Tag:long exposure
Travel photography is all about capturing the essence of people. The landscapes, cultures, and experiences that one encounters while exploring different parts of the world. It is a visual diary, a record of one’s travels. It aims to transport viewers to unfamiliar destinations, evoking a sense of place. It’s also like a time capsule, preserving memories from a trip that can be cherished and enjoyed for years to come.
What is Travel Photography?
While travel photography is its own genre, it also encompasses food, landscape, portrait and street photography. In addition, every travel destination has its distinct characteristics, such as its culture, history, people, landscapes, and stories.
This entails capturing the beauty of the natural environment, exquisite architecture, local customs, and lively street scenes. It also includes people’s interactions within their cultural settings. Moreover, the photographer endeavours to capture the destination’s essence and create images that inspire viewers to explore and experience the world. Thus revealing its unique features through visual storytelling.
One Example
Picture yourself taking a road trip on the renowned Great Ocean Road in Australia. While driving along the rugged Victoria coastline, you come across the breathtaking Twelve Apostles. A striking formation of limestone stacks towering above the Southern Ocean. You position your camera on a cliff’s edge and capture the dreamy golden sunlight enveloping the apostles in a warm glow during the golden hour.
By carefully composing the scene, one can emphasize the striking contrast between the vivid blue ocean, the rugged rocks, and the dramatic sky overhead. You also effectively capture the crashing waves against the apostles, creating a dynamic and powerful image. One depicting nature’s raw beauty and immense power.
Your photograph captures a defining landmark of Australia’s coastline, showcasing the natural wonders of the Great Ocean Road. It invites viewers to immerse themselves in the breathtaking scenery, inspiring them to explore the country’s diverse landscapes. In addition, the image serves as a reminder of the vastness and awe-inspiring sights that Australia has to offer.
What Gear?
When taking photos while travelling, it’s crucial to balance having the right equipment while ensuring that your gear is lightweight and easy to carry. Here are some essential equipment suggestions for travel photography.
- Camera: When selecting a camera, it’s important to consider your specific needs and preferences. You have several options to choose from, including compact point-and-shoot cameras, mirrorless cameras, and DSLRs. Consider factors like image quality, size, weight, and versatility to make the best decision.
- Lenses: When packing for your trip, aim to bring a variety of lenses that can cover different focal lengths. A wide-angle lens, typically around 16-35mm, is ideal for capturing landscapes and architecture. On the other hand, a zoom lens like the 24-70mm or 70-200mm offers versatility for various types of shots.
- Tripod: For steady shots, long exposures, and self-portraits, a lightweight and sturdy tripod is essential. It’s important to find one that is compact and easily fits into your travel bag for convenience. (Carbon fibre tripods are the lightest).
Equipment is not just the camera.
- Extra Batteries and Memory Cards: Ensure you have spare batteries and sufficient memory cards. Nothing is worse than running out of power or storage space while on the go. It’s always better to have more than you think you’ll need.
- Camera Bag: Investing in a durable and comfortable camera bag is essential for protecting and organizing your gear. It’s important to choose one with padded compartments and convenient accessibility.
- Filters: When taking photos, it’s worth bringing along some useful filters like neutral density (ND) filters to manage the light and polarising filters to minimize glare and intensify colours.
- Cleaning Kit: It’s a good idea to have a compact cleaning kit. Look for one with a lens cloth, blower, and cleaning solution. This will keep your equipment in good condition and achieve dust-free pictures.
- Remote Shutter Release: When taking long exposures or self-portraits, a remote shutter release or cable release can come in handy to minimize camera shake.
- Portable External Hard Drive: It is important to regularly back up your images to avoid losing valuable data and to free up space on your memory card. You can use a portable external hard drive or cloud storage.
- Travel Adapter and Charger: When planning to travel abroad, it is advisable to bring a travel adapter and charger compatible with the destination country’s electrical outlets. This will ensure you can charge your devices and stay connected while travelling.
Tips to get you started
- Plan and Research: Before you travel, research your destination to understand its culture, landmarks, and points of interest. This will help you identify unique and photogenic locations.
