The Crater Lakes

Hi Everyone, I thought I would do a small post about the Crater Lakes that I think you will all like. Not to mention the fact that the blog takes up a fair amount of time when I am uploading the photos, so I decided do this quick one. 

Jacaranda Tree in Yungaburra - these beautiful trees are plentiful in the Tablelands

Amazing Crater Lakes! We went for a short drive into the Crater Lakes National Park to visit Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine. These stunning crater lakes are hidden in the World Heritage Rainforest and were created by underground lakes being disrupted by volcanic activity which occurred several times. Each time the volcanoes erupted, the water heated up, the craters became bigger and once the final eruptions had settled, craters were left behind that filled once again with underground water. The water in each lake is a pristine blue and quite clear. 

Lake Eacham is very popular for swimming and has a 3 km circuit perimeter with a walkway all the way around interspersed with BBQ's, picnic tables, and a Saw-shell Turtle Lookout, which we were lucky enough to see! I just love these cute creatures! These turtles have the unique ability to breathe through their bottoms! There are stairs leading into the water plus a swimming dock you can dive off. It's a very popular recreation spot for locals and visitors.

Lake Barrine has a 5 km circuit perimeter which entails walking along part dirt and part boardwalk. We were stunned at the incredible height and extremely wide girth of the Rainforest Giants, the Twin Kauri Pines. Their 45 metre height meant I couldn't manage to step far back enough to capture them in full. They are believed to be over 1000 years old. There is also a delightful Teahouse overlooking the lake serving scrumptious goodies. 

The gardens are stunning and full of colour. I had a lovely time walking around admiring it and taking lots of photos! There are so many times I keep thinking about you Lorraine, and just how much you would love all the gardens we see!! You and I would spend hours just soaking it all up! 

For $20 per adult you can take a river boat cruise around the lake and hopefully be lucky enough to see the amazing wildlife up close. Not that we would particularly want to see some of them up close! Poor Mark got such a fright; he was walking along the path, looking out to the lake, when he looked down and a huge black snake was lying across the path! Ugh!

Each lake has an abundance of wildlife, including the Saw-shelled Turtles, Eastern Water Dragons, Amethystine Pythons and pretty birdlife. It's nice just to stand and listen to the birds chirping and flitting about in the trees, it sounds like listening to a CD of relaxation music. 

We really enjoyed the beauty of these Lakes and spent quite a bit of time at each one, especially Lake Barrine as I kind of managed to wander off by myself while admiring the gardens, and Mark had no idea where I'd gotten to. That's me though, give me a garden and I  lose myself in nature!!

Gorgeous gardens leading down to Lake Barrine & The Teahouse

The Lake Barrine Teahouse  looks out over the lake

Giant Kauri Pines - an 80 metre walk from the Teahouse

Lake Eacham

There are many more of these Crater Lakes dispersed around the area, however they are much smaller than these two. Hope you enjoyed this little post of the Crater Lakes!

Love Mark, Lil

&

Millie

xox

 Happiness flutters in the air whilst we rest among the breaths of nature

  ~  Kelly Sheaffer ~