Pragnamix

Alfred Nicolas Gardens

2011-05-19T21:52:00.000+10:00

Not far from the George Tindale Garden is the Alfred Nicolas Garden. The entrance to the gradens looked rather formal and give not hint of what awaited me further into the garden. The main path in offers nothing particularly spectacular and I decided to follow the signs towards the lake. The path meanders downwards though quite beautiful and bright red and yellow autumn foliage.

Reaching the lake, I was completely taken in by what greeted me. Words simply will not do justice to the scene of rich colours that unfolded before me and I can only let the pictures tell its own story. But the pictures do not do justice so get out there and see for yourself. I know I will be back in the different seasons.

From Yarra Ranges

A Chilly Walk Through George Tindale Memorial Gardens

2011-05-15T21:44:00.001+10:00

From

It is cold and wet when I wake on Sunday morning. I know I had planned to explore this garden which is now managed by Parks Victoria. But winter has come early and I drag myself out of bed and head on over up

From Yarra Ranges

OK I would have preferred spring but nothing a piping hot cup of coffee and a glass of red could not redress. Unfortunately more than half the park is closed off for maintenance but I still caught the lovely, albeit wet, autumn colours. It was worth getting out of bed for.

Why On Earth Do We Import Halloween?

2010-10-30T10:05:00.001+11:00

I note with concern this year the increasing promotion of Halloween in Australia. It seems that the big boys retail boys have decided that this another revenue generating opportunity and have gone all out for it. Why oh why are we so intent on taking on another aspect of American culture? Is Australia so bereft or ignorant of our own cultural heritage to have to adopt every thing that comes out of America?

Let's be very clear about this supermarkets were charging $20 for a US Halloween pumpkin. This is not a food item. It is merely so that a Hollywood inspired face could be cut out in it and a candle placed in it. Don't even get me started on the silly "trick or treat" nonsense.

Hey don't get me wrong, I am certainly not against children having a good time but why send them out into the street dresses in ghoulish outfits knocking on doors asking for lollies.

There was a time when Australians used to have a street parties where the whole street just had a good time. As Australians, this practice has all but disappeared which is very sad as we are prepared to adopt something else instead.

Come on Australia let's not get led by the nose and make a stand

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Cowwarr Weir Reflections

2010-10-21T00:34:00.001+11:00

I came across this weir in a tiny place called Coowwarr and amazingly had the place all to myself and absolutely no wind which created a mirror surface which gave me the opportunity to quickly fire off several shots

From Moe Walhalla

Location:Cowwarr Weir, Gippsland, Victoria

Smart Meters Continuing Fiasco in Victoria

2010-10-18T13:52:00.001+11:00

The continuing fiasco with the rollout of electricity smart meters in Victoria is would be comical if it wasn't for the fact that the consumer is footing the bill for something that should have been a good initiative for better energy consumption and more responsible energy consumption.

It is clear that the existing mechanical meters have outlived it's use by date and the benefits of the new smart meters is obvious. For reasons known only to the Victorian State Government, it has chosen to roll out smart meters putting the main bulk of costs on the consumer. The key benefit to the consumer of having being able to see their actual consumption patterns is that it should lead to a change in behavior to adjust consumption patterns to make realize cost benefits of cheaper electricity during off peak hours.

Without these, there is no benefit for adoption and only the cost of installing the new meters, which is mandatory anyway. So what you get is the electricity companies gaining the benefit of more efficient meter reading and therefore lower costs which are not passed onto the consumer.

This is just another example of how badly out of the touch the government is with the people. What is more bewildering to me is why the people of Victoria simply keep voting them back into power. With the coming election I simply say get rid of them and send a clear message to a new government that there has to be a better way.

Location:Mahoneys Rd,Forest Hill,Australia

Street Markets In Hanoi

2010-09-09T14:33:00.000+10:00

Street life in Hanoi is well...different. Not only are the streets teeming with motor cycles and bicycles but mobile sellers just park themselves on the roadside or wonder from street to street selling just about everything from vegetables, fruits, straw hats and baskets, presenting a colourful and unique scene for visitors from Western cultures.

From Hanoi and Ha Long Bay

Even grain is simply loaded up in baskets spilling out into the street protected from the elements overhead by canvas awnings.

Hanoi - A City In Transition

2010-09-08T09:17:00.000+10:00

I did not know what to expect of Hanoi. Many of my Vietnamese associates back in Australia had recommended that I visit Ho Chi Minh (formerly Saigon) city but I had decided that for photographic reasons I would instead do Hanoi and the world heritage listed Ha Long Bay which is 3 hours drive away.

From Hanoi and Ha Long Bay

The city is a fabulous mix of the old and new. We stayed in the Old Quarter with its narrow three to four storied shop fronts. I am told that the most roofs are used for drying clothes and the uppermost floors house Buddhist altars.

From Hanoi and Ha Long Bay

The city is one of contrasts. The main government buildings are a remnant of the French colonial days. New economic activity is giving rise to construction of new talller buildings. But despite the growth and changes, one cannot help but enjoy the many older way such as vegetable sellers going from door to door selling their wares.

