Tag:beaches
Our plan was Phillip Island & San Remo and for the weekend. Phillip Island is only around 2 hours from home, and while we had been there before, it had been a few years. So we decided to head back this easter break. We started our photography plans with a drive along The Blvd. You can walk it, but we decided to drive it. This was because there is only one place you can stop along the way with a small lookout. Parking is not allowed on the verges. It’s supposed to be one way as it’s too narrow for cars to pass each other on many parts of the road. Not that it stopped some young idiots in a convertible coming from the opposite direction. You access it by driving to the Nobbies visitor centre. From there, you take the road off to the left as you approach the carpark.
There are some fabulous views along the way. We spotted a hovering Kestral that I tried to get a shot off. However, he was too far offshore and dived before I could get a picture every time. The only time he came close was so close that I couldn’t get a shot, either. Because the long lens wouldn’t focus – he was TOO close!
We booked a lovely house in San Remo for our stay as our main photographic goal was to shoot Cadillac Canyon – and the house was only 5 mins drive from there. Cadillac Canyon is accessed from Potters Hill Road.. from the carpark at the end, it’s a short walk to the start of the stairs down to the beach, 138 steps in total but nice wide, solid wooden steps with lots of landings along the way — they need a seat at the halfway point! 😉
Panhandle Flats
Once you are on the beach, Panhandle Flats is off to the left. To the right, at the other end of the beach, is Cadillac Canyon. We first went down there looking for a sunset, and while the light was excellent, the sunset wasn’t happening. The tide also made getting out onto Panhandle a no-go. So we decided to come back again in the morning.
The weekend daylight saving had finished in Victoria, so sunrise moved from 7.09 am to 6.09 am. We were up at 5 am – coffee and out the door arriving at the beach in the dark. Even though it was still dark, a car was already in the carpark before us. It turned out to be a surf fisherman. It had been a full moon the night before. So torches weren’t needed with the moonlighting our way down the steps and across the beach to Panhandle Flats. Tide was also with us. At 6.22 am, we could get out on the flats and set up with the low tide.
The colours in the sky didn’t look that promising. But just before sunrise, the sky popped a glorious red for a few minutes. We got our shots quickly because it was very short-lived.
Once the sun was up, we moved across to Cadillac Canyon. Apart from two surf fishermen, we had the beach totally to ourselves.
Pelicans
By now, it was just after 8 am, and we were starving. So we headed back to the house for breakfast and a rest before heading into San Remo to watch the pelican feeding at the pier. The feeding is free, though they have a collection tin for donations. Feeding takes place every day at midday outside the fishing co-op.
The birds are not worried about the humans. We were roped off from the feeding area (not sure for whose protection, lol). One late pelican arrival just barged into the throng of people, pushing his way through the spectators to get to the feeding area.
Pyramid Rock
Later that afternoon, we headed to Pyramid Rock on Phillip Island. It would be a good sunset spot – and is on our list for next time. The walk to Pyramid from the carpark is an easy 800m return. It has only a slight elevation; even with tired legs from the morning’s stairs, we cruised it in.
We had a fabulous weekend at Phillip Island & San Remo and hope to go back again in the summer months.
Wilsons Promontory National Park, or ‘The Prom’, as it’s affectionately known, is the southernmost point of mainland Australia. It’s also a top-rated destination. It has stunning coastal scenery, pristine wilderness, massive granite mountains, open forests, rainforests, sweeping beaches, and abundant native wildlife. It serves to make Wilsons Prom a photographer and holiday delight.
Accom at the Prom
Accommodation ranges from camping, and caravans to huts, cabins, and lodges. The prom has become so popular in recent years that it has its own manned police station in the summer months at Tidal River. It’s a far cry from my first visit 35 yrs ago. There were no amenities for campers save for a lonely toilet block back then.
Yanakie
We stayed in Yanakie just outside ‘The Prom’ on this visit. The main reason is that the caravan park was right on Corner Inlet. So if the weather gods were kind to us, we could get sunrise right outside our cabins without leaving the park. Some of our group took that to heart and came out to shoot the sunrise in jammies, only a few feet from the cabins. Why get dressed? 🙂
The weather gods did indeed smile on us. We had a magical sunrise on Saturday morning from blue hour, red skies and golden hour.
