North Queensland Wildscapes Phototours with Paul Curtis

Name: North Queensland Wildscapes Phototours with Paul Curtis
Address: 8 Kauri Close, Kuranda, QLD, 4881, AU
Telephone: +61408835160

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North Queensland Wildscapes Phototours with Paul Curtis

Photographic adventures in North Queensland Australia. Book a variety of custom tours. Maximum number is 4 adults so each trip is flexible to suit your needs.

Join me in a tour around some of the less visited but extremely photogenic sites around the tropical north. Tours are varied to suit the customer and the prevailing weather and conditions, but foremost is the goal of finding some remarkable sites and returning with wonderful pictures. Tours can be half day, full day or one or more nights away to capture the golden hours of dusk and dawn. I’m there to provide a window into the true north Queensland and to assist you where I can to get the best out of the opportunity. I cater for the experienced enthusiast/professional or if you are new to outdoors photography I’d like to help you get the best out of your camera and the wonderful subjects presented. No rushing from place to place and packing up unless you are satisfied. Costs are all inclusive except where indicated on my website. I can collect you from anywhere in Cairns to the northern beaches (up to Palm Cove) and departure times depend a bit on your location—but generally around 8.00am. I don’t have a schedule in that certain places are visited on certain days. You let me know what sounds appealing and when you are available. If you are travelling singly I can establish a “schedule” around your availability (time permitting) and see if others are interested on the day to bring the price down. Otherwise the half or full day fee will have to apply. (see the prices page on my website). All these tours are designed to be only mildly strenuous so you don’t need to feel limited in what photo equipment you bring. For the more adventurous and fit I have some spectacular walks into remote country that can be customized to your time, fitness and photographic objectives. Overnight tours can be arranged and require a degree of self-sufficiency and preparedness to “rough it” a bit, however, all meals and equipment can be provided—just remember your camera(s), batteries and cards! Oh, and a tripod if you have one. I look forward to meeting you on a tour and talking cameras and experiences.

12/09/2026

Our book -"A Heritage of Trees" is again available after our first print run sold out. A celebration of some of north Queensland's most intriguing individual trees it's the result of 20 years walking, crawling and climbing around some ridiculously remote places, often over multiple trips, to capture these specimens in all their glory. Singer/songwriter John Williamson got involved early in the piece and very nicely wrote a forward for us. They are available from a number of retailers around the north such as the Botanic Gardens Info Centre, the Kuranda Info Centre, Tableland Books, Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas, Cairns Books and (maybe QBD if you go and ask them about it!). Also Gallery 29 in Chillagoe. They are also available directly from me at https://www.nqwildscapes.com/books/ . Even though mailing costs have gone up we have kept the price incl postage the same at $44. Available in shops for $39.95. It would be great if you could share this around. We hope to one day get our money back. Thanks

08/09/2026

Photoyarn 153
Chillagoe re-visited
I realised that it’s been 4 years since I have been to Chillagoe – one of the best locations in the north to dabble in some photography. I had a book delivery to do so I thought I’d make an overnighter of it. I went with mate Tom who enjoys the dusty, western countryside – the streams and rocky landscapes. We tried a couple of previous destinations to find locked gates – a common occurrence these days. So after enjoying a nice cuppa at Chillagoe Gallery 29 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063829772334 # we headed further west to the Walsh River crossing. The water level was low but trees were flowering and the birdlife in the morning was amazing. Tom is always good at finding subjects for me and he chanced upon a young freshwater crocodile that insisted on posing for ages in the setting afternoon sun.

30/08/2026

Photoyarn 151
Mt Lewis 70th
Well last week I had a birthday ending in a zero. If you are lucky you might get 9 birthdays on these auspicious years and as they carry on you start to get a bit precious about them so I try and make them memorable. Not there yet but it’s always great to have family get-togethers but lately I have been trying also to get away somewhere interesting to make the moment even more memorable. So a couple of mates and I hatched a plan to do something that seemed obvious but I couldn’t find anyone who had done it. Mt Lewis is a broad area of high altitude rainforest that is characterised by a beautiful drive along high ridgelines within amazing scenery. But what about Mt Lewis itself? After about at least 30 trips to the area I have never stood on top of Mt Lewis. Can’t be too hard- only a couple of hundred metres altitude gain – but no tracks. So the morning after my little wilderness “birthday party” we set off early up a long, steady ridge. It was the sort of walk I liked – slow, steady and scenic forest. We came across 2 active Golden Bower Bird stages and at only a couple of hundred metres apart a bit unusual. The summit was a little underwhelming with no big avatar trees or views but an achievement anyway. We decided to take “shortcut” down but the less said about that the better.

28/08/2026

Photoyarn 152
New wilderness transport options
Recently we purchased a couple of e-bikes to get us around. I bought Di a hi-tech, low weight commuter-style bike and optioned it up with off-road tyres and I bought myself something a bit more heavy duty – and heavy. I am planning that my bike will take me far and wide over the next few years. The idea is that it will help cover the longer accesses to good areas. I needed to try this idea out to make sure it could tackle the rough trails where cars can’t – or aren’t allowed to go. A logical destination for this is the Mt Edith Road in Danbulla Nat Park on the Atherton Tablelands. This is one of the most scenic 4wd journeys in Nth Qld and it has been “temporarily” closed for about 3 years. I drove to where 3 big concrete blocks remind you that the road is closed. After wheeling the bike around the blocks I felt I had a chunk of wilderness to myself. It’s a moderately rough road in parts with continuous hills and not much flat going. My destination was a nice lookout about 12km along the road. I watched a smokey sunset before returning and only used about 20% of my battery over the 25km. Oh, and for the section of the road travelled I couldn’t find any reason for the closure. Must be further along!