- Pack Light and Smart: Travel photography often involves a lot of walking, so it’s essential to pack light. Carry only the necessary camera gear and accessories. Consider a versatile lens that covers a wide range of focal lengths.
- Capture the Local Culture: Focus on capturing the essence of the destination by photographing local people, their daily lives, traditions, and customs. Be respectful and seek permission when photographing individuals.
- Seek Unique Perspectives: Look for different angles and perspectives and experiment with low angles, high angles, and different compositions to add interest to your shots.
- Golden Hour and Blue Hour: Take advantage of the beautiful lighting during the golden hour (shortly after sunrise or before sunset) and the blue hour (before sunrise or after sunset). The soft, warm, and diffused light during these times can enhance your photos.
- Tell a Story: Look for scenes that tell a story or evoke emotions. Include elements that provide context and create a sense of place.
- Pay Attention to Details: Details can often make for compelling photographs. Capture close-up shots of interesting textures, patterns, architecture, or local cuisine to add depth and variety to your travel album.
- Be Mindful of Composition: Use the rule of thirds, leading lines, and framing techniques to create visually pleasing compositions. Consider the foreground, middle ground, and background to add depth and balance to your images.
- Experiment with Long Exposures: If you have a tripod, try long exposure photography to capture motion blur of waterfalls, flowing rivers, or bustling city streets.
- Practice Patience and Observation: Take the time to observe your surroundings, anticipate moments, and wait for the perfect shot. Patience can often lead to capturing unique and memorable images.
Locations not gear
Explore the world! Visiting breathtaking destinations will yield better photographic opportunities than investing in pricey equipment. Don’t underestimate the capabilities of your phone camera either – it can capture stunning shots.
Travel photography can transport viewers to different corners of the globe, fueling a desire to see these awe-inspiring landscapes in person. This is the essence of travel photography: to inspire adventure, ignite wanderlust and encourage appreciation for the beauty of the world’s natural and cultural wonders.
The Blue Mountains, situated in New South Wales, Australia, is a stunning mountain range that has been designated a World Heritage site. Only 80 kilometres west of Sydney, they boast a variety of hiking trails, rock-climbing paths, and awe-inspiring scenic views. The Blue Mountains at Katoomba are also home to the famous Three Sisters, a popular tourist spot that draws visitors to the area.
Early History
The Blue Mountains and the Great Dividing Range presented a formidable obstacle to the early European pioneers who sought to settle and explore Sydney and its surrounding areas. These settlers viewed the range as an intimidating wall of sandstone cliffs, deep gorges, and thick vegetation. Due to the challenging terrain, settlements were limited to coastal areas, and the seemingly impenetrable mountains made it difficult if not impossible for pioneers to venture beyond these areas. Consequently, the Blue Mountains remained largely unexplored for many years.
This all changed, however, when in 1813, Gregory Blaxland, William Charles Wentworth, and William Lawson set out to cross the Blue Mountains to find a way into the unknown interior of Australia. Unlike many before them, they successfully crossed the mountains, completely the journey in only three weeks and reached the western plains. Thus becoming the first Europeans to do so. Previous explorers had looked for a route through the valleys. Unlike previous explorers, Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson’s expedition crossed the mountains by traversing the ridges rather than the valleys. Their journey opened the interior to further exploration and settlement, eventually leading to the development of new towns and communities beyond the mountains.
World Heritage Listing
The Blue Mountains was added to the World Heritage Register in 2000 due to it’s exceptional natural beauty, biodiversity and outstanding examples of global geological processes. The site also includes the Blue Mountains National Park and several adjacent conservation reserves, covering approximately 1.03 million hectares.
The region is well-known for its rugged sandstone cliffs, deep canyons, and eucalyptus forests. It boasts a rich biodiversity with diverse plant and animal species. The Blue Mountains is also home to numerous Indigenous cultural sites, such as rock art, ceremonial grounds, and scarred trees, which hold significant cultural value for the area.
