Mossman Bluff from Mossman Rock Area

The Making of Mossman Gorge & Surrounds. Australia maintained the longest contact with Gondwana and its ancient rainforests. While the majority of the world cooled and loss species diversity, Australia drifted north, kept warm and avoided large scale glaciation. The Great Dividing Range trapped rainfall from the prevailing trade winds, and gorges like this one became a haven or refuge for ancient plants and animals that exist in the area to this very day.

Small Tributary Mossman River.

In the upper gorge, tributaries of the Mossman River flow off the very steep sides of the gorge and, in this instance, run parallel down the gorge for a kilometre before joining the Mossman River. In places, anabranches also exist. These are small drainage lines that leave the main river and join it again in times of full flow.

Mountain Tea Tree - Mossman Rock

Mountain Tea Tree (Leptospermum wooroonooran), known only from the mountains north west of Mossman, the Mt Spurgeon-Mt Lewis area and the Bellenden Ker Range. Altitudinal range from 1100-1550m. Grows in windswept vegetation on high exposed ridges in areas otherwise clothed in mountain rainforest.

Secrete Waterfall - Elvin Forest

Orchid & Moss Sunset Mossman Rock

Mossman Gorge Un-named Falls.

Mossman River from the Mossman Rock area. The 1983 topography maps show Mossman Falls 500m further downstream and another 100m lower. However, this set of falls separates the steep main gorge which is directly under the Bluff's sheer rock face, then turns 90 degrees to the west to a more level upper gorge area with solid rock all the way.

Mossman River Anabranch.

Moss and lichen encrust boulders in an anabranch of the Mossman River. An anabranch is a section of a river or stream that diverts from the main channel or stem of the watercourse and rejoins the main stem downstream, usually at times of high flow.

Epiphytes Mossman Gorge

Complex tropical rainforest

Mossman Gorge 1a Vegetation Community. Complex mesophyll vine forest (on deep fertile soils).Very wet and wet lowlands and foothills mainly on basalts and alluvium.

Mossman Bluff in Cloud -Mossman Rock

Mossman Rock-Red Moss at Sunset

Epiphytes Mossman Gorge .

These branches in Mossman Gorge are dripping with mosses, ferns, tassel ferns, orchids, ant plants and vines.

'Islands in the Sky' Mossman Rock

Afternoon clouds fill Mossman Gorge directly below the feet of the resting bushwalker. The very top of Mossman Bluff can just be seen popping out of the clouds.

Small stream Upper Mossman Gorge

From this point Mossman Rock rises directly out of Mossman Gorge. As a seedling, this tree must have grown directly beside the boulder and, over time, grew around the rock.