Tidal River
After a hearty breakfast cooked in our cabins or the bush kitchen for those camping, we headed into the park and made our way to Tidal River. Following the sunrise, it had rained, but the sun was now out, and we had stunning blue skies (prom weather is highly changeable) The temp climbed to around 30C. We were all melting. sun hats, sunnies and find shade became the order of the day
By the time we got back to the general store for lunch, the weather had turned again. The temp had dropped around 10°, and we were all reaching for the jackets we discarded earlier.
Squeaky Beach
After lunch, we headed to Squeaky Beach, so named as the fine sand squeaks when you walk on it. By now, the weather had indeed turned, and a storm threatened, so our time was limited. Nevertheless, the sand had a fabulous array of colours, and little streams led across the sand to the water.
We stopped off at Picnic Bay lookout – didn’t do the walk as it looked too long with the skies threatening.
Agnes Falls
The weather wasn’t kind for either sunset or sunrise the following day. However, we decided to call in at Agnes Falls on home from Wilsons Promontory. Considering it was the end of summer, the amount of water flowing over the top wasn’t too bad.
It was our last full day in Queensland before heading home the next day, and we decided to drive down to Byron Bay, see the lighthouse, and visit the Crystal Castle. Set in the hinterlands above Byron Bay, Crystal Castle and Shambhala Gardens and rainforest with massive crystals brought across South America.
Byron Bay
We woke to beautiful sunshine. At around 5 am again. I had breakfast on the balcony and read for a while before heading off towards Byron Bay at around 8.00 am. It’s only 90 mins from the Gold Coast, and we were there by about 9.30 am. Arriving in Byron Bay, I couldn’t get over how busy it was. There were people out and about and heavy traffic everywhere. Don’t people sleep in Queensland? Heading up to the lighthouse, people out walking, pushing prams, jogging, I have never seen such activity at a lighthouse. It was like it was the central meeting point for everyone in Byron Bay. And it was only 9.30 am!
Byron Bay Lighthouse
The lighthouse has around three car parks, each higher and closer to the lighthouse than the last. We drove up to the top one the parking attendant!? directed us to an empty spot. So we got out, donned hats, grabbed cameras and joined the throng to walk up to the lighthouse. The lighthouse itself is a beautiful little castle-like building at the base with battlements overlooking turquoise and blue sea. We wandered around and down the other side to get shots from the lower vantage point.
Crystal Castle
We stopped for morning tea from the lighthouse, then headed up into the hinterlands. Just 20 mins from Byron Bay is the Crystal Castle and Shambhala Gardens. Entry is $25 and totally worth it. A memorial gate to Tori Johnson is inside the gates, donated by his family. Tori was tragically killed in the Lindt Cafe Siege in 2015.
I would have liked more time here to take in some of the daily events… we missed the music of the plants as by the time we had walked around the gardens, it was quite warm, and we wanted a chair and cold drink 🙂
The Stupa
The gardens are quite large, and to be done properly, and you really need a full day here. We stopped at the Peace Stupa and availed ourselves of the umbrellas dotted around for protection from the rain or sun while we enjoyed the music emanating from the Stupa.
with our walk around finished. We enjoyed a delicious lunch in the cafe before enjoying some retail therapy in the crystal shop. From there, it was back to the car and back to the apartment.
Our last night on the balcony, we finally took some night shots of the city lights. The next morning it was pouring with rain, and all the next week too, but we were home by then 🙂
Today we planned to go to Seaworld and enjoy a whale-watching cruise. Another epiphany we came across in Queensland is morning comes SOOOO early. Like around 4.30 am. We’d wake up in bright daylight thinking OMG slept in, check the watch, nope, it’s 4.45 am! Queenslanders say they don’t need daylight saving. It would help! Mornings would start a little later, and daylight would last past 6 pm. Everyone is up with the sparrows. Sitting on the balcony at 5 am with a coffee, the roads are starting to build with traffic. People are walking to bus stops.
