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The damp and misty subtropical rainforests in the foothills of the peaks.

Looking towards Barrington Tops across the Hunter Valley. The plateau would once have been flat-topped, but millions of years of erosion have left it rugged.

Water runs too fast down the steeper slopes of the tops to sustain any forests other than dry eucalyptus.

The Antarctic Beech tree is very common in the Barrington Tops, providing thick a canopy over the forest floor.

Barrington Tops is home to one of the largest temperate forests in Australia, such as this.

The largest fig tree in Australia grows in Barrington Tops. Reaching 50 metres high with a root circumference of 40m, it is an impressive sight.

The rugged landscape of Barrington Tops has been eroded and weathered into this shape over millions of years.

The rugged subalpine forests cling to the steep peak sides of the Barrington Tops.

The peaks and valleys of the Barrington Tops have been worn down by water and wind from a level plateau to undulating hills.

Subtropical rainforests thrive further down the hills, where the air is warmer and wetter.

Snow covers the highest peaks of Barrington Tops. Runoff from the snow melt joins the Manning River, one of the few rivers in Australia to be fed by meltwater.

The shape of Barrington Tops plateau is still visible, but valleys have been cut through turning the plateau into a series of ridges and peaks.

A view over Barrington Tops from Barrington Lookout. The subalpine forests on the peaks are densely packed.

The morning mist settles over the Polblue Swamp, the largest wetland area in Barrington Tops.

The Polblue Swamp in Barrington Tops is full of sphagnum moss, which soaks up the water and gradually lets it flow out into the rivers, keeping their water supply constant all year round.

The stepped rocks of Barrington Tops, still being eroded by the water that cut into the volcanic plateau.

Several of the waterways in Barrington Tops are labelled Wild Rivers for their exceptional purity and beauty.

The clear waters of Barrington Tops are fed by the snow melt and swamps.

Sphagnum moss swells to 20 times its own weight, holding the water in the swamp all year round.

The rivers of Barrington Tops have carved deep grooves in the plateau, wearing the granite rocks to boulders.

Sphagnum moss is essential to the water system in Barrington Tops as it filters the water, keeping the rivers unpolluted and clean.

Many of the rivers and creeks that flow through Barrington Tops feed into the Manning River, one of the largest rivers in New South Wales.

Though conditions look cramped and dangerous, Thunderbolt's hide served him well over seven years, allowing him to avoid capture.

Trails through the forest would have been worn down from years of Aboriginal footsteps following the same path. Thunderbolt's wife knew these trails, too.

This photograph was taken of Frederick Ward, aka Captain Thunderbolt, after his death.

Thunderbolt hid in caves to avoid detection. It is said that his wife, Mary Ann Bugg, was found to have died of tuberculosis in one of Thunderbolt's hide caves.

Mary Ann Bugg would have shown Captain Thunderbolt the ancient Aboriginal trails through the forest, taught to her by her mother.

A statue of Captain Thunderbolt near the place of his death in Uralla, NSW.

Thunderbolt would have hidden in these small caves to sleep and ambush passers by to rob them.

Captain Thunderbolt relied on his wife's knowledge of the forests to remain uncaptured for seven years.

Known as Thunderbolt's Rocks, this large rock cluster was used by Thunderbolt as a vantage point for robbing passing mail coaches.