Biotite Granite Boulder

Granites are magma that has cooled in the earth. This slow cooling allows visible mineral crystals to form in the granite, leading to a lovely variable texture made up of a variety of minerals. It is this variation within the granite that geologists use to differentiate between the granite types. Think of it as a mineral fingerprint.

Mountain Stream Detail

Ferns abound in highland rainforest at Mt Spurgeon.

Summer Storms Mt Spurgeon Area

Most of the rain in the surrounding savannah country falls between December and March. The hill in the back ground is called Mt Alto and, incredibly, its granite (Mt Alto Supersuite) has a different composition to the Mt Carbine and McLeod granite just kilometres away..

Spurgeon Falls

The granites of the area are an intrusion called the Whypalla Supersuite. 'Supersuite' because it is made up of a suite of slightly different types of granite. The Mount Carbine granite and the McLeod Granite are good examples of the slight differences that occur within the Whypalla Supersuite.

Relaxing Bushwalkers McLeod River

McLeod River

The McLeod River (upstream from this photo) drains Mt Lewis National Park. In fact, if you followed this river and its tributaries it would put you right at 'the shed' at the end of Mount Lewis Road.

McLeod River Falls

The middle plunge pool is one of the best swimming holes in this part of the wet tropics. The white polished granite takes on a blue hue. Burton Ridge can be seen in the background.

Playtpus Creek Scientific Area

This is the headwaters of Mossman River.

Bottom of McLeaod River Falls

The 'white' polished granite indicates the power, size and strength of the wet season floods.

24a Lemon scented gums Mt Spurgeon.

Medium Corymbia citriodora spp. citriodora woodland+- Eucalyptus portuensis-+ Corymbia intermedia +-Syncarpia glomulifera glomulifera+- Eucalyptus drepanophylla +-Xanthorrhoea johnsonii . Moist and dry uplands and highlands mainly on granites and rhyolites.

McLeod River Falls

This image of McLeod River Falls is taken from Burton Ridge. Just in front of the bushwalker is the large middle plunge pool of the falls. The river at this point hits a solid rock wall, turns 90 degrees and flows over the smoothed granite. The 'white' polished granite indicates the power, size and strength of the wet season floods.

Spurgeon Falls.

Taken from the top of Spurgeon Falls, Burton Ridge can be seen in the background. These granites have an age between 275 - 285 million years.

Relict Mining Equipment Mt Spurgeon

Mount Spurgeon National Park conserves old mining relics including a significant mining race and tin-miner's hut.

Burton Ridge Mt Spurgeon Area