Whale Cruise
We left the apartment around 8.30 am (virtually mid-afternoon to a Queenslander) and headed to Seaworld, which was only about 13mins away. Massive queue when we got there after queueing for about 20mins we found we were in the wrong queue and were sent to a smaller building for Whale watching/Seaworld tickets. You can’t buy a combo ticket for that at Seaworld. You have to buy it from the Marina. I know. It makes no sense to me either. Queenslanders defy logic. We wandered over, bought our tickets, and boarded the whale watching vessel. Very nice, new, and comfy.
Just as we were heading out, we came across a mother and calf in the estuary, which is unusual, so the boat took on the task of herding them back out to sea.
Once out on, we went hunting for whales in earnest and had quite a successful day of sightings. Sadly, whales turned out to be as hard to shoot as birds. They’d be breaching and have a grand old time; the boat would race over, and nothing, nada. Whales gone. Then we’d see them off in the distance again and repeat the process. Another pod would swim past us a few times as we floated there, waiting for the original show-offs to emerge. Overall we saw three breachings and many tail flips. Quite a few mothers and calves. And a mother and calf being escorted by a ‘bodyguard’ whale.
Seaworld
At the end of our cruise, we headed into Seaworld, grabbed lunch and went for a wander around. The Dolphin and Seal shows were later in the afternoon. And by now, it was hot, and we’d had enough of lugging the massive lenses around, so we headed straight for the polar bear enclosure.
Seaworld had been on our list to visit once we heard that a baby polar bear had been born, and the timing of our holiday coincided with him going on display. Unfortunately, I think he was asleep in the cave cause we only saw Mumma Bear, and she kept going back to the cave, possibly checking on the cub. Who remained a no-show sigh But we did see Mumma Bear. Seaworld is the only place in Australia that still has a polar bear display.
Passing the Dolphin enclosure on the way out, we added a few more tails to our day haul of Tails. It was now 30C in the shade, and we headed back to the car and our apartment for a shower and cold wines.
One of my favourite places on earth is Tropical North Qld.
Correction, it’s my most favourite place. It’s warm, usually sunny, the people are beyond anyone’s yardstick for friendly, and the lifestyle is so laid back you don’t need yoga or massages. I visited here in 2012, came back in 2014 and returned in 2016. This trip was impromptu – I usually don’t travel in the high season, but I wasn’t turning up the chance to go again.
Flights
We flew Jetstar, and apart from the struggle with cabin baggage restrictions, it was problem-free. I would guess 7kg as carry-on is acceptable for the regular holiday traveller. However, it is a challenge for someone who travels with a DSLR and several lenses. Fortunately, hubby was travelling with me this time, so I could span my gear across our cabin bags and the clothing was checked in.
A Pillow To Lie My Head On
We stayed in Trinity Beach this time rather than Cairns central, which turned out to be the best decision we could have made. Unlike Cairns, there were no parking problems or wall-to-wall people. Cairns is fabulous. But parking is problematic, and it’s becoming crowded.
Hopefully, it takes a while for people to catch on that Trinity Beach is only 25 mins from Cairns and awesome 🙂 (shhh, you didn’t hear it from me ). Our rooms at the Trinity Beach Club Apartments were fabulous. Comfy, well-appointed, reasonably priced, and only 5 mins walk from the beach. We made good use of the saltwater pool and spa too 🙂
Getting Around
You can use the ‘Sunbus’. I saw many of them around, and it seems an easy way of getting around. Each time I have been to Cairns, we have hired a car. Mainly because of the gear I lug around. And I hate waiting for public transport. As usual, we opted for an economy class car which before has served well. However, there was no cruise control, and the vehicle, a Hyundai Accent, struggled on hills with inferior pickup, Something I will be aware of next time when I book.
What To Do
Hubby is happy to just veg on holiday while I look for photographic locations when we are away. One given, when in Cairns, is we have to go to Hartley’s.
