Green ants and jam

Woke this morning to discover that the green ants had found a bridge to our van despite our best efforts with the spray around the wheels.  They had staged a commando drop from above, and were most put out when David washed off the jam of fallen figs, and rolled up the awning.

Today we climbed to Jourama Falls, must be astonishing in the wet, but of course no-one sees them in the wet because the creeks come up and the area is inaccessible. The walk was lovely. In this photo you can see a Krefft's turtle on a rock at lower centre of the shot.

Here it is in close up.

Below the falls there was a series of plunge pools, each fed from the one above by a little cascade. You could go from one to the next, so we did...

I have never been behind the curtain of a waterfall before, so that was a treat.  What a shoulder massage! No point carrying swimmers or a towel all that way, no-one else was swimming.  These Queenslanders, they think it's still too cold to get in the water.

Dazzling critters, huge mayflies, butterflies and dragonflies.

 The descent passes through eucalyptus forest, with a lot of these white trunked poplar gums.

We didn't want to leave but it had to be done. This is one of two fords you have to cross to get out again. The ranger tells us it can flash flood if it rains and you get trapped in.  Was it good or not good that there was no  big rain while we were there?  As I write this, at Cardwell, a bit further north, it is absolutely bucketing down, so we probably got out just in time.

At Ingham we explored the newly developed Tyto Wetlands project. Tyto after Tyto Capensis, the endemic grass owl.  We didn't see any. But it was very worthwhile for a couple of old birdos on bikes. There were Jacana walking on the lily pads on their long long toes. Saw lots of lovely birds that were impossible to photograph including some spectacular crimson finches, and these - golden headed cisticolas.

Also some non-bird wildlife, like this enormous python...

and some really lovely tropical waterlilies.

After stocking up at one of Ingham's Italian deli's, we were back on the Bruce Highway, travelling through  the area where the Great Dividing Range comes close to the sea. Tonight we are on the coast at Cardwell, tomorrow, Tully and Mission Beach.