Nature, culture and history
Natural environment
A complicated beginning
The origins of the Herbert River Gorge and Blencoe Falls are anything but humble. Several major geological events created today’s landscape.
About 50 million years ago, movement of the Earth's crust formed the edge of the continent that lies against the Coral Sea and the formation of the present landforms began. An earlier Herbert River flowed towards the west. It is not known when it reached its present east-flowing course.
Continuous erosion caused the Herbert River Falls to retreat by around 40 centimetres every 100 years. As the gorge became longer, tributaries like Blencoe Creek were left suspended. This created waterfalls, such as Blencoe Falls, which in turn eroded their own gorges.
Animals and their habitats
In the open forest, look for the elegant whiptail wallaby (Macropus parryi) and gangly emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) as they rest from the heat, and listen for laughing kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae) or screeching sulphur-crested cockatoos (Cacatua galerita). Australasian darters (Anhinga novaehollandiae) and little pied cormorants (Microcarbo melanoleucos) can be seen along the banks of the Herbert River while white-bellied sea-eagles (Haliaeetus leucogaster), brown falcons (Falco berigora) and peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) soar high above.
In the creeks and rivers, Krefft’s river turtles (Emydura macquarii krefftii) can often be seen basking on logs or peering through the surface of the water.
Plants
Blencoe Falls, Girringun National Park boasts spectacular scenery and an array of plant and animal life. Open forest dominates the escarpments and she-oaks (Allocasuarina cunninghamia) line the Herbert River. Along the gullies and upper slopes of the Herbert River Gorge, vine-thicket rainforest persists.
Standing tall and regal, hoop pines (Araucaria cunninghamii) are a distinctive feature of the landscape around Blencoe Falls. A long time ago, when the world was warmer and wetter and dinosaurs roamed our land, hoop pines were abundant. Despite dramatic changes in the climate they live on today. Sensitive to fire, they have found refuge in protected gorges and on steep slopes and rocky outcrops.
This country is rugged and one of extremes. During the dry season, the land is parched and vulnerable to fire. Grasses die back and some trees lose their leaves. Large granite outcrops add to the starkness, completing the appearance of a dying landscape. With the arrival of the wet season, the countryside is inundated with water and the plants spring back to life.
Last updated 7 June 2011