The town of Mosman is a short trip away

and things there move a whole lot slower.

Not far from the town is The Mosman Gorge,

a great chance to explore the rain forest,

with easy access by sealed road.

The water pipe to Port Douglas

follows the road leading deep into the Gorge

carrying the sweet waters of the rain forest.

High above the water pipe, towers the rain forest. towers

It’s an easy walk through the Gorge and very popular,

in fact its almost crowded.

The fresh waters of the creek

empty into a pool

that is cool and inviting for a swim.

There is a rope bridge that must be crossed

high above the creek currents.

High in the canopy is a world of its own,

a tangle of vines climb the trees to the top,

while the rain forest floor is teeming with the cycle of life and decay:

Moss grows on a rock;

Lichen attached to a dead tree trunk.

Many rainforest trees have buttress roots, possibly to make them more stable when the soil becomes more saturated with water.

It is hard to fathom just how old some of the trees must be.

Some of the buttress roots are extremely tortuous and in incredible shapes.

Some are intertwined into amazing three dimensional sculptures.

Water trickles down through the forest in small springs.

Though some dry beds are evidence of its potential ferocity when it rains.