From Hanoi and Ha Long Bay

Country Lane

2010-07-24T21:16:00.001+10:00

When driving in the country, the lanes leading off the main road to a property offer some interesting opportunities such as this one just after sunrise. I liked the effect of the trees lining the lane. There was another shot which I took where the gate posts framed either side of the lane but I liked his one better

Australian Footy St Kilda 2010 Season Round 14

2010-07-07T20:44:00.001+10:00

St Kilda wins 100-65 and continues its march towards September

From Australian Spo rt

From Australian Sport

Twas A Wet And Winter Morning

2010-06-28T22:56:00.000+10:00

From In And About Melbourne

Having to get up early on a weekend is not one of my favourite things to do but I had an errand to run and so I just took my camera along as I was thinking of getting a couple of shots so that I could play around with black and white conversion. It started to drizzle after about 15 minutes so I gave up as the temperature was only just pushing 6C. Lo and behold about 2 Kms from home the sun peeked through the clouds and I was presented with a beautifully formed rainbow.

Parking my car quickly, I jumped out and snapped half a dozen pictures in quick succession with very little time to find a better spot. Unfortunately the widest focal length on the zoom lens that I had on could barely get the whole rainbow in and it also had electric wires which I simply could not avoid.

As I was shooting the half dozen pictures, the rain started to fall more heavily and the rainbow just vanished right in front of my eyes. This picture was probably the cleanest shot composition wise. If only it lasted a few more minutes

Up Close and Comfortable Mr Salty

2010-05-27T22:42:00.000+10:00

How close do you want to get to an Australian Salt Water crocodile. Hopefully the answer is close enough as long as I am sitting in the safety of a boat with a 70-300mm zoom lens. These fellas are not I would describe as friendly but they are magnificent creatures and a wonder to behold. This was taken on the Yellow Waters cruise in the world heritage Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory.

From Northern Territory Australia

Waterfalls Of Litchfield Nationnal Park

2010-04-16T09:25:00.000+10:00

The waterfalls of Litchfield National Park simply quite incredible especially during the wet season when they are full of water. Driving from Darwin, Florence Falls is the first of the 3 falls I visited.

From Northern Territory Australia

The next fall I reached was Tolmer Falls. Unfortunately the trail to the ground level and plunge pool was closed to the public as there were rare bats living in the cave at the bottom of the falls.

From Northern Territory Australia

The last of the 3 falls was Wangi Falls which really had a very large plunge pool which unfortunately had been closed off to the public for swimming. This is normal for the wet season as the water level rises so high that crocodiles migrate into the area and the authorities quite prohibit swimming until they clear the area and declare it safe. Nevertheless the falls are full to capacity at this time of the year and a a sight to behold.

From Northern Territory Australia

If you have the time, a trail loops around the top of the falls and takes about an hour to complete and is worthwhile doing as you will get to see the creek at the top that feeds the twin falls.

From Northern Territory Australia

The locals tell me that during the cooler months of the year from June to August with the dry season the volume of water will be smaller but the pool is open to swimming, Guess you can't have it all

Fogg Dam has Lilies Too

2010-04-12T22:24:00.008+10:00

Birds were not the only thing that made my afternoon at Fogg Dam so rewarding. As it was the wet season the water levels were high and the lilies were in bloom

From Northern Territory Australia

There were two lookouts just by the road that runs the full length of the weir which allows you to literally stand over the lily blooms.

From Northern Territory Australia

All the shot of the lilies were taken hand held using my Sigma 70-300mm APO macro zoom lens

From Northern Territory Australia

[Pictures taken with Pentax K20D and Sigma 70-300mm APO Zoom lens]

Fogg Dam a Hidden Treasure In the Northern Territory

2010-04-06T21:06:00.008+10:00

Fogg Dam is a hidden treasure tucked away in Conservation Reserve between Darwin and Kakadu National Park in Northern Territory.

From Northern Territory Australia

It is actually more of a weir than a dam but then who really cares when the bird life is so abundant and easy to get to. I visited this gem of a place in the saddle between the wet and the dry season. Spoonbills, egrets and darters were to be found everywhere and arrived to find them feeding in a creek just by the lookout.

From Northern Territory Australia

It was exhilarating to watch a whole flock of birds take off in flight and I got to see it close up time and time again here. There is something about the sound of a flock of birds taking to the skies

From Northern Territory Australia

School for Orphans of Cyclone Nargis

2009-09-24T00:45:00.001+10:00

Cyclone Nargis left many orphaned children in its wake. A few of them ended up in this school set and supported by a local church. It goes without saying that the neater of the two dormitories belonged to the girls. The children board here in the school.

The two doctors then proceeded to conduct the first of what would turn out to be three clinics in three days. They determined that almost all the children were suffering from scabies and treated them accordingly.

Working diligently the doctors treated nearly 70 individuals including one student who had a wound that was not healing properly.

As the clinic continued into the early evening, the students sat down to dinner in the same room that served as one of their classrooms during the day. This was quickly followed by the sound or a surprisingly melodious voice of a tutor delivering algebra tuition to a class of enthusiastic students. I have never seen or heard algebra taught in this way before as tutor sang out and the children repeated his teachings.

Faces of Myanmar

2009-09-24T00:27:00.001+10:00

Myanmar is made up of many different tribes. These pictures are my first real attempt at taking portraits.

The street seller standing at the corner was selling chilled water by passing water over a block of ice.

The remaining pictures were are of local residents in the village of Seikkyi across the Yangon River from the city of Yangon.

Geo Tagging Photographs with I-GotU Geo Tagging Device

2009-08-16T19:12:00.001+10:00

I don’t know about you but geo tagging my pictures is a painful and time consuming task. Unless you have a camera that had geo tagging facilities, the rest of us have had to manually tag our pictures by dragging and dropping them into a mapping facility like that in Picasa or Flickr. Then I heard Chris Marquardt (Tips from the Top Floor Podcasts) in one of his podcasts taking about geo tagging devices, so last week I just decided to order an I-GotU 9289.com which came to about $80 including shipping.

