Look But Don't Touch

Look But Don't Touch

In terms of scenic beauty, I quietly smile at all the tourist buses from Sydney piling into Katoomba every day so the masses can look at a rock formation otherwise known as the Three Sisters. Herd them and fence them, put them back on the bus. It’s a cool way on ensuring the fragile Blue Mountains environment is carefully nurtured. Just down the road is where the real gems are – the Valley of the Waters with its multitude of falls, and the massively impressive Wentworth Falls. But the masses don’t usually venture that way because first you have to actually do some walking. Down.

This is the mid-point of Wentworth Falls. It is reached by a series of really steep steps which were carved into the sandstone cliff in days gone past. These days such an approach to access doesn’t happen. These days, sandstone blocks are now airlifted in by helicopter and carefully positioned.

I am certain that there are deliberate limits to accessability, to passively discourage the hordes. From this point if you want to go further down it is a whole different story.

The thing that grabs me about this photograph is the wildness, pronounced by the wetness. It really is telling me just to stand there and not to approach any closer. It is a rugged place, and the entire length of the Wentworth Falls is strewn with boulders, dislodged by rain just like the day this photograph was taken. I still marvel at the complete absence of any railing at the top of the Falls. You can basically step off any of the carefully position sandstone blocks spanning the top and into oblivion, as can be seen from this angle.

Look But Don't Touch belongs to the following groups:

Australian Bush and Rainforest Photography, National Parks of the World, Rocks and Bones, Scenery and Waterfall Photography