Running Creek Waterfall - Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia
Well what an epic adventure this was. I only had morning available with a long time friend and photographer on the Gold coast and after a few solid days of rain decided to head up to O'Reillys for some waterfall action.
Unfortunately the rain did not let up. We woke up at dawn to the sound of pouring rain, that was our lot for the day. Determined, we grabbed our umbrellas and heading up the windy road to the national park and started our trek. It is a fair walk to get to this waterfall but started out quite easy with a nice wide cement path which was fine for umbrellas all be it a little awkward.
After a few kms of walking the track had long turned to wet leaves and narrowed quite a bit, then I made the mistake of looking down to my feet. To my horror there were what felt like hundreds of leeches all over my feet and legs. No I am no stranger to the bush, and am not concerned with the odd leech, but the sheer number is a little unnerving to say the least. Not being prepared with gators or salt it was the old 'flick' method of removal.. This works in most cases except where they have latched on for a while and got a good grip, then you really need a good scratch and or pinch. which usually results with them latching on to your hand. This is all while trying to keep your gear dry and having one hand busy holding the umbrella. After that was dealt with we continued on toward the first waterfall.... If only it were that easy. With no exaggeration I think I made it like 50 meters and had another 5 leeches already on me. This continued over and over until we finally made it to the waterfall..
Happy for a break from the paths of doom I captured this shot from some slippery rocks below the falls. It's quite a skill operating a camera, multiple lens' on a tripod in the pouring rain. Not one which I am particularly good at or really want to practice. The original plan was to continue on for another 5kms or so the the larger waterfalls in the national park, but I was happy to cut my losses and catchup over a nice lunch and some coffee...
I'm shocked you made it this far! sorry for the novel, just a very memorable experience for me at least in the life of a photographer.
