Dean M. Chriss
Photography
Ancient Sanctuary, Victoria, Australia
(Click image to enlarge)
The hard granite here is known to weather very slowly, yet it is
heavily weathered. The crystal clear water carries almost no abrasive
material but has cut an unusually deep slot into the same granite and
polished some surfaces to a smooth finish. Higher up the weathered granite wears
burnt colors, is clad in slow growing lichens and decorated with mosses and ferns.
All of this is
walled in on three sides by the water carved canyon, creating an inescapable
feeling that this place has been isolated for an eternity.
The shelter of this canyon and deep plunge pools have certainly been a wildlife
sanctuary for millennia. As our climate becomes increasingly hostile places
like this become increasingly more important for the survival of native
species.