Some of the mountain refuges where rainforest plants retreated seeking coolness and moisture as Australia gradually dried some 40–50 mya were tropical, like the Bellenden Ker Range near Cairns. We climbed Mount Bartle Frere and admired the luxuriant foliage which spread even over the peak itself, amongst rugged boulder fields. Other mountain refuges we explored in southern and western parts of the continent included alpine mountains of Victoria and New South Wales, and the Stirling Range of South-West Western Australia, where we climbed peaks on several occasions. Four paintings from the Stirlings are included in this section.