Hartleys Crocodile Adventures
I have been there every trip up North and never tire of it. It’s the best place to get croc pics and see them up close They also have excellent wildlife areas that cover lots of other Australian animals and reptiles Last time, I sat in on the Croc attack show. This time we were there in the morning, so we took in the Croc Feeding OMG, awesome, doesn’t cover it, And Ryan really needs a pay rise No way would I hand feed the beasts!
Cape Tribulation
Apart from Hartley’s, we finally drove to Cape Tribulation. I had wanted to go here for ages but never got there till this visit. The drive up from Cairns is about 2.5 hours, including crossing the Daintree on the car ferry. There is no bridge, so it’s the ferry or swim. And with about 60 crocs in the river, that’s not advisable. The ferry is a reasonable $26 return. It takes about 10 min Peak hour can see quite a lot of cars queued up, but if you avoid 10 am-12 pm or 3 pm-6 pm, it’s good. Once off the ferry, we drove to Cape Tribulation beach. It’s pristine, clean and quiet. Even though there were about ten other people there, it felt like you were the only ones on earth. The rainforest reaches right down to the sand. Idyllic doesn’t begin to cover it.
Kuranda
We took the Skyrail up and back to Kuranda to visit the market on Saturday. Another of my favourite things to do is the Kuranda Market. The heritage markets aren’t large but worth the visit. Loads of other shops, the traditional markets, cafe’s, Birdworld, Butterfly World, and Venom World are all within an easy walk. Being smart and too lazy to walk uphill, we took the courtesy bus up to the markets and then strolled back downhill when we were ready to return to the Skyrail.
Hubby also went out on a morning fishing charter with Paradise Sports Fishing and had a ball. While he was doing that, I chilled at the Esplanade Lagoon with my book.
Eating…..
We just about camped at the Trinity Beach Bar and Grill. Sprawling across the corner opposite the beach, it seemed a favourite of both locals and tourists. The food was great, portions large and reasonably priced. We tried the Trinity Beach Tavern one night, and the seafood was superb. Likewise, for the Blue Moon Bar and Grill. Both provided excellent food and good service. Our biggest disappointment was Chiantti’s Pizzeria. The pizza was ok, pasta less so.
Sunrises
One of the things I always try for and rarely get while on holiday is a decent sunrise. Out of the five days we were there, we went out twice. The best one of the lot was in the middle of our stay. With a huge rising red sun and a deep red, Of course, that day, I was driving into Cairns to take the man to his fishing charter and missed it 😐 On the days I did go out, I shot bracketed shots, combined them into HDR, and came home happy with the two I managed to get.
We have already promised a return in 2018. So if you are looking for heaven on a stick, Tropical North Queensland is the only contender in my book.
Photography on Kangaroo Island had been on my bucket list for some time. Its part of South Australia is 155 km long and lies just off the coast of Adelaide. You either take the Sealink Ferry or fly via Rex Airlines to get there.
The Carry-On Dilemma
Travelling with a friend and fellow photographer, we chose to fly, which turned into quite a challenge with all our camera gear that we didn’t want to check the equipment in. We were allowed 15kg at check-in but only 7kg in cabin baggage. Handbags included. We’re lucky they don’t weigh passengers with the gear we secreted in pockets.
Kingscote
Landing at Kingscote on Kangaroo Island, we collected our hire car from Hertz and were armed with loads of info from the very helpful chap at the counter. So we headed off to our first stop. Karrata via the Playford Highway. We had booked in at Western Kangaroo Island Caravan Park and Wildlife Reserve to use as our base while exploring Flinders Chase National Park. Cabins were roomy, clean, and handy to the national park. The wildlife roaming around ‘our’ park was a bonus.
We visited Hanson Bay Wildlife Reserve, but I feared all the animals were on holiday. Saw a few birds, one koala waaaaay up the top of a tree. The staff assured us that other visitors who had seen several koalas and one chap counted 15. For me, ‘seeing’ a koala is not the same as photographing it. Up the top of a tree, bum nestled in a fork, yep, saw it. It wasn’t a Kodak moment. We did enjoy their scones with jam and cream, though.
