Hiking Patterson’s Gorge at the headwaters of Black River was an ecological experience our small group of adventurers that tackled this beauty won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
At the southern most extremities of the Paluma Range National Park, this Gorge is bustling with life – abundant flora and fauna visible around every corner! Hiking into the gorge takes some time, but it is certainly worth the adventure.
Fish Pool and Palm Pool are notable points of interest as we hiked our way to around 300 metres elevation on our first exploratory hike in this area. To hike the entire gorge would bring us to an elevation of over 700 metres. The lower sections of the gorge where the Black River is wide, rocky and sparsely vegetated, are brimming with aquatic and bird life.
The upper section of the gorge turns into a typical rainforest creekline, with impressive boulder formations and numerous adjacent seasonal streams and watercourses, some in flow, clearly visible.
Debris from previous flood events is evident in the upper sections of the gorge, however these obstacles are easily navigated around, or under!
Brown Snakes, Red Bellied Blacks and Pythons were a plenty, and the shallow pools are filled with what appear to be Jungle Perch and numerous other fish species. I’ll be looking forward to hiking this area again with someone who has knowledge of the different flora and fauna, which is in many cases, different to what we usually see on our travels.
Keep an eye out for “Part 2” – our next planned adventure in the vicinity of Patterson’s Gorge which is coming up in the near future! We’re looking forward to visiting this hidden gem again soon!
