where the wild ranges rise

摘要

CAUGHT BY THE SUN'S last rays, a wedge-tailed eagle glides high above a valley, its mighty wings glowing a deep chestnut brown. It's tracking east to a long escarpment. This, too, is bathed in the evening light, its cliffs forming a rim of rust-coloured ochre. This is the view from the south-west edge of Expedition National Park, smack in the middle of Queensland's sandstone heartland. Bands of rock stretch into the distant, dusty haze, while below them, evening shadows spill across the farms and woodland of Arcadia Valley. From here, it's a 200 km flight east and west to see the entire region. Imagine the view from eagle height: range upon range ablaze in the setting sun. Imagine soaring over the gorges and forest ravines, the snaking creeks and lofty plateaus, every horizon etched in stone.