The Three Sisters
The iconic Three Sisters at Echo Point are three sandstone peaks that rise from the Jamison Valley below. The peaks are named Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunnedoo and are said to be named after three Indigenous sisters. According to local legend, the sisters were turned to stone by a witch doctor to protect them from an unwanted marriage. The Three Sisters is a significant Indigenous cultural site, and the local Indigenous community consider it a sacred site. It is also a popular spot for hiking and rock climbing, and visitors can take a scenic walk to the base of the formation.
The Jenolan Caves
The caves are a complex system of twenty-two limestone caves and are over 340 million years old. Apart from being considered one of the most spectacular cave systems in the world, they are also the oldest caves in Australia. Within Jenolan Caves are an extensive network of underground passageways and limestone formations, including stalactites, stalagmites, and helictites.
The caves were first discovered by Europeans in the early 1800s, and before long, became a popular tourist destination. Today, the Jenolan Caves are one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Blue Mountains. Visitors can take various guided tours and activities, including self-guided, adventure-caving, and lantern-lit tours. The caves are also a significant site for speleology and have been the subject of much scientific study.
Lennox Bridge
The Lennox Bridge is a historic sandstone arch in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by Scottish stonemason David Lennox between 1833 and 1837. Significantly, the bridge is the oldest surviving stone bridge on mainland Australia and spans the historic Mitchell’s Pass over the Coxs River. It is a particularly popular spot for tourists and photographers. The bridge is also listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register.
The Hydro Majestic Hotel
The Hydro Majestic Hotel is an iconic hotel situated in Medlow Bath. Constructed by Mark Foy, a prosperous Australian businessman and theatrical impresario, in 1904. The hotel boasts an Edwardian style of architecture with a blend of Art Nouveau and Federation designs. It’s grandeur and unique architecture make it a significant landmark. The United States Department of Defence occupied the Hydro for a brief period during WWII, and it served as a hospital for American casualties from battles in the Coral Sea and South Pacific.
The hotel underwent several renovations over the years. Today it continues to operate as a hotel, offering accommodation, dining, and spa services. The Hydro Majestic Hotel is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register for its architectural and historical significance. It is undoubtedly considered one of the Blue Mountains’ most iconic heritage buildings.
The Katoomba Scenic Railway
The scenic railway is a historic railway forming part of the Blue Mountains Line, connecting Katoomba to the Jamison Valley below. Known for its 52° steep gradient, it descends over 300 meters (984 feet) through a cliff-side tunnel. It is one of the steepest railways in the world.
The railway was constructed in the early 1900s for the transportation of passengers and goods. As of now, it still functions as a tourist attraction, providing visitors with a picturesque journey through the Blue Mountains.
Govetts Leap
Govetts Leap is a scenic lookout in the Blue Mountains’ Blackheath area. The lookout offers a panoramic view of the Grose Valley, a deep gorge carved by the Grose River, named after William Romaine Govett, a surveyor who was the first European to discover the viewpoint in 1831. Govetts Leap lookout is a popular spot for tourists and hikers, offering a range of short and long walks.
Govetts Leap also offers breathtaking views of the Bridal Veil waterfall, a popular photography spot. The view of the valley is considered one of the most spectacular in the Blue Mountains. It’s a must-visit destination for anyone visiting the area.
Waterfalls
Within the Blue Mountains are several beautiful waterfalls. Some of the most popular waterfalls in the area are the following:
Best time to visit
The best time to visit the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia, depends on your personal preferences and the activities you plan to do.
- Spring (September-November): The weather is mild, and the wildflowers bloom. It is also an excellent time for bushwalking and enjoying the area’s natural beauty.
- Summer (December-February): The weather is warm, and the days are long, making it the perfect time for swimming and picnicking.
- Autumn (March-May) – The weather is mild, and the trees are changing colours. It’s an excellent time for photography and scenic drives (and also a perfect time to pop over to Mount Wilson)
- Winter (June-August): The weather can be cold, but the crowds are minimal. However, it is an excellent time for those cosy fireside and log cabin holidays and winter sports like skiing and snowboarding.
The Blue Mountains provide a diverse range of experiences throughout the year, with each season offering something special. It is essential to remember that peak season can get quite busy, so it’s wise to consider this when organising your trip.
