In search of a rainbow
3rd May 2026
Stopping for a break up the hillside to Rainbow Falls
When I go bush I try to work the weekends so I can head off late Sunday or Monday after everyone else is heading home. With last weekend being a long weekend I knew everywhere I wanted to go there was a high chance of people being about.
With a desire to spend some time alone in the bush after a morning of work, I decided to visit a local spot in Barron Gorge where I was sure to have it all to myself, Rainbow Falls.
The road is still closed, only way in is to walk.
Another reason I knew there would be very few people in Barron Gorge was because the road is still closed. Most people are too lazy to walk the 2-3 kilometres in.
Hard to believe that after Cyclone Jasper the water was up to the road.
It must be over 2 years now since the floods that followed Cyclone Jasper and they are just now starting work on repairing the road, much of which was washed away by a raging Barron River.
Much of the rainforest looked like this as I made my way up the hillside!
Mother nature is also keeping all but the keenest out of the rainforest at the moment. With all the rain we have had there is deadfall everywhere. That deadfall is in various stages of decomposing and often what looks like a solid fallen tree to put your foot on is rotting from the inside. It swallows your foot as you tread on it or worse still breaks and you fall.
Arriving at Rainbow Falls under a bit of cloud cover.
I have been to Rainbow Falls so many times now over what has turned into decades. I am getting old! On this day when I arrived it was a bit cloudy. I needed clear skies for Rainbow Falls to live up to it’s name.
The clouds parting and the sun shining through….show time.
About 2-3 pm if the sky is clear and the water running strong enough over the falls to create mist, rainbows are created over the small pool at the waterfalls base. After a short wait on this day I got sunshine and a show.
These photos above are from previous visits to the falls. On this day I did not photograph the rainbows as I have done so many times before and just wanted to enjoy the sight. It is a magical spot.
Making my way back down the hillside.
As I write this blog post my legs are a little bit sore. I need to spend more time climbing in the rainforest…I am out of shape. it takes me about 40 minutes to climb from the base of the hill side to the falls near the top.
Those noisy rafting tours.
The only public vehicles allowed on the road at the moment are the rafting companies that float tourists down Barron River in inflatable rubber rafts. On the way out the tour bus was parked above the track to the Rooster’s Tail where they take photos of the tourists as they scream their way down the river.
My friend Petr about to drop into the Rooster’s Tail. November 2022.
I sat for a minute looking down on the river and thought of my late friend Petr who I had spent countless hours watching paddle down Barron Gorge. For many years I think it would be safe to say that the two us were the most frequent visitors to Barron Gorge.
Sadly Petr died 2 months after I took those photos from injuries he sustained whilst paddling Behana Gorge. After his death Barron Gorge has never been the same to me.
Blog post: Petr's last trip down Barron
Recovering my mirrors and gloves from under the bike seat.
On this outing I discovered that there is enough room under my seat to securely store my gloves and bike mirrors (they are foldable and easy removed/stolen) . It was now time to head to the office for a little bit of work after a wonderful walk in the rainforest…..I should start doing this again more often.