Natural Bridge is an arch of basalt that spans Cave Creek, in SE Queensland, Australia.
Water pouring down the creek bed over millions of years has eroded and worn through a thin layer of basalt so it now cascades through an opening in the roof of the cave leaving a natural arch bridge spanning the creek.
Natural Bridge (some call it Natural Arch) is located in SE Queensland. Just an hour and a half by road south of Brisbane, its situated only 4kms north of the NSW – Queensland border.
The short walk to Cave Creek goes through a small pocket of rainforest starting at a stunning strangler fig tree that holds many memories for locals who have come to see the glow worms in the cave at night and have started the trek by shinning their torches through the void left from the host tree.
This is the infamous strangler fig ~ It really is a superb example
Strangler figs start as an epiphyte, meaning a seed is in most cases bird deposited in a crevice high in a host tree. From here, the roots grow downwards to reach the soil, while the top grows up to reach the light above the dense rainforest canopy.
As the strangler fig roots grow down, and over time thicken, they envelop and totally engulf the host tree with a lattice of roots ~ When the host tree dies and rots away, the columnar hollow structure of the strangler is left with a central void core, as in the case of this tree.
I first featured Natural Bridge as a subject in my Photo Friday series.
Then when Michela of @rockytravel came over to Australia from Italy for a 3 month trip and I got to meet her face to face for the first time I took her to Natural Arch to show her a greener lusher impression of Australia. The photo above shows the water cascading through the cave ceiling and then flowing on down stream under the arch.
From above, one can see the hole where the rock has been eroded and the water pours down into the cave
Such a gorgeous spot so close to Brisbane -
Have you been there?
When, and what memories does it hold for you?
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