Looking for Victorian landscape photography locations? While the smallest state in Australia, Victoria punches above its weight for photography locations. Within its boundaries are lush rainforests, spectacular coastlines, rugged mountains, and for the street photographer – a thriving cosmopolitan city cafe culture. While there are certainly a lot more than 5 locations – these are my favourite five, in no particular order. It doesn’t matter the weather – you can always get a top shot.
1. The Great Ocean Road
Probably the most famous Victorian landscape photography locations is the Great Ocean Road. Rated one of the best cliff-hugging drives in the world the Great Ocean Road was built back in the 1930s by returned servicemen. It starts at the beautiful seaside town of Lorne and hugs the cliff along the Southern Ocean to Apollo Bay before heading inland and winding its way through rolling, green hills to Nelson. Along the way, you will find spectacular views around every corner, beautiful rainforests, epic surf locations including the world-famous Bells Beach, waterfalls, wildlife, redwood forests, and epic hikes.
2. Princes Pier, Port Melbourne
Princes Pier is a 580 metre long, historic pier in Port Melbourne that was built between 1912 – 1915. It was the major arrival port for migrants to Australia during the post-war period. Its use declined over the years and in the early 1990s, it was closed due to its poor condition. Between 1990 and 2004 fourteen fires occurred caused by squatters or vandals. The State Government announced a $14m refurbishment in 2006, restoring the first 196 metres. The remaining decking was removed and the original pylons restored. It reopened in 2007 and is now a favourite haunt of photographers and anglers.
3. Dragon Head Rock
Situated at 16th Beach, one of the Rye back beaches, Dragon Head Rock is a rock formation just off the beach and accessible at low tide. From the front, it’s just a rock, but move to the side and it takes on its distinct shape. If you are a fan of long exposure, smooth water shots – it’s a fabulous location to hone your skills.
4. The Grampians
The heritage-listed Grampians, traditionally known as Gariwerd in aboriginal culture is a mountainous area close to Halls Gap and around 3 hours from Melbourne. It boasts world-famous hiking trails from gentle to challenging, waterfalls, wildlife and mountain panoramas.
5.Warburton
Warburton could be Melbourne’s best-kept secret. While it’s well known to Melbournites it rarely features on any list for tourism. Its set among the hills of the beautiful Yarra Valley and is an easy 90-minute drive from Melbourne. Down by cement creek you will find the Californian Redwood forest. Thousands of towering Redwoods set in rows with a carpet of leaf litter and dotted with mysterious forest art, and a fern gully along the creek at the back make it a magical place. Not far from the Redwood Forest is the Rainforest Gallery – a stunning, easy walk through the forest over bridges above the forest floor and down along streams with tumbling cascades.
Well, there you go, my favourite five, which is not to say there isn’t loads more epic locations. What are your favourite locations in Victoria? love to hear your thoughts.
This week, along with three fellow photographer friends, we had planned to do some Fungi Hunting at Mt Macedon. So, we rugged up against the weather and headed to Sanatorium Lake at Mt Macedon. Weather-wise it was clear, with only slight showers, but it was 6C at the lake. Cold, cold, cold. That kind of damp, chilling cold that just seeps into your bones. Rugged up like Michelin people, we left the car and headed for the lake. The track was easy to follow, muddy, but not too bad.
On the hunt
We slowly walked along the path, eyes swivelling back and forth, looking for fungi and checking the sides of tree trunks and deadwood lying on the ground. When we found one, we noticed that there would be others in the immediate area. Never saw a single one by itself. We went off the path into the scrub in several areas where we spotted them. Some were just too hard to photograph either because they were inaccessible, way up a tree, or the tree was on such a slope that we needed to be mountain goats to position the tripods and shoot them.
Focus Stacking
I was shooting with the Olympus OMD EM1 Mark II, giving the new 60mm Macro its first real run, and trying out Focus Stacking for the first time on the Olympus, which worked fantastically! I just love it; it creates eight images at different focal lengths, then merges them in-camera into a single image (jpeg) that’s (theoretically) sharp front to back. Considering these were taken on a macro, which usually has a very narrow depth of field, it worked great. I can’t wait to try it on the 12-40 for landscapes. You end up with eight jpegs, 8 RAW and the blended jpeg. As I prefer to work with RAW files, I deleted the jpegs when I downloaded them to the computer and then blended the RAW files in Photoshop.