With nothing to show for our Hanson Bay trip, we returned to our cabin and decided to take a walk on their wildlife trail. Saw a kangaroo, a few wallabies, and one koala ambling through the bush, changing trees for dinner.
Flinders Chase National Park
Remarkable Rocks
The following day we headed into Flinders Chase and made for Remarkable Rocks. From a distance, they look attractive but not remarkable. Up close, the sheer size of them is, well, remarkable. That you can still walk up to and around them is fantastic. Parks Victoria would have fenced it off by now and have you viewing from a ‘safe’, bland distance.
Cape du Couedic Lighthouse
Leaving Remarkable Rocks, we headed to Cape du Couedic Lighthouse. This would have to be the prettiest lighthouse I have seen. Pristine Sandstone and a white double door entry with a red hat, she’s just gorgeous.
Admirals Arch
From Cape du Couedic, we headed to Admirals Arch. We had been told NZ fur seals lived around the arch’s base and were looking forward to seeing them and the arch. Nature didn’t disappoint. Access to the arch is via a long descending boardwalk which becomes stairs once you reach the arch. Photography at the arch is a challenge. The arch entrance is dark, the sun bright on the other side, and lots of mist drizzling down from the wave sprays. I took two photos, exposing one for the rocks and the other for the ocean and blending in PS. Coming back up was much slower, and I think I availed myself of every rest stop along the way. Lunch was at the Flinders Chase Cafe. Delicious burger and superb coffee.
Vivonne Bay
After lunch, we headed to Vivonne Bay. Vivonne Bay was voted one of Australia’s top beaches by the University of Sydney (because of its clear water, cleanliness, and privacy). And yes, the water is that blue.
Seal Bay
The following day we headed to Bales Beach for a brief stop before going to Seal Bay for a guided tour. Stunning pristine white sand and blue water. Does Kangaroo Island know any other kind?
We had decided on the guided tour at Seal Bay to get closer to them, but because big fat Sea Lion Bulls can still move fast and pack a wallop, we still had to stay 10 metres from them. Lolling and relaxing on the beach were a hundred or so seals, including a few mothers still nursing babies.
Stokes Bay
From Seal Bay, we headed to Stokes Bay. Stokes Bay is known for its ‘secret’ bay (that everyone knows about). You walk across the beach from the carpark towards the enormous boulders and see a small sign on the rocks with an arrow “to the beach”. You enter the gap in the rocks, duck, and weave and come out the other side on another beach. Heading and weaving around boulders in the narrow passage, I felt like Indiana Jones on a voyage of discovery. Thankfully no sword-wielding black warriors awaited me on the other side.
Heading back to our accommodation, we took another walk through the grounds. This time the lagoon rewarded us with Spoonbills, Kangaroos and an Echidna.
Cape Willoughby Lighthouse
The following day we packed up and headed back to Kingscote for the last two nights of our stay. We took in the Dudley Peninsula, Cape Willoughby Lighthouse, Antechamber Bay, American River, and Pennington Bay.
Kingscote Pelican Feeding
That evening we headed down to Kingscote Wharf for the nightly pelican feeding. At $5 per head, it’s a great show.
After the show, we hung around the harbour, and suddenly the sunset took off. We weren’t prepared for it with tripods and such, so we only managed a few shots, but what a sunset it was.
Raptor Domain
The following day we had our Raptor Domain Booking, A private 2-hour session with the keeper, five owls, five eagles, kookaburra, Kestrels, Sea Eagle, Red-Winged Black Cockatoo, and Crimson Rosella. After our private session, we stayed for the flight show before heading off for lunch and Emu Bay.
Flying Home
The following day we packed up again, loaded the bags and ourselves ‘strategically’ to pass Rex’s weight rules and headed for the airport. Fabulous trip and lots of great memories, And way too many images for one post. To see all the photos from the trip, go to Gallery.
