditioning.

And in the distance there are these massive ancient megaliths. Some of them may be more than a hundred feet high. How they carried the stones there is a mystery.

It’s not fire season yet so this was presumably burning off. These days severe bush fires can occur even in winter though.

We proceeded on to Wynnum, where we visited a cafe and then wandered out onto the pier. Beside the pier, this I believe is a gazebo martin (though usually known as a tree martin). I tried to get them in flight as a test of camera settings for that purpose but they are very fast and I did not succeed.

Wynnum pier. The martins were building a nest in the roof of the right-hand gazebo.

Next we visited the nearby East Coast Marina and I photographed some of the yachts sailing around and in or out of the marina, from the end of a pier.

Also, a couple of dragon boats. Going out…

…then coming back in.

Small yacht returning to the marina.

Two launches and a yacht coming out.

The red sign at the left is not blank on purpose for the benefit of people who cannot read, rather it is a marker for the dredged channel. The water can be otherwise quite shallow around here.

A launch and a windsurfer exploring the possibility of flight.

I think the same windsurfer.

A small flotilla of launches coming in on the channel.

You can see the channel marker in the mid background (in itself an indication the water is not as deep as it may seem).

There was a parasurfer there as well.

We are now around behind the marina and a paddle-boarder is proceeding out. He may not require as large a mooring as those catamarans.

The boat at front in the middle is an old pearling lugger with a Maori name, which may indicate it was used by Maori divers.

We are now a bit further south at Cleveland Point. There are a number of cormorants on this tree.

With a slightly different angle, I am now shooting into the sun. It is still a colour image but the extreme contrast has wiped out the colour.

This is the old Cleveland Point Lighthouse, no longer in use. It has an unusual design and was built in 1865. It is a State lighthouse for local navigation so was not amongst the Commonwealth lighthouses I photographed in 1987 (Lighthouses tab, at top of page).

Half an hour after I took this photo, Brisbane went into a sudden COVID lockdown for at least seven days. We worked that out later when we drove past a pub that had no patrons. No flight for us to North Queensland early morning the day after next.

Fortunately, we were able to stay with our friends for the duration. The lockdown did end after seven days but then there was a North Queensland lockdown for another three days. That also ended after the three days and I would have waited and kept on going but I received a letter from the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) Government advising against further travel. The problem was New South Wales where COVID was out of control by Australian standards because the NSW Government waited for 10 days before locking down. Had I kept going I risked an ACT lockdown and either having difficulty returning or returning to 14-day hotel quarantine (as opposed to the much more benign home quarantine).

So after five days, I abandoned the North Queensland trip and returned to Canberra.

Meanwhile, we stopped for the sunset at a beach a bit further south near Victoria Point.

… as the light slowly receded.

MacLeay Island in the background and South Stradbroke Island beyond that.

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An obliging pelican swam up and posed for me.

The light was getting very low and although I was using a lens with good image stabilisation, that does not compensate for subject movement and I underestimated what shutter speed I needed so the pelican in this image is not actually in focus. (I decided to show it anyway because of the feel and the colour).

A last image in the gathering doom….

Then when we got back home, I went to change lenses on my cameras for more compact storage and discovered I was missing a lens – actually the new lens from my recent post on Setting Up the X-E4. It had fallen out of my bag.

Clearly it wouldn’t be there the next morning so notwithstanding the lockdown, I went back to try to find it. I thought it had probably fallen out of the bag when I bent down to take a photo using a small post as support.

When we got back to where we had been, I immediately saw it on the road where the car had been parked. It had fallen out when I got the bag out of the car, about eighteen inches to two feet. Fortunately I hadn’t run over it. It was unmarked, had no apparent ill effects and still worked fine including autofocus. (Phew!)

Murray Foote

Tag Archives: Queensland

Daintree River Views (IR)

Daintree River Wildlife

Daintree Valley

Mossman Gorge

Laura and Cooktown Infrareds

Keating’s Lagoon (Mulbabidgee)

Cooktown and Rock Art

Laura Bush Camp Day 2

Lockdown is for the Birds

At the water’s edge