By around 1.30 pm – hungry and chilled to the bone, we headed back to the car, grabbed our picnic lunch and headed to one of the picnic tables. We quickly ate our lunch and then dived back to the warmth of the car for the trip home. We had a fabulous morning, we all got a great crop of images, but all need warmer winter gear 😉
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.
The Great Ocean Road is one of my favourite road trip destinations. Loads to stop and see along the way, great lunch spots, and very, very changeable weather. We have had sunny, hazy days, cloudy overcast days, rainy days and one glorious sunny day. We have been chasing the elusive sunrise and sunset several times over the last few months.
Redwood Forest
Determined to get that ever-elusive sunrise/sunset, we travelled down the GOR in December, January and again in February…
Heading down in December, we stopped off at the Redwood Forest in the Otway Ranges. Beautiful Californian Sequoia Trees planted along the Aire River in 1939 now rise majestically up to a canopy towering above your head. The ground is covered with rusty red leaf litter; it’s a stunning, serene place to walk in, peaceful and silent like a cathedral of trees. The Aire River meanders through at the back, lined with tree ferns. It cascades across rocks and under fallen logs. Its vibe is otherworldly. You almost expect to see Frodo or Gandalf walk out.
Peterborough
Leaving the redwood, we skipped Apollo Bay and headed towards Princetown. Being the height of the Christmas period, the coast road was packed with tourists, so we had decided to stay a bit further along at Peterborough, passing the Twelve Apostles. The roads were lined with barriers to stop parking on the side of the road, LED signs in both Chinese and Australian, and gazillions of people swarming over the boardwalks and lookouts. Staying further along was looking like a great plan.
When we arrived in the sunshine, the following day was very grey and overcast. So we decided to beat the tourist buses by getting out early. It was nice and quiet, just a couple of others out, not cold, but overcast and windy, not the best weather.
Princetown
Skipping ahead a month, we went back in January. This time the sun was well and truly shining as we headed down
revisited all the stops that we did in December, as well as taking in Lorne, but this in lovely sunshine with blue skies
We were staying at Princetown itself this time. It is a sleepy little place with a tavern (with great food). Accom (very basic) and a general store that keeps surprisingly short trading hours had dinner at the tavern (great food) and then went to the twelve apostles for sunset wasn’t bad but still not a box ticked. I got back to the carpark well after dark and headed back to our accommodation at 9 pm, and everything was closed, a sleepy little place Accom (very basic), and a general store that keeps surprisingly short trading hours.
We were up for sunrise the following day at 5 am and should have stayed in bed. We were definitely out of luck or over-optimistic but going on the cars at the carpark, we weren’t the only ones that thought a sunrise at the twelve apostles on Great Ocean Road was a good idea.
ah well, there’s always February
After Christmas, I admired a location shared on a FB page and asked privately where it was as I thought it would be a great light painting location. The reply, while polite, was a firm “an urban explorer never divulges a location. However, if you keep it a secret and include us we will tell you”. A meetup was arranged at a coffee shop to ‘suss’ each other out. We must have passed as they took us to the location, and a shoot was planned for the following week. Light Painting with Urban Explorers was on!
Getting there was easy enough though you had to accept wet feet to access the location.
Skipping ahead a week, we had observed the weather for the next week, and with no rain for the past few days, the night was on! It was a lovely warm night—no rain on the horizon, which was a good thing. I didn’t want to be floating downstream if it started raining!
We started off with coloured LEDs wands and orbs before moving to my favourite… steel wool!
Light Painting with Urban Explorers accomplished! Thank you to Bill and Deanne Holmer from Melbourne Light Painting and Mark and David for sharing their location.
Back to the big smoke…
It was back to civilisation (in the form of Queensland’s Gold Coast). After four days and nights up in the Hinterlands of Mt Tamborine, we finally arrived back in the hustle and bustle of the city. We had booked an apartment on Queensland’s Gold Coast at Surfers Paradise between the sea and the Nerang River. We quickly found that traffic in surfers is terrible!. So many cars and people, and lights that take ages to change. Drivers tooting each other at lights to move if you don’t take off quickly, lest they are stuck there for another ten years waiting for the lights to change.
