Ancient Sanctuary, Victoria, Australia

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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.