Footnote: while most roads were great (a lot are dirt), we only once travelled at dusk. And significantly, very slowly Driving early before 8 am. After 5 pm meant dodging all manner of wildlife Every morning, we saw LOTS of roadkill.. one day alone was 25 in about 100 kms. We had to stop for roos and echidnas crossing the road during the day. When driving on KI, you need to stay alert!
If you are looking for a holiday were you can give the camera a good workout – you can go past Photography on Kangaroo Island
I spent the weekend at Apollo Bay & Otway Ranges in late February with the MPE family of addicted photographers. We started our weekend with Hopetoun Falls. Then a picnic lunch at the Redwood Forest and afternoon tea in town at Cafe 153 before dinner at the Brewhouse. That night we did some light painting at the Breakwater with Deanne and Bill Holmer from Melbourne LightPainting.
Midway along the Great Ocean Road is the seaside town of Apollo Bay. With the lush green slopes of the Otway Ranges at her back and the blue seas of Cape Otway at her feet, Apollo Bay is a great staging point to visit the valleys, rainforests, rivers and streams, waterfalls and light station.
Sunday was an early start for a 6 am sunrise that never eventuated. Cafe 153 for breakfast, then off to the light station. It was a quick 36-hour visit, but my exhaustion when I got home was a testament to how much we crammed into it 🙂
Hopetoun Falls
Getting here is easy. If you come through Colac or the Great Ocean Road, head to Binns Road, and it’s well signposted. Once at the carpark, you have a one-way in and one-way out downhill walk.
Hopetoun Falls has a good flow for just about all year. Even though it was February, we still found a good flow coming over the top and into the Aire River below. The walk from the carpark to the first lookout is an effortless downhill walk of about 20 metres. The one-kilometre return trip of 200 plus steps to the bottom lookout (and 200 back UP) is a test of endurance for my old legs. It’s definitely worth the walk down, though. You can’t see a lot from the top lookout, and the walk through the ferns along the boardwalk to the base of the falls is impressive.
Redwood Forest
Just a few minutes away from Hopetoun Falls in the Otway Ranges is the Redwood Forest. I hadn’t been here before, didn’t even know it was there until recently, but what a fabulous find it is. Heading towards Apollo Bay from the carpark to the forest is on your right-hand side, just before a little single-lane bridge. There are picnic tables and chairs and a long drop toilet on the other side of the road. We stopped and had our picnic here before spending an hour wandering through the forest.
Running along the back of the forest is the beautiful fern-lined Aire River. The forest itself has a fantastic atmosphere.. you feel the quiet and serenity as soon as you step off the path into the trees. While I didn’t see them, others found some fabulous pagan? Stuff down back, twisted vines and things hanging from trees. The mind boggles as to what goes on in there.
Sundown
We hoped to get a sunset at the Apollo Bay Boat Harbour before light painting started. But it fizzled out on us. However, I did manage to get a pinkish sky using a 0.9 ND Grad.
Light Painting
We held our light painting session down at the Breakwater Led lights, steel wool spinning pixel sticks fabulous night.
Sunday Morning – Sunrise Failure
Sunday morning, despite getting up in the dark and heading down to the breakwater full of enthusiasm, it fizzled out on us again.
Cape Otway Lightstation
It sometimes gets sunny at the light station, but I seem to bring clouds. I have been there a few times, and getting a photo of the lighthouse in full sunshine against a blue sky is very hit-and-miss. It was a patchy cloud, then a full cloud for a quick, brief bit of sun and back to clouds when we headed there.
We came across two french girls guarding an injured Koala and reported it to the conservation centre for pickup (rang the next day, and the koala is doing fine). So down to the lighthouse for some shots and a walk around before heading back to the car for the 3-hour drive home. Fabulous weekend and we are already planning the next one.
Over the bridge in Phillip Island is the turnoff to Churchill Island Heritage Farm. It has been farmed since the 1850s and became the holiday retreat of the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Samuel Amess, when he purchased it in 1872.
A day on the farm
Last Sunday myself, and a dozen or so photographers from Melbourne Photography Excursions travelled down to the island for the day to visit the farm. It’s tiny, only 57 hectares but has heritage gardens, historic buildings and fantastic views over Port Phillip Bay.
