When I started off the sky was moody. Dark clouds threatened overhead but that didn’t bother me. I always love a bit of rain. It makes everything seem so much cleaner. They cleared about lunchtime without even a drop but left a few scattered clouds around protecting me from the hot, blinding sun. This was one of those days when I go it alone. It’s amazing how much you can take in when there is only the wind in the trees and no distractions.

I went there on a mission – to seek out the elusive waratah. My journey however was filled with so many other things that I seemed to forget searching for what I came for. I encountered crazy little birds with blue eyes hiding in the scrub; wallabies appearing and disappearing; walking on what looks like a petrified tortoise shell – the rock formations are pretty extraordinary; colourful fungus and a festival of pretty little flowers; sea eagles flying high; amazing views and landscapes; aboriginal rock engravings; unusual plants; mossy carpets on rocky plateaus; long winding tracks that disappear into the bushland; and of course, long, black, slow-moving snakes – not photographed.