Ferntree Gully National Park

Yes, that's right. A national park, smack in the middle of suburban Melbourne. My first visit there was something of a disappointment. Sure there were a lot of tree ferns and plenty of native forest, but much of it was infested with weeds. This was a national park, and as such, there had to be something special in it. Undaunted, I returned, determined to find out why it given the protection of a national park. My exploring became a little more adventurous and eventually I found it. One of the best fern gullies in the state of Victoria.

Well off the beaten track was a wonderful, dark world of tall tree ferns, moss covered rocks and small streams. As I followed a small stream up the gully I found, almost buried, some moss covered steps from an old path. The new path now goes around the top of the gully, hiding this wondrous place from the public's view, but at the same time, protecting it.

I have been there several times since, and even met a couple having a picnic down there. They had obviously been here before and came prepared with a waterproof rug. While it's a very beautiful place, it's also very wet. The photograph above still holds the record for the longest (correct) exposure I have taken during normal daylight hours (5 minutes, f22). Luckily the forest is so dense that very little wind penetrates through to the forest floor.