We stayed in Cowes overnight as I hoped to get a sunset and sunrise. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a total bust with thick clouds moving in the late afternoon. It was going to be a hot day, though, on Monday, so we called in at the Forrest Caves near Cape Woolami.
Cowes
We missed low tide so that we couldn’t get to the caves, so we dodged sand flies for an hour while trying to get some long exposure shots from the beach. It’s a beautiful spot but a challenging walk. A big staircase up and down over the dunes, we were all puffing like ten pack a day smokers by the time we made it back to the car.
It was our second and last morning in Eden, and we were on our way back up the coast on the return journey to Sydney. This time we headed to Quarantine Bay, not far from where we were staying. Our route would take us from Quarantine Bay to Kiama, but we planned to get another sunrise in first and hopefully spot more pelicans.
Quarantine Bay
Yet again, we were blessed with a beautiful sunrise. The weather gods were being genuinely kind to us.
Desperate times
Driving from Quarantine Bay to Kiama, we headed off in search of coffee. Desperately in search of coffee. Heads up, in Eden on a Sunday, NO coffee shops, cafes, bakeries, or anything remotely similar to coffee sellers are open before 9 am. It was only 7.30 am. So we started heading out of Eden with the naive hope of something open in the next town. No. Nor the next one, nor the one after that. It wasn’t until we went through Cobargo around 8.30 am that we found a little bakery that sold coffee and cakes. To this day, the baker remains blissfully unaware of the role she played in our survival.
Fortified and revived, we stopped at Corunna Lake and Tuross River before reaching the Ulladulla Lighthouse’s first planned photo stop.
Warden Head Light, a.k.a Ulladulla Lighthouse
The Warden Head lighthouse is an active lighthouse on a headland south of Ulladulla. Constructed in 1873, the original oil lamp was replaced in 1920 with a flashing light powered by acetylene gas for automatic operation, before being converted to electricity. in 1964 The light is now battery operated. It is also one of the only two lighthouses in NSW made from iron plates.
Point Perpendicular
From Ulladulla, we headed to our next lighthouse stop – the Point Perpendicular Lightstation. Point Perpendicular is still an operating military base, and we were required to show ID to enter, along with a headcount of the car. I was waiting for them to get out the mirrors on long poles to check under the car 😉
The travel brochures promised, “Drive through natural scrub and beautiful spring wildflowers to Point Perpendicular Lighthouse, and the spectacular escarpment at Jervis Bay”. Unfortunately, we saw no wildflowers and no escarpment. Did do another few km’s on NSW Parks favourite surface, though. The rutted, potholed, gravel and dirt roads. And while this lighthouse didn’t reward us with snakes, we did see a wallaby and a rabbit.
Kiama
We finally arrived in Kiama late afternoon and, with fading light, headed for the Kiama Lighthouse (we were on for a hat trick) and the Kiama Blowhole.
The Kiama Lighthouse was erected in 1887 with an oil burner light visible for nine miles. It was subsequently upgraded to gas in 1920 and decommissioned. In 1969 it was connected to mains electricity.
The Kiama Blowhole
The Kiama Blowhole was discovered by George Bass in 1797 and sits alongside the Kiama Lighthouse. Huge, spectacular plumes of water shoot up from the blowhole every few seconds. We spent a pleasant hour at the blowhole and lighthouse before heading into town for dinner and then to our B’n’B for the night.
Today our plans were for Kiama and Cathedral Rocks. We were halfway through our trip along the south coast and chose Kiama for an overnight stop as Kiama and Bombo are only a few minutes apart. So, after a night at a B & B in Kiama, we headed down to Cathedral Rocks, Bombo, to set up at the ungodly hour of 5.30. With excellent hindsight, we had scouted the location the day before to find it in the dark, so getting there and setting up was problem-free. Cathedral Rocks are 10m high basalt columns, sea stacks, and a 20m high cliff that forms a 1km headland.