Carnival Rides
We checked into our apartment then headed over to Coles for supplies. It was only a 5 mins walk from the shops and restaurants, so the location was great. We made our dinner and then sat on our balcony watching the world go by. Watching the rides (and screams) from the slingshot ride on the block opposite and the antics of the people in the apartment opposite 😉
That light trail up the centre is the little pod the people are in. it flings them up like a giant rubber band and back down and back up and back down no thanks 😀 The other ride with the long arm has a cabin of sorts at each end, and it spins in a circle while the cabin rotates and swivels around double. No thanks
After driving down from the mountain and wandering around Springbrook on what turned out to be a hot day, we both packed it in and were in bed by about 9.30 pm. Tuning out the noise and light of Queensland’s Gold Coast, we headed off to bed as we planned a day at SeaWorld and Whale Watching tomorrow
Murphys Law was running true to form as we’d had four days of misty, cloudy mornings up at O’Reilly’s. The day we left to head to Springbrook National Park, and the Natural Bridge was blue skies and bright sunshine. Waterfalls are never good in bright sunlight.
We set off back down the winding, narrow road to Canungra and then diverted to Springbrook, arriving around 11 am. The walk to the Natural Bridge is a loop. With the recommendation to do it in a clockwise direction or else you have a lot of stairs coming back up, we were still worn out (and hot) by the time we got back up, but doing it clockwise was better. There were a lot of steps going down, and I would not have liked to do all those stairs in reverse!
Natural Bridge
By the time we got to the Natural Bridge at Springbrook National Park, the sun was high in the sky, and the rock opening was being hit but loads of sun. It blew out the highlights even with five image HDR stack. We did find some interesting mushrooms growing on a log on the way back.
Fungi
Leaving the Natural Bridge, we turned left instead of right, and a few kms down the road came to the border. a quick photo stop before we turned around 🙂
Borders
We stopped for a quick lunch and then headed to the ‘Best Of All Lookout’, yep they really called it that. The walk to the lookout was an easy 350 metres through the rainforest.
Goomahlara Falls
Our last stop before we headed down to Surfers Paradise was Goomahlara Falls. It’s an easy 200m walk from the carpark that brings you to a little lookout with the waterfall off to the side, and you cant get to the bottom—crappy point of view for a photo. Heading back to the carpark, Carole left the path, and we headed through the scrub to the stream. Goomahlara Falls, which made a much nicer shot 🙂
the edge of the rocks drops off to a sheer cliff, so this was as close as we went. From here, we headed down to our apartment in Surfers for the next four nights. We had chosen one with a city view, and I was hoping to get some nice night shots and maybe a timelapse
We were still Rambling The Outback. After a very comfortable night’s sleep in the big king-sized beds at Mungo Lodge, I was up around 5.30 and out the door just after six. Along with Lisa and Amy, we jumped in with Roy and Julie and headed off to the Mungo Lookout for a sunrise. The location was average. It was recommended to us by John at reception as a good sunrise spot. It was for viewing the sunrise. But for, shooting a sunrise it left a lot to be desired. There is no foreground interest and miles and miles of endless flat plain to the sun on the horizon. In the future, when someone recommends a spot to me, I will ask, “are you a photographer” if the answer I no, I will disregard them!
Once the sun was up, we drove down to the Historic Shearing Shed just a few minutes down the road.
The woolshed
Paddy Melons
After about an hour, we headed back to mungo lodge for showers, breakfast and checkout. Breakfast was a delicious cooked buffet in the restaurant. Leaving Mungo, we came across Paddy Melons growing beside the road.
