Early Morning Bushwalk – Barrington

Early Morning Bushwalk – Barrington

Original Oil painting 40cm x 30cm on Canvas Board by John Bradley

It’s very early morning in the Barrington state forest and the sun has just risen, piercing the most distant groups of foliage, suffusing them with a soft golden glow. The rays of light from the sun are fanning out towards the viewer, silhouetting and highlighting the two bushwalkers with their dog. The colours and contrasts are necessarily a little stronger than usual and I’ve attempted to treat the foreground and middle distance somewhat more loosely than I would usually, to enhance the stronger contrasts and colours of the early morning light.

Barrington is a small village on the Barrington River some 5 kilometres northwest of Gloucester NSW. The small town is considered a main gateway to the Barrington tops National Park. Its population is only 361. Until 2016 it was the main tourist attraction in the Gloucester Shire. The town is also home to a range of heritage structures including the historic Barrington River bridge, Barrington River Cottage and pioneer cemetery.

Tasmanian devils have been reintroduced by Aussie Arc to enclosures near Barrington Tops in a project to save the endangered species that is at serious risk of extinction. Its 400-hectare Barrington wildlife sanctuary was officially opened in November 2021 with the aim of protecting the natural habitat by removing noxious weeds and augmentation with native plants and returning extirpated species.  The Barrington Tops, officially listed as a World Heritage Area since 1986, are a particularly beautiful section of the Great Dividing Range. Now covered by the 95,000 ha Barrington Tops National Park the “tops” lie to the west of Gloucester, east of Scone and to the north of Dungog. The “tops” are home to more than 50 species of mammals, 278 bird species, 42 reptile species and 18 frog species. Given their elevation the “tops” can experience dramatic changes in the weather with a sunny day turning to snowstorms within hours. The area is part of an ancient volcano and is characterised by pockets of subtropical rainforest, sub-alpine wetlands, snow gum woodlands and it is home to the unique Antarctic beech rainforest. The topography ranges from steep ridges which rise 1500 metres to intimate valleys and waterfalls.