The device is deceptively simple and quite small having only one button and nothing else. The device logs GPS coordinates at fixed intervals when it is switched on. Every photograph that you take with your camera is also time stamped in your camera. So the trick is matching up the GPS coordinates with the pictures in your camera based on the time stamps.

This is done firstly by uploading the trip details from the I-GotU device with the bundled software named @trip using the simple uploading wizard. After the trip GPS coordinates have been uploaded, the wizard then asks whether you would like to add any photographs. All you have to do it to point it to the folder containing your photographs and the wizard does the rest attempting to match and allocate a GPS coordinate to all your pictures based on their time stamp.

Sounds simple enough. Just a couple of gotchas (1) don’t forget to check that the time on the device is exactly the same as the time on your camera clock. (2) annoyingly there is a “daylight saving” switch in the wizard and if you are not careful leaving it on will cause a log entry to have one hour added to them upon uploading and annoyingly means that the pictures cannot be mapped as they will be one hour out of sync. I recommend that you un-tick the setting and everything will be sweet

Don’t worry if you don’t quite get it right, the bundled software allows you to easily come back later and make some fine tuning and it will write the changed GPS coordinates back to your photograph.

I will update a few more tips as I play with this over the next few weeks

A Winter Afternoon At Sir James Hamer Arboretum

2009-08-10T21:06:00.001+10:00

We had just had a lovely lunch at Credo in Olinda and bumped into some friends who had just come into the restaurant as we were just finishing our meal. Dressed in sports outfits they had clearly come from a spot of exercise. They recommended that we check out Sir James Hamer Arboretum which was hardly 5 mins drive away.

This spot is reached by taking either Woolrich Road or Chalet Road off the main Olinda Monbulk Road. This was the view that we were presented upon arrival at the car park.

We really were not dressed for walking but despite being a chilly winter day, we decided to take a short walk along Dam Road which is really more of a walking trail.

I think winter colours in Mt Dandenong offers has more variety than the usual forest green of summer.

Although we did not venture too far from the car park, just the views you can see from the photographs convinced me that I really should to come back and make a more extensive walk around the place. Hope you agree too. Oh and by the way there are BBQ facilities available too

[Photographs taken with Pentax K20D and Pentax DA 18-55mm Mk II zoom lens]

Wetlands In My Backyard

2009-07-16T00:22:00.001+10:00

It was raining most of Saturday and I was getting restless. Sunday morning did not start any better and then the clouds cleared a bit and the sun started to peek out. I had seen an area of wetlands almost every day as I make my way to work. But somehow, I never really ever made the effort to get to it even though I had seen bird life from the highway which passes by this wetland. So this time I decided to investigate it properly.

I decided to be really brave and took along my 30 year old 50mm SMC f1.7 to see how I would fare without an fully automatic lens. This lens is older my my oldest son and was bought more than 30 years ago when I was in university in Birmingham, England.

I got the hang of it after a a dozen or so shots. I guess it is like riding a bicycle. You never really forget how to do it. The sequence I used was (1) set the aperture manually on the lens, then hit the “green” button on my K20D to get the exposure right and then focus, again manually.

I stumbled upon this scene just off the main trail surrounding the wetlands. The sun was struggling to break though which meant that I had pretty soft light even though it was around 1pm in the afternoon.

Much I was enjoying getting to know my old 50mm lens again, I was glad I had my Sigma 70-300mm lens with me which allowed me to get this picture of an unusually twisted gum tree.

This tree stump was lying just on the edge of the stream that was meandering around the wetlands pretty much following the trail I was following.

I was faced by a problem in that while I could walk around the wetlands, I simply could not find a way to actually get to the wetlands proper. To add to my frustration the stream seemed to surround the wetlands area cutting me off completely.

Eventually I spied a couple walking their dogs emerging from what looked like the middle of the wetlands and lo and behold I was able to finally make my way towards my target destination. As I hurried towards the direction the couple emerged from I passed by the remains of this fallen tree.

I was able to cross over a very narrow part of the stream and finally found myself in the wetlands proper

Most, if not all of the ponds were surrounded by high shrubs which blocked by view. Using the breaks in the scrubs I kept looking for bird life that I could hear inhabited the area. Eventually I was rewarded by a pair of black swans feeding in their natural habitat.

[pictures taken with Pentax K20D, Pentax SMC 50mm f1.7 and Sigma 70-300 APO zoom lenses]

Trails Around Mortimer Picnic Ground, Bunyip State Park

2009-06-29T00:04:00.001+10:00

I started my walk at Mortimer Picnic Ground. Despite being a rather chilly day, there were a number of families in the park and had fires going in the designated areas keep them nice and warm. I headed north along Link Road. This road is accessible to authorised vehicles.

I turned into Williams Road and then hooked up with Windy Point Road and followed the road all the way to the top of the ridge. This is a shot of that junction.

Windy Point Road does get a bit steeper in parts so it is not exactly a stroll in the park. There are many tracks that cross and intersect Windy Point Road. Here is one such intersection.

Reaching Williams Ridge Road, I decided to walk no further uphill and instead proceeded along the downward sloping ridge track.

Williams Ridge Road is a smaller track than Windy Peak Road. Despite being on the ridge, you could only catch glimpses of the valleys below as the trees blocked out most of the views.

Just a short way after leaving Windy Peak Road, I came across the clumps of Grass trees (See previous blog entry) and then stumbled upon a small pond with completely still waters which gave me the following picture below.

The Ridge Track eventually joins the main Link Road again and winds through some pretty Tree Fern forests

The walk along the Link Road all the way back to the starting point at Mortimer picnic ground isn’t exactly easy. The road does undulate quite steeply in places up and down.