Paddy melon (Cucumis myriocarpus) and Afghan melon (Citrullus lanatus) is both prostrate annual melons germinating in spring and summer. Their growth is favoured by good moisture relations and bare or fallowed paddocks. Melons can stabilise areas prone to wind erosion and provide stock feed when food is scarce (although opinions vary greatly). Horse, sheep and cattle losses have been associated with eating the melon, but the smell of the plants generally makes them unpalatable. Dept of Agriculture
Dirt Roads
From Mungo, we were heading first to Balranald and then onto Swan Hill. Between Balranald and us lay 154kms of dirt road. According to google maps, it’s a 5-hour drive. Maybe they assume you are driving a horse and cart as we did it in just over 2 hours. Just out of Balranald, we finally got the bitumen back.
Swan Hill
We stopped off in Balranald for coffee and comfort stop and were then on our again. Finally, driving on lovely bitumen, we arrived in Swan Hill around midday. I popped into the motel and made sure all was ready for the arrival of those travelling behind us. Then headed over to the Pioneer Settlement and organised the tickets for the evening light show, settlement entry, and Pyap Paddlesteamer ride. We wandered around the settlement for a while, bumped into a few of the group who had arrived, took a paddle steamer ride and then headed back to the hotel to relax for an hour before dinner.
Dinner was at Spoons Restaurant beside the settlement. Sitting outside on the deck, the sky started to turn a glorious orange-red. Everyone started looking and then dashed off for a couple of shots with phones—fantastic sunset, and most of us there without cameras.
After a delicious dinner, we headed over to the settlement for the Heartbeat of the Murray Laser Show. Excellent show using water, laser, and sound, it recently won a prestigious multimedia award. With the closing of the show, we went back to our motel for the night; it was the end of a fabulous week We Got to know some people better and met others for the first time by the close of the week; we had all become closer, had a million memories, and about as many photographs 🙂 The following day it was packed up and headed home and back to ‘real life’. Thank you to all who took this journey with me.
Day 3 of our outback adventure
Our plans for today were Silverton and the Daydream Mine. While I slept through the sunrise, some of the group went out hunting down a good sunrise spot. Elsewhere, two of the group went out tracking down the Indian Pacific as it stopped in town. The morning skies were sunny, blue with a light breeze, but the afternoon forecast the cloud. So it was a free morning for all. Some went to Bells Milkbar, and some checked out the Palace Hotel. Others roamed the galleries. We met up for lunch with part of the crew, and then everyone met at Bells Milkbar to head out to Silverton.
Daydream Mine
The historic Daydream Mine lay between us and our destination, just out from Silverton and 20kms from Broken Hill. Established in the 1880s the mine, and the town surrounding it were once home to around 500 workers, wives, and children. It closed a few years later when the ore ran out—the NSW government heritage listed the site in 1999. Today, above ground, only the foundations of the old town and part of the smelter remain. The road in was around 10km of uphill and down dale, winding dirt roads and through two gates.
Below Ground
After the above-ground tour, we had to gear up with hard hats and lights for the underground section. Three levels underground, down narrow steps (and I do use the term loosely) cut into the rock underground. The entrance tunnel was just a tad bigger than our bodies. If I hadn’t been in the lead behind the guide, I would have turned back with everyone else behind me. But I couldn’t get past them!
It did get taller in parts (small parts) where we could stand upright. But most of the time, the tunnels were about 4ft high. It was built for short people!
Silverton
Back up top, we got our heart rate down and air intake back to normal. Then we headed 6kms down the road to the Silverton Pub. we plopped ourselves in the beer garden, downed a couple of quick drinks, and declined to move. Until tomorrow.
Mundi Mundi Plains
While the others who could all walk (because they hadn’t done the mine either through farsightedness or cowardice) headed off for the Mundi Mundi Plains lookout and the sunset. We stayed put. We were drinking and groaning. Until Bill announced, the sunset was starting to look good. Photographic OCD got us up moving. Just as far as next door where we had a clear view. an off some shots and limped, hobbled back to the pub
Lightpainting
After dinner at the pub the entire group relocated to across the road for some more light painting…no steel wool as Bill was reluctant to start a fire and burn the town down…. but we had fun with LEDs
At the end of the night we took a careful drive back into BH, dodging a few roo’s, rabbits and goats making it safely to our motel. The next morning was to be an early start as we had to be on the road by 7.30am and heading to Mungo……
Coming Up Next Day: Mungo NP and Great Walls of China