05/07/2026

Photoyarn 150
Backwaters
One of my too many photographic goals and challenges is to find new and rarely photographed scenic places in north Qld. Snooping around on google earth and reviewing hidden details in drone images sometimes turns up intriguing locations. One destination that can almost guarantee satisfying my criteria is Koomboolomba Dam at the headwaters of the Tully River. I have had many trips to the area and over the decades have been astounded by how few people visit the area. With hundreds of kilometres of coastline to explore you can head up one of the many rainforested inlets and immerse yourself in wilderness – and quite likely find places that people have never gone with serious photographic intent. And so the other day I find myself exploring one of the more interesting little flooded valleys with a possible pleasant surprise at the end. Niblet Creek had what looked like a small waterfall or cascade falling in to the head of the inlet and so with the dam 95% full we were able to paddle right up to the whitewater. The reality wasn’t quite what I’d hoped for but that feeling of remoteness was undeniable. There is nothing that gives me a greater buzz than pointing my lens at an un-photographed scene, even though it may not be spectacular. We paddled for about 6 km to get to this point and saw one small boat in the distance. A couple of tips if you plan a Koombooloomba canoe adventure – bring a gps and preferably a non-inflatable kayak.

22/06/2026

Photoyarn 149
The Slabtastic Hann Tableland
One of the regions many “tablelands” hides away in plain sight. Way back in Photoyarn 81 I talked about the “Land of Tables” but at that time I had little knowledge of the Hann Tableland. It’s one of those national parks that that gets little space on official websites which made it more intriguing to me – just like the fabled Bulleringa National Park (dare you to try find info about that place). Queensland is chock full of national parks that no-one wants you to know about. Anyway, public access is one of those things that gets thrown in the “too hard” basket on gazettal of new NPs but I guess there are other priorities. So with some research, phone calls and map study I found my way into the Hann a number of times last year. Impressive is a word that comes to mind. Hoop Pine gorges and massive rock slabs abound. As befitting 60Gb of images I struggle as usual to present a small number of images that sum up this place. It really is slabulous!.

20/06/2026

Just got back from 3 weeks of photography and wanderlust kicked in again. So it was 3 days away out around the Einasleigh River while there was still some good water around. It really is epic scenery out that way. A brief taste. More to come.

15/06/2026

Photoyarn 148
Bucket List kicked over again
For those following my Insta and other facebook accounts you will know that for the last 3 weeks I have been wandering around a bunch of national parks in northern New South Wales and south-east Qld. All up we visited 17 different locations and spent varying amount of quality time checking out the iconic scenes. Amidst the diverse locations were a couple of long standing bucket list items. These have been on my list since the late 1970s so I have been patient – or just lacking time and resources. First location was Robinson Gorge in the sandstone belt not far from Carnarvon Gorge. It’s a bit in the middle of nowhere about 100 km of dirt road and 4wd tracks from anywhere. It’s absolutely amazing from the air – a bit harder work on the ground. Second bucket location was an area I loosely refer to as the Peak Range between Clermont and just north of Nebo. Why was I attracted? Check out the names of these places – Wolfang Peak, The Gemini Mts, Lord’s Table Mountain, Sydney Heads, Fletcher’s Awl and the Marling Spikes. Just the names get me salivating. While some of them are on private properties and unscaleable I can visualize some photographic potential. We got some good weather at Robinson and an idyllic campground however The Marling Spikes and nearby Mt Britton presented us with heavy cloud and drizzle. Nevertheless we found a nearby road and I sent the drone up in dodgy conditions. However the clouds briefly parted for me and allowed me a few shots just to tempt me back again sometime. Here are a few scenes with more to come down the track.

04/05/2026

Photoyarn 147
Ellis and Cairns Northern Beaches
Locals and visitors to Cairns in north Queensland have a playground of sand and seas at their feet in the beaches north of Cairns. In contrast to the mudflats fronting Cairns itself golden beaches swaying palms dot the beaches and bays between the Cook Highway and the Coral Sea. If ever you are in need of a photographic fix or just a plain chill on a quiet beach here are a few random examples of scenery taken over recent months and years.

08/04/2026

Photoyarn 146
The Wild River Cascades
I have written about the Wild River in north Queensland before. Just the name must invoke a degree of curiosity. I heard about the Wild River Gorge decades ago when I was living in Brisbane when it was a national park proposal and even when I moved north it still took me years to find my way in there. So, it’s only been in the last few years that I have had a chance to explore the area and find some scenic treasures tucked away off the beaten path. The area subject to this trip is what I call the lower cascades. It’s a bit of a rough drive and a bit of off-track walking but the remoteness is what makes it even more special. The area is moderately protected under state forest and even from the drone the distant landscapes seem wild and wonderful. I walked in and spent a night in a place I scouted out a few years ago. It was October so water levels weren’t high but that just means I’ll have to return when the cascades are thundering. Now sounds like a good time!

Address

8 Kauri Close
Kuranda, QLD
4881

Telephone

+61408835160

Website

http://www.nqwildscapes.com/

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