The Majestic Minyan Falls.

The majestic and magnificent Minyon Falls are situated in New South Wales, Australia. I was fortunate enough to visit these remarkable Falls recently and was captivated by their power, beauty and presence. They are a plunge waterfall on the Repentance Creek in the northern region. The Minyon Valley is a sub-tropical rainforest area which features a wide variety of palm trees, birds nest and staghorn ferns and the top of the falls feature tallowwood, blackbutt and flooded gum trees.

This waterfall drops more than 100 metres (300ft) over the massive Rhyolite cliffs which formed as part of the Tweed Volcano. The waterfalls were created after constant flows of water eroded underlying basalt. There are many scenic walking tracks from the top of the falls which makes this place a popular tourist attraction. The day my husband and I visited these magnificent Falls was extremely humid and as the air conditioning was not working in our car it was such a relief to travel up through tree lined roads which provided shade and a little respite from the heat. Once we entered the clearing we followed a beautiful path towards the sound of rushing water.

Before we started walking the track, I admired the well kept area where we had parked our car with convenient picnic tables and barbeques available. I learned alter on that the national Parks and Wildlife Service maintain these facilities due to frequent visitors. Fast flowing water travelled over and around moss covered stones at the top of the falls and I absorbed the beauty of nature and felt tremendously privileged to be here.

As I neared the lookout I knew I'd have to draw on reserves deep within me in order to make the most of this great photographic opportunity.

I am not a fan of heights and the closer I got to the platform, the more I realised this was going to be quite a challenge. But I am a determined soul and I saw that the railing was solid and firm so I pushed my fears aside, made sure that my camera strap was secure around my neck and I edged closer towards the best vantage point.

With each photo I got a little braver, although my heart was pumping madly in my chest due to my fear of heights but also because of the adrenaline rush of viewing this enormous amount of water hurtling towards and the edge of the wide, rocky cliffs. These great volumes of water plunged down from such a great height with a ferocious force all the way to the to the bottom.

It was exciting both to see and hear this theatrical display of nature. I felt the misty spray fall against my cheeks and I welcomed its cool caress. My nerves were both stimulated and soothed and I was in no hurry to leave this place.

I looked over to my right and was awed by the sight of a mass of trees and vines clinging with vibrant tenacity to the beautifully textured wall of rock.

And then I edged even closer and aimed my camera to the floor of the rainforest below. People are able to explore the bottom of the falls and trek through the sub-tropical walking tracks which involve steep hills and a certain amount of scrambling over wet rocks at the base of the falls.

One of the longer walking trails is 4.5 kilometres long going from the top of the falls across a ridge near Quandong Falls and through to the valley at the bottom of the Minyan Falls. Another few kilometres further along walkers follow a loop which leads back to the road and towards the car park once more.

Repentance Creek which used to be called Boggy Creek is the water that feeds the falls. Most of the time there is plenty of water flowing but the amount varies. The waterfall can dry up during the drier seasons which makes the plunge pool at the base un-swimmable.

We had a two hour trek back to the Gold Coast via the Pacific Highway ahead of us and after staying as long as we could, we reluctantly dragged ourselves away towards our car. On the way back I spotted a hollow log surrounded by vegetation and I wondered which of the many native animals who live in this vicinity make their home within the protection this cosy log.

If visitors are fortunate they may observe some of the wildlife that live in the area such as, goannas, kookaburras, bandicoots, tawny frogmouth and stony creek frogs, whip birds, yellow tailed black cockatoos, carpet python and green tree snakes. Sometimes koalas, lyrebirds and pademelons are sighted.

The last few miles leading to the Falls are unsealed but thankfully there are many local tour companies who offer regular trips to the Minyan Falls. Towns that are situated nearby are Byron Bay, Ballina and Lismore so if you are ever in the area, I thoroughly recommend you treat yourself to a visit of the majestic Minyan Falls.

Information Source: www.en.wikipedia.org