After spending the best part of 4 hours meandering around the trails, I was reasonably tired. Barely 20 minutes later I found myself in a cafe in Emerald with a Latte and a hot scone. What a way to end the trip

[pictures taken with Pentax K20D and Pentax DA 18-55mm MK II zoom and Sigma 70-300mm APO zoom]

Fauna In Bunyip State Park

2009-06-25T21:58:00.001+10:00

I spent a whole day at Bunyip State Park starting my walk at Mortimer picnic ground. Bunyip State Park is big and the trails around Mortimer Park I walked are just a tiny fraction of the whole state park.

The walks around Mortimer Park are easy to moderate. As I did not come across too broad sweeping vistas, I decided to turn my attention to fauna.

I have no idea what the pink flowers are. The Grass tree on the left was one of a whole clump of them just off the Ridge Track.

Mushrooms could be seen just off the track

The tree below just stood out not just because it looked like the trunk exploded but because I can almost make out a face with ugly teeth in the middle part of the tree trunk.

[pictures taken with Pentax K20D, Sigma 70-300mm APO Zoom and Pentax DA 18-55mm MK II Zoom lenses]

Misty Dandenong Ranges

2009-06-24T23:55:00.002+10:00

Driving on my way towards Bunyip National Park along some winding country roads dotted by farms, I came to a break in the trees with this view towards the Dandenong Ranges.

The soft layer of mist with the matching clouds and sky made for an interesting shot even though it was nearly 10am in the morning

[taken with Pentax K20D and DA 18-55mm Mk II zoom]

What’s There In Melbourne Zoo

2009-06-14T15:17:00.001+10:00

The last time I visited Melbourne zoo was when my children were young. That was more than 10 years ago. So I really did not know what to expect so many years later going with my wife’s two young nephews. Well at least I would get to enjoy some photography. OK I confess, it turned out to be far more enjoyable than I imagined so here are just a few pictures.

This one was taken using the Sigma 70-300mm APO zoom lens which I needed simply to taken the picture through the cage grill. I actually was shooting continuously and was fortunate enough to catch him snarling away.

This one of snake eye was taken in the reptile exhibit through glass (obviously!!) I had to bump the ISO way up to 1600 just to be able to get a decent enough hand held shout shot using the macro capabilities of the Sigma 70-300mm zoom.

And then for something more sedate. I rarely use my Sigma 70-300mm APO zoom but I had it on the Pentax K20D for most of the time. Its a cheap lens but does the job.

[Pictures taken with Pentax K20D and Sigma 70-300mm APO zoom]

Autumn Dusk At The Duck Pond

2009-05-15T00:19:00.001+10:00

Its starting to get cold with autumn fast approaching. I had photographed the sunset at this nearby pond in the past, but this time I caught the silhouettes of some ducks cutting across the reflection of the setting sun.

[photographs taken with Pentax K20D and Sigma 18-125mm zoom]

Autumn

2009-05-14T00:01:00.001+10:00

I love autumn and all the different colours that present themselves. Everything looks and feels so different and yet the same. This is a shot of foliage of a nature plant in a nearby park

And this one is a very common duck taken just before sunset in a nearby pond. I liked this particulare shot partly because it caught the drop of water just in front of duck hitting the surface of the water

Two quite different pictures taken on an autumn evening

[pictures taken with Pentax K20D and Sigma 18-125mm zoom]

Power Lines At Dusk

2009-04-25T16:16:00.001+10:00

The sun was setting while I was out riding by bicycle the other day when I came upon the outline of a series of power lines on horizon. As I stopped to take a drink of water, I noticed a number of huge circular pipes under the road. Descending down into the gully and under the road I managed to get famed picture of the power lines with the light from the setting sun shinning into the tunnel.

[Photograph taken with Pentax K20D and Sigma 28-125mm Zoom]

Bruny Island

2009-03-29T20:48:00.001+11:00

My day trip to Bruny Island off the south coast of Tasmania did not begin well as it was raining heavily when we arrived at Kettering to catch the ferry to Bruny Island. Fortunately the rain stopped and we were greeted by a pretty sight of the day break over the marina.

The ferry ride only lasted 15 minutes and the rain clouds provided a stormy picture overhanging the island as we approached it.

Bruny Island consists of two parts separated by the narrowest peninsular I have ever seen aptly named “The Neck”. Climbing up the lookout was well worth it despite the cold blistery wind.

(The Neck – facing north)

(The Neck – facing south)

This lookout site also houses a Penguin rookery. Unfortunately we left the island well before sundown which meant we were not able to see those tiny little Fairy Penguins which nest here.

We made our way to Adventure Bay and braved the rain to walk the Fluted Cape Trail which is a circuit. A friendly Ranger advised that I should make the trip anti-clockwise which which was really good advice.

This is a walk that I would class as medium difficulty especially in the wet. It took me the better part of 45 mins walking through mostly Australian bush when the trail ended suddenly almost at the top of the cape which is 270m high.

Partly covered in mist I can only guess at what it will look like bathed in the glow of the setting sun. The track is somewhat precarious for those not used to heights and there are no barriers at the edge. The views are magnificent and different with each turn in the trail.

Unusual rock columns litter the rock face at almost at every turn. Birds can be found perched in and on these formations. The trail overlooks Penguin Island

I came across this withered tree with Penguin Island in the background. This side of Bruny Island faces the full onslaught of the Southern Oceans and it is easy to see how the rugged coastline has been shaped

The Fluted Cape trail end abd joins the less strenuous Grassland Trail back down on the beach. I spent the better part of 3 hours on the trail including stoppage time for photography.

