Mount Hypipamee National Park is located south east of the small township of Herberton.

The National Park is named after a huge crater, that was first discovered in 1879. An exploration party almost fell in to this deep hole in the ground. Mount Hypipamee Crater is 62 meters in diameter and 82 meters deep. The name Hypipamee is a corruption of the Aboriginal word, nabbanabbamee, which is connected with a legend of two young men who cut down a sacred candlenut tree, only to be swallowed up by a large hole in the earth, the crater. As interesting as the crater was, photo opportunities are limited and there was more to discover.

An alternative hiking trail follows the Upper Barron River upstream back to the carpark. Along this waterway are countless cascades and chutes in various sizes and shapes. Dinner Falls are the best known waterfalls within this National Park.

The river divides in three almost equal shares before the drop off.

The water cascades roughly 8 meters into a vast pool of water.

Nicely seen are the reflections of the waterfall on this waterhole.

On yet another sunny day, the surrounding forest shone brightly in green colours under a blue sky.

The mabi tree forest surrounds the waterfall where it can.

This pocket appears to be to dry for ferns and moss to grow. 

Not much further upstream is the next photogenic highlight.

The river flows through a narrow bottleneck on a knifes edge.

The water sprays over the even triangular rock formation like a curtain. I haven’t seen a waterfall like this before, which makes it even more spectacular.

The Barron River is Atherton Tablelands’ wildest and most destructive river. It starts its journey here at Mount Hypipamee National Park and winds its way through the highlands before it drops off the escarpment just north of Cairns.

Even though the creek isn’t flowing in full strength at the time of my visit, the washed-out rocks flanking the stream are smoothly polished.

Only gigantic boulders withhold the sheer force of flash floods. 

A short stroll further upstream, the Upper Barron River widens considerably. This is part of the Barron River Catchment.

Large granite rocks divert the stream over smaller cascades.

Originally from volcanic activity, the iron content of these boulders shine brightly in the sun.

Rapids form underneath the cascades which puts the slow shutter in to action. Seemingly water curtains appear all around the stream, which look fabulous on the picture frame.

Algae shimmers through the glass-clear waters, which compliments moss and ferns holding on to slippery rocks.

These are the small details, that make the big difference in any photo. I just like to spend some time in places like these.

Sitting in this forest of green ferns, trees and moss along a diverse natural waterfall display is just eye candy.

The constant cascading sound mixed in with chirping bird songs near and far gives me an incredible sense of solidarity and peace of mind.