Benz World Blog » Gondwana

Female Fairywren

Jason Benz — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 06:39:16 +0000

This tea bag sized female fairywren is a daily visitor to the Manna Gum camp in the Main Range National Park. The males are more colourful and in Western Australia, they look like this. I have many other birds I had never seen before which needed identification before I post them. I also briefly saw a Disappearing Mouse. It got its name because it was believed to be extinct for 60 years before reappearing in this park. I would post it but it disappeared before I photographed it.

Most of the photo opportunities appeared after making a cup of tea and looking out the van window. The noise from bushwalking keeps birdlife at a distance but they are all worth doing as in this patch of Gondwana Rainforest you can imagine dinosaurs appearing while walking through the world’s oldest woodlands. As I go North the forests will change and the toothy creatures will no longer be imaginary as I venture closer to croc country

The National parks in Australia are outstanding. The campsites are set in areas of overwhelming natural abundance. Here in Queensland, they are often the untouched crest of an ancient volcano. Most sites have a few miles of dirt track before you arrive at an oasis by a river.

I am resupplying in Clifton and Toowoomba for three days before two weeks in the Crows Nest National Park. The park is unlikely to have good phone coverage so the next post will be after 5th May.

Tooloom Falls

Jason Benz — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 06:59:44 +0000

Tooloom Falls is a site of special cultural significance to the local Githabul People who know this place as Dooloomi. They graciously invited me to stay here as long as I wanted. As this land was never ceded it makes this the only place in Australia where I am not trespassing on aboriginal land. I have been photographing wildlife and living off-grid and offline in this beautiful location for the last two weeks.

The river which feeds the waterfall is as still as a mill pond. Only the roar of the falls reminds you all the water is inching towards the edge. The far side of the river is state pine forest, on the aboriginal side, there is a variety of vegetation spilling over the banks. Lizards, Birds and Turtles visibly inhabit the area but platypus remain elusive. A Githabul elder told me when platypus move you can hear a double splash. This is useful to know as water dragons and turtles frequently plunk into the water at any perceived danger and kingfishers take random stabs at the river too. These azure kingfishers are a good sign as they follow platypus to feed off prey which is disturbed during their rummaging. A wild platypus photograph may still be possible.

This morning I had a lovely drive from the New England region of New South Wales to the Darling Downs region of Queensland. Both are aptly named as the green rolling hills are reminiscent of the UK. Only the occasional white bark of gum trees reminds you it is Australia.

I am resupplying in Warick for three days in preparation for two more weeks in another patch of Gondwana forest at the Main Range National Park.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Rednecked Pademelon

Jason Benz — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 08:46:46 +0000

This is a Red-necked Pademelon in the Lamington National Park in Queensland, Australia. They are smaller than Kangaroos and Wallabies but have the same body shape. This one was particularly tame, only the sound of an old diesel engine struggling up the hill made it raise its head from the task of keeping the campsite lawn mowed. The mountain park is surrounded by Gondwanan rainforest and is even cooler than Canungra. It is the first time on this trip it has dipped below 27C so it is time to rug up.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Protesters Falls

Jason Benz — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 22:54:35 +0000

This is Protesters Falls in New South Wales. It is an enchanting pocket of ancient Gondwanan rainforest. Through a fluke of tectonics, these world heritage sites preserve species which existed when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The waterfalls were named after the first successful anti-logging action in 1979. The area is still the centre of counter-culture in Australia and is home to some of the most colourful people, places and festivals.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Estrildid Finch

Jason Benz — Sat, 21 Oct 2017 08:46:55 +0000

This bird is a Red-browed Firetail which is a type of Estrildid Finch. I photographed it this afternoon at Lamington National Park in Queensland, Australia. It is close to New South Wales but there is no road crossing the border. The only way in is a long winding dead-end track which climbs into the heart of the Green Mountain Gondwanan forest.

Big Tree

Jason Benz — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 09:19:38 +0000

I think this is a Fig Tree or maybe a Springbrook Leatherwood as it was photographed in the temperate rainforest crossing Queensland and New South Wales in Australia. If you have a better idea please leave a comment.

This is 1 of 111 Stock Photos approved by Shutterstock since March, compared to only 16 in 2016.

Cedar Getters

Jason Benz — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 22:00:41 +0000

This engraving was carved into the rock by ‘cedar-getters‘ in 1886. Australian red cedar trees were so valuable that they kick-started a timber industry, in what is now the Border Ranges National Park in New South Wales.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Brushbox Falls

Jason Benz — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 13:42:23 +0000

This is Brushbox Falls hidden away in a remote corner of the Border Ranges National Park. The Gondwana Rainforests between Queensland and New South Wales are World Heritage Listed. Although it is only a few hours drive from the Gold Coast it is like stepping back in time. Few places in the world contain so much flora and fauna that remain relatively unchanged from their ancestors in the fossil record. The Brush Box Tree, after which the waterfall was named, is native to Australia and is used as a street tree in cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Perth because it is rugged and creates lots of shade.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Springbrook Leatherwood

Jason Benz — Sat, 15 Aug 2015 00:14:47 +0000

These are the roots of an endangered species of tree known as a Springbrook Leatherwood. It is found in a single river catchment in the temperate rainforest crossing Queensland and New South Wales in Australia.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Pied Currawong

Jason Benz — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 13:08:51 +0000

This is a Pied Currawong in the Springbrook national park on the Queensland New South Wales border. The bird is native to Australia and has been found as far south as Victoria. It is an omnivore which can feed on the wing but prefers to find its food in trees and gardens.