(Pictures taken with Pentax K20D and Pentax DA 18-55mm MkII zooom lens)

A Walk On The High Side

2009-03-27T00:04:00.001+11:00

Tasmania never fails to disappoint me and this my fifth trip to the island was no exception. Leaving Hobart early and driving South towards Geeveston, which is the gateway to the Hartz Mountains National Park, took me along the picturesque Huon River.

The Tahune Airwalk is a platform that rises 40 meters just above the forest canopy and provides a magnificent view of the forest and the Huon River. The highlight of the walk surely must be the cantilever platform that offers a incredible view of the junction where the Huon and Picton rivers meet .

Don’t miss out on the walking trails down on the forest floor. Both the two walking trails are easy ones. As it’s name suggests, the Swing Bridge trail sports two swing bridges over the Picton and Huon Rivers. Take the opportunity to walk to the point where the two rivers meet. You will be able to see the cantilever platform from this junction.

The Huon Pine is a very short circuit. Walk this trail in a clockwise direction. This way the boardwalk opens up a view of the Huon River which the trail hugs for the remainder of way.

Photographs taken with Pentax K20D and Pentax DA 18-55mm Mk II zoom lens

A Ride In The Park

2009-02-26T01:21:00.001+11:00

I knew that I was getting lazy and decided to just get on my bicycle and took my Pentax istDS along just in case I came across something interesting.

Unfortunately nothing really caught my attention even through shot off round of about 20 pictures and I ended up sitting in a park while taking a short break. Ok nothing fantastic pops out of the wood work and I just lay there on the grass rehydrating as the temperature was well into the 30C. Looking up from the grass this is what I saw. Ah well, the ride was not a complete waste of time

[Taken by Pentax istDS and and Sigma 18-125mm zoom]

Bayon Temple, Angkor Thom

2009-02-14T00:34:00.001+11:00

Until I visited Siem Reap and the Angkor Wat World Heritage area, I never appreciated that the Angkor Wat was but one of nearly 30 temples in the area. My favourite is Bayon which is not as well known as the Angkor Wat monastery itself or the Ta Prohm which was one of the locations of the Tomb Raider movies.

This was one of the first pictures I took upon approaching the front of the temple. It is actually one of the minor entrances on the right hand side of the front of the temple. What caught my eye to the scene was the meditating monk among the pillars. You can image my surprise as I got closer to find that it was in fact a statue with a yellow scarf draped over it.

All the pictures were taken in the late morning. Yes I know that it is not the best time for photography and the hot and humid conditions did not help either.

This is the view from the front approach to the temple. As you can see from the blown out sky the time of day it was. Don’t get deceived the towers outlined against the sky are about 4 stories high. This shot was taken from a fairly low angle.

I liked the backdrop in this picture with the tower sort of emerging out of green foliage of the tropical jungle.

I wish there was some definition to the sky in the background but at least I managed to get the three lined up faces. There were actually about 6 of them on either side but I just could not find a place to get them all in. Mind you each face is about 10m long just to give you some idea of their size.

[Photographs taken with Pentax K20D and DA 18-55mm Mk II zoom lens]

A Very Strange Rock Formation Indeed

2009-01-17T11:44:00.001+11:00

Flinders Chase National Park is located on the western end of Kangaroo Island. It had been raining when we arrived and the undulating road that led to Remarkable Rocks was partly covered by mist

The lookout along the road provided my first view of Remarkable Rocks across the stretch of beach barely visible through the mist and rain.

It is a rather strange formation indeed and seemed like some giant children has just gathered some rocks and deposited them in a pile. It was a pity that the weather was rather dull and wet. Even the walk from the car park had to be made in pouring rain but I was glad that we persisted.

It was situations like this that I was so glad that the Pentax K20D is weather sealed. I had to remember that the Pentax DA 18-55mm zooms lens was not. That’s easy to forget.

[Pictures taken with Pentax K20D and Pentax DA 18-55mm Mk II zoom lens]

Bird Life on Kangaroo Island

2009-01-14T18:31:00.001+11:00

If you want to see and photograph birds in their natural habitat the a visit to Kangaroo Island is a must. We stayed at American River which is a pretty small place

Just walk by the shore in the early morning will bring you across Australian Pelicans just lazing and sunning on the waters edge. There is plenty of other birdlife such as the Yellow Faced (or Pied) Cormorant. I came across a bunch of them just resting on the rocks.

Kangaroo Island is just the place to enjoy the wildlife and you don’t have to trek into the wilds to see them.

[Photographs taken with Pentax K20D and Sigma 70-300mm APO zoom lens]

Sea-lions on Kangaroo Island

2009-01-03T22:21:00.002+11:00

Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island is a truly unique place. The visit to the Seal Conservatory on Kangaroo Island was an experience that made me rethink how I felt about the environment.

Despite looking so cute so much so that you want to walk up to a pup to cuddle one, you are reminded that these are still wild animals and we are in their backyard or as the park ranger put it “in their bedroom”.

The next picture shows clearly just how ferocious these creatures can be. One look at those teeth should is sufficient to convince anyone. And just in case you thought that you were king on land, the ranger reminded us that on the beach, the male would easily outrun us easily. I was not game to test this out.

Their numbers have been falling over the years and unfortunately our rubbish is their number one cause of death. Because females are pregnant even as they raise their newly born pup, the death of a female means the loss of three lives, the mother, the pup on the beach and the unborn baby she is carrying.

Sharks are their main predators but plastic bags found in the stomachs of dead seals is a major contributing factor to their declining numbers along with fishing lines and plastic rope.