It was a gorgeous sunrise, and we were working on getting the sun – and slow exposures on the rocks. I had an ND1000 on and couldn’t work out why it was coming out so dark until I realised I still had the CPL on from the day before. Once I took that off and just used the ND, things started to come together.
We stayed there till about 8 am with the sun fully up… it was just a fabulous place. I would have liked to go to the Bombo Quarry or Boneyard after that, but we couldn’t find them the day before, so we just settled for the entire shoot at Cathedral Rocks. Which wasn’t a bad thing 🙂
Bombo is a must-do place for anyone who loves landscape photography… for me, it’s also a ‘must go back. However, I definitely still want to get the Boneyard and the Quarry.
Cathedral Rocks is located off Cliff Drive, take the Kiama Downs to turn off from the Princess Highway, and cross under the railway bridge at Bombo Beach.
After our whale cruise and lunch at the pier, we drove to the Green Cape Lightstation and Ben Boyd National Park. Our goal was the Green Cape Lightstation at the end of the park on the tip of the peninsula. The roads are listed as 2wd dirt roads?… NSW Parks is very impressed with the capabilities of 2wd cars. While not as bone-shaking as our trip to Kichega National Park, it was still a bumpy, potholed, rutted dirt road for 21 km.
Green Cape Lighthouse
At the end of the road, the Green Cape Lighthouse rises 29ft overlooking the peninsula. The Green Cape Lighthouse was the first cast concrete lighthouse built in Australia. It also distinguishes it as NSW’s second tallest and most southernmost lighthouse.
A fence surrounds the lighthouse, so it’s impossible to get into the light station grounds (rented out as holiday rentals), but we found that heading down towards the cliffs gave us a good viewpoint.
The Pinnacles
Once on our way again and still within Ben Boyd National Park, we drove to the Pinnacles. Once you park the car, it’s an easy 1.1km loop to the pinnacles and back. The Pinnacles were formed due to erosion of the cliffs. They formed about 65 million years ago and are made of soft white sands and red gravel clay. When part of the cliff fell away, it exposed the red clay and white sands. Fortunately, we didn’t see any more snakes. But we kept a good eye out and thanked our forethought for wearing leather hiking boots!
Davison Whaling Station
Our final stop at Ben Boyd National Park was pretty underwhelming. The lady at the Information Center recommend that the Davison Whaling Station was well worth a visit. It may have been once. But there is a quaint little shack, but there isn’t much else. The whaling station itself was a couple of signs and an old tin pot.
Day Three of our South Coast road trip brought us to the highlight (for me) of our journey. And the main reason we were in Eden – the Eden Whale Watching cruise on Twofold Bay.
Whale Watching Cruise
Cat Balou run cruises all year round from a 72 seat vessel, but September to November is whale watching time during the Humpback Whale southern migration. Whales travel a distance of around 10,000km on their migration. While the whales pass Eden on both the southern and northern migration, it’s only on the southern migration that they are close enough to shore to see. Most are only seen further out to sea on the northern migration. And only a very few venture into Twofold Bay.
Twofold Bay
Leaving Snug Cove at Eden Wharf, we cruised around the Bay for three and half hours. We sighted pods of dolphins, a few seals and three whales. Twofold Bay is one of the deepest natural harbours globally. It is also the only port on the Sapphire Coast with direct ocean access and no sand bars to negotiate.
Ben Boyd Tower
From the 1820s until 1930, men in open wooden boats hunted whales in Twofold Bay. A pack of killer whales assisted them. Ben Boyd Tower was initially planned as a lighthouse but was used as a whale spotting tower. After being hunted close to extinction, the population was estimated at 200 in 1962. In 2013 the whale population was estimated at 14,000 and increased by 11% a year.
I had been hoping to get a whale leaping out of the water, but they weren’t cooperating that day. We had to settle for several ‘breachings’ where the whale generates enough upward force with its powerful tail flukes to lift two-thirds of its body out of the water before coming down in a thunderous splash.
The underpart of each tail fluke is like a ‘fingerprint’ with no two tails having the same markings. Whale Facts