[pictures taken with Pentax K20D and Sigma 70-300mm APO zoom lens]

Pennington Bay, Kangaroo Island

2008-12-23T14:39:00.002+11:00

Arriving at Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island in the pouring rain did not exactly give me good reason to be cheerful. The ferry journey from Cape Jervis took 45 minutes and was rather choppy because of the bad weather. Turning left off the main road down the first of many unsealed roads I would encounter on the island eventually opened up to the lovely Pennington Bay on the Southern coastline of Kangaroo Island

Steps lead you down to a small sandy beach with jagged rock faces.

The low tide allowed me to photograph the rocks which would have been below the water line at high tide.

[photographs taken with Pentax K20D and Pentax DA 18-55mm MK II zoom lens]

Rowville Sunset With a Old Manual Lenses

2008-11-02T21:10:00.001+11:00

On this warm evening, I decided to give my old Pentax 50mm 1.7 which I purchased 30 years ago for my Pentax ME Super. I really had no idea how this would turn out given that everything had to be set manually. I decided on f11 the old fashioned way on the lens aperture ring,shooting straight at the setting sun and my Pentax istDS selected 1/500 on the selected ISO 200 setting

For this shot I swapped over to the Sigma 28mm and with f11 and using the same ISO 200 setting the istDS selected a shutter speed of 1/400. This too was another old lens from 30 years ago and completely manual too.

I have to admit that having to focus manually on a DSLR is not easy given that there is no split screen but at the least the camera does indicate focus lock which helps.

I was happy with the results especially the 50mm f1.7 lens which is quite a bright lens

[Pictures taken with Pentax istDS, Pentax 50mm and Sigma 28mm lenses]

Waves Breaking At Sunrise

2008-10-30T09:01:00.001+11:00

Waking up at 6 am in the morning in winter is not an easy thing to do. Ah but the joys of photography. The weak winter sun had already risen just above the horizon and was casting light directly into my lens. So I had to really close down the aperture right down to f/38 at 50mm using 0.7 sec on a tripod.

This next one was taken at 40mm f/32 and 1/8 sec with the sun already well above the horizon.

[pictures taken with Pentax K20D and Pentax DA 18-55mm MkII zoom lens]

Mount Cook at Dusk

2008-10-25T09:14:00.001+11:00

These pictures were taken a few years ago when I visited the South Island of New Zealand. It was a pity I arrived in the area so late afternoon after the drive from Dunedin. Left with little time to actually drive to the base of Mount Cook meant that I would just have to make do with shooting this splendid mountain across Lake Pukaki. This meant using my Sigma 70-300mm APO zoom lens on a tripod to get a decent shot.

A short drive from the spot where I took the first shots, I arrived at a different view at a narrower part of the lake across from Mt Cook.

The fading light made shooting conditions more difficult than I would have liked and some low clouds were beginning to creep towards Mt Cook which actually made for a different shot.

All the pictures were taken with focal lengths right throughout the range of the 70-300mm zoom

[pictures taken with Pentax istDS and Sigma 70-300mm APO Zoom]

Triplet Falls, Great Otways National Park

2008-10-19T00:20:00.001+11:00

The trail to Triplet falls has been given a major facelift and is probably the most impressive of the three falls in the area.

The walkways appear to have been upgraded and some sections of boardwalk and steps appear to be quite new

It is recommended that you follow the trail clockwise following the fork in the track from the car park to the left. This will lead you towards the rainforest sections of the trail and gradually open up the main falls itself.

Several flights of steps takes you down to the bottom of the trail and then flattens out. Here you meet area covered with tree ferns. The boardwalks bring you up close and through fairly dense patches of the tree fern forest.

I arrived at the first sight of water after about 30 - 40 minutes and at first was disappointed. But this was not the falls and just a short walk further the main falls came into view and it was beautiful

Water comes over the top of the falls in 3 separate channels with the largest on the right hand side. The viewing platforms provide a panoramic view of falls. I would have liked to have got to ground level to get diiferent angles of the falls but there was no easy access and I guess it was for good reason because of the volume and force of the water

If you are short on time, you could take the right hand fork at the start of track and arrive at the main falls in just about 10-15 minutes.

[Pictures taken with Pentax K20D and DA 21mm Limited and DA 18-55mm Mk II zoom lenses]

Marriners Fall and Lookout

2008-10-12T10:38:00.000+11:00

Visitors to Apollo Bay can easily get confused about two local attractions. Marriners Fall and Lookout. Despite having the same name, they are actually located at separate ends of the town.

Marriners Fall trail follows the stream from which the fall flows downstream towards Apollo Bay. Neatly laid flat stepping stones make it a pleasure to walk over the stream and there are several crossing before you get to the fall.

Staring off with eucalyptus forest, the trail winds its way into rainforest territory and an almost fairy tale life mass of fern trees and moss covered rocks and fallen logs

Although there has been a prolonged drought in most of the rest of Victoria, you would never know that walking through the Great Otways National Park. The place is simply lush and green and the rivers and streams filled with water.

Unlike the other more well known falls in the area, you can actually walk right up to the waters edge itself offering you greater flexibility to get different views of the fall.

The fall is really pretty with partly submerged logs which are covered in moss.

Marriners Lookout located at the other end Apollo Bay, is actually on private land which has been open to public access. The lookout provides a panoramic view of Apollo Bay. The walk is a gentle walk only about 10 minutes from the car park.

People were just lying down on the paddock soaking in the sun and enjoying the view of Apollo Bay and the surrounding shoreline.

You could simply lie there and enjoy the views for hours. We were here at mid-afternoon and being east ward facing, I considered coming back in the morning to catch the sunrise. But I ended up on the beach early the next morning and never made it back here to see the sunsrise.

[All pictures taken with Pentax K20D and Pentax DA 21mm Limited and DA 18-55mm zoom Mk II]

Point Nepean National Pak

2008-10-09T09:27:00.001+11:00

Point Nepean National Park is situated at one end of the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. It served as a military installation during World War I and II and for most part of the twentieth century. Gun emplacements are found buried into the ground and make for an over sized playground for children.

The walk from the car park to the tip of the peninsular is 3.5 kilometers long so allow for at least 3 to 4 hours to explore the place properly. A short walk from the main road takes you to Observation Point with the remnants of the Cattle Quarantine Jetty.

Cheviot Hill is the next stop looking out towards Bass Strait. Named after a wreck it is also infamous as the site where an Australian Prime Minister was lost when taking a swim and never recovered.

An observation post and a World War I gun emplacement are found here. A short walk up a hill takes you towards the main fortifications of Fort Pearce and Fort Nepean.

Arriving at Fort Pearce opens up a view over to the Point itself and Fort Nepean. The view from Fort Nepean back towards the penisular shows the stark contrast between the rough seas of the Bass Strait on the right and the calm waters of Port Phillip Bay on the left separated by the narrow piece of land joining Fort Pearce to Fort Nepean.

Fort Nepean is a maze of tunnels and observation posts with plenty to explore and photograph.

From the tip of the penisular you can see the Ballarine Peninsular on the other side of the entrace to Port Phillip Bay

Here from the lookout you can clearly see the Rip on the left hand side meeting the calmer waters of Pot Phillip Bay on the right. Being spring, the wild flowers are beginning to bloom casting an emerging yellow carpet on the slopes.

It was a lovely day and certainly one not just for photography but also for absorbing the atmosphere of the place.

[Photographs taken with Pentax K20D using Pentax DA 21mm Limited and DA 18-55mm Mk II lenses]

Three Falls in a Forest

2008-09-25T09:04:00.001+10:00

Apollo Bay was a place that we stopped for lunch years ago when the children were young and I remember thinking that it would make a nice place to visit and stay. It took ten years for me to realise that thought. The town is quaint and very relaxing but it was the surrounding Great Otways National Park which turned out to be a simply stunning.

Beech Forest is home to three of the prettiest waterfalls in Victoria all of which are no more than 30 minutes drive from each other.

Hopetoun Fall

Hopetoun Falls is can be seen just a few short steps away from the carpark, visible from the top from a small viewing platform . The trail takes you to the falls at ground level

Triplet Falls

Triplet Falls is a series of three separate falls spread across about 50 meters. This circuit walk has just received a major facelift recently and is a easy trail. This is a picture of the largest of the 3 falls.

Beauchamp Fall

The trial is not an easy one and because of the terrain, there are restricted views of the fall itself. Nevertheless the walk to the falls it almost worth the effort itself as it goes through picturesque forest especially from the point where it meets the stream flowing from the falls

[all pictures taken with Pentax K20D and Pentax DA 18-55mm Mk II zoom lens]

Kinglake National Park in Winter

2008-09-08T00:13:00.001+10:00

Nestled not far from the well known Yarra Glen wineries, Kinglake National Park is not all that well known as the Yarra and Dandenong Ranges. I was in the area having lunch at the Oakridge Winery and decided make my way to Kinglake. The route from Healesville is a pleasant drive through gentle rolling hills.

My first stop was at Jehosaphat Gully picnic ground where I decided to take a shortest walk which was about 1 Km long and circled back to the car park. The walk is a easy one passing through a fern gullies which appeared to be either just coming out of winter or suffering from the effects of the prolonged draught.

Funnily enough I noticed that the fern trees were particularly abundant where boardwalks were present and I realised that this was largely because the platforms were built to allow water to flow underneath which is why the fern tress flourished near them.

There are longer walks in the area which I intend to explore further in Spring.

It was mid afternoon by now and I decided to make my way westwards towards Mt Sugarloaf. The road from to the summit ends in a car park. The Ridge Trail begins here and I have to admit that I was a little disappointed as I was expecting to get a good view or even a lookout of some sort of Sugarloaf Reservoir from the summit. Nevertheless I wondered about a kilometer from the top.

Despite not having a panoramic view I could glimpse the valley below peeking through the trees. The green of the plain below contrasts with the bone dry brown forest floor along the Ridge Trail.

On my walk back to the car park, I came across some patches of blue flowers sitting against the dry forest floor.

It was good to see a little burst of colour here and there to break up the bland sea of dead dry leaves and brush.

Ah the signs that spring is just around the corner.

[all pictures taken with Pentax K20D and DA21mm Limited lens]

A Morning Walk Through Ta Prohm Temple

2008-08-28T00:18:00.001+10:00

My first real taste of the Angkor Wat World Heritage area was the temple of Ta Prohm. I entered the temple grounds through the East Gate and walked through a lightly forested path to approach the temple. On either side I caught glimpses of bits of ruins barely sticking out from the under growth until arriving at the temple proper.

The most striking feature of this temple was the number of large trees that had seemingly grown out of the temple structure itself.

These trees appeared to have taken root and had become an integral part of the temple structure giving it a unique appearance. Small wonder that this was picked as a location for one of the Tomb Raider movies.

This phenomena should hardly be surprising given that the temple ruins remained undiscovered and overtaken by the jungle for several hundreds of years but it is a surreal sight by most counts.

Ta Prohm temple is not as impressive architecturally when compared to some of the other temples but with a major part of the temple grounds being shaded by the jungle canopy it assumes a unique charm of its own.

[all pictures taken with Pentax K20D and DA 18-55mm MK II zoom lens]

Lake Mountain in Winter

2008-08-18T09:24:00.001+10:00

I finally had the courage to try my hand at skiing and make my way to Lake Mountain which is 1.5 hours drive from Melbourne. This was quite an experience as I had never skied before and took a risk taking my new Pentax K20D with the DA 18-5mm kit lens. Needless to say I stumbled fell and crawled my way through half of the 6km cross crountry trail. But with fresh snowfalls overnight the experience was worthwhile and most enjoyable. No broken bones, just some wounded pride as my daughter made it look all so easy.

I bumped into a local photographer who had the right idea. He was on snow shoes rather than skis and said that this was so much easier to get to places rather than skis! Ok I must remember that next time.

He advised using 1.5 EV compensation to get the exposure right and this advise was sound.

The easy trail was about 6kms long and believe me it was long enough for a beginner. The weather sealing of the K20D really came in handy when the snow started to fall and also when you are under a canopy and water just seems to want to drop on your camera.

Oh and by the way falling down that many times was a real worry with the camera in my backpack but I am happy to report that it and the lens survived all the falls. Not sure I will take such a risk again in the future.

Sunset at Ba Kheng Temple

2008-08-09T19:53:00.001+10:00

Ba Kheng Temple sits atop a hill that has a panoramic view that overlooks the entire World Heritage Area. A straight flight of stone stairs leads right up to the top of the temple where a single tower lays in the centre with several other towers fringing the four corners.

The temple is reached by a short easy walk. Since the purpose of visiting this site was to get a sunset view, the temple itself was not exactly the main attraction. The temple structure offered a number of interesting silhouettes to photograph the sunset.

I got lucky as this was the monsoon season which meant that it usually rains in the afternoon. Fortunately it did not rain this day and together with about 100 people we waited patiently for what turned out to be a lovely sunset thanks to the puffy cloud formations

This is a shot of pillars that flank one of four stairways leading up to the top of the temple.

This frame provided a nice composition of the towers and the object in front of it. Unfortunately it took a while for the area to clear as people were just lining up on the other side taking pictures.

The final picture is taken from the main approach as you first approach the top of the hill and the temple.

The steps are not as easy it it looks to climb and you actually have to crawl up instead of walk up. This temple is not as well preserved as the others but then being the the highest vantage point gives it a prominent panoramic view which the others simply cannot match. The sunset and this simple temple was a great way to start our tour of the area.

[pictures taken with Pentax K20D and Pentax DA 18-55mm Mk II lens]

Angkor Wat World Heritage Area

2008-08-02T22:19:00.001+10:00

Angkor Wat is not just a structure. It is an entire ancient city dotted with about 30 temples. Although the Angkor Wat is the most well known and most photographed structure, there are many others which are equally worthy photographic subjects.

My tour started the evening before with a visit to Ba Kheng temple which is situated on the top of a hill overlooking the World Heritage Area. The place is a favourite place for watching the sunset. Early the next day we made our way to Ta Prohm which was used as a location for the Lara Croft Tomb Raider movie. It is easy to see why the location was picked. The temple has been invaded by large trees growing right out of the temple structure itself.

While not as large nor as high as the other more well known temples, Ta Prohm nevertheless retains its own charm and unique character. It is also covered in shade by the surrounding forest canopy which provides some relief from the harsh lighting conditions.

From Ta Prohm, we proceeded to Bayon which is located within the boundaries of the the ancient city of Angkor Thom. This city also housed the Royal Palace of which there is no longer any trace of having being completely destroyed.

Bayon is probably the second most well known of the temples and presents a number of different photographic opportunities with its its multi-tiered structure.

Our final stop was the Angkor Wat gateway and monastory complex which is probably best shot in the setting sun as the main entrance is West facing. The Angkor Wat is the most well preserved and largest of all the temples and is clear to see why it lends its name to this world famous area/

I stayed in Siem Reap which is just 10 minutes drive from the Angkor Wat World Heritage Area. Entry to the World Heritage area is $20 USD per day.

I will cover each of the temples in more detail in future blog postings. All the pictures were taken with my new Pentax K20D which I took possession of a week before my trip.

Strahan, Tasmania

2008-06-29T00:00:00.001+10:00

Strahan Village is a beautiful spot which is the gateway to the Gordon River World Heritage area in Tasmania. Hogarth Falls is tucked away about 20 minutes walk from the town itself. The walk is an easy walk. It was cloudy that day and it allowed me to use a slower shutter speed to get this shot

[taken with Pentax ist DS with Sigma 18-125mm zoom]

Strahan harbour taken from our hotel window early in the morning. The boats were the ones that we took to tour the Gordon River World Heritage area.

An Unusual Winter Day at Melbourne Botanic Gardens

2008-06-15T22:32:00.001+10:00

With global warming and all the climate havoc going on around us, I guess I should not be the least surprised when we get a lovely warm winter day.

So I headed out to our Botanic Gardens to see what it would look like on this most unusual day and here are the results.

The first thing that struck me was just how still the water on the lakes were which offered me the change to get a mirror like effect. The sky was also playing along providing a lovely blue background to the water's reflection

Water Flows at Olinda Falls

2008-06-14T17:16:00.001+10:00

The weekend of rain in the Dandenong Ranges south of Melbourne has finally provided some flows for Olinda Falls. It was so nice to see wet glistening rocks and the moss even seems to be revived and green from just a few days of much missed rain.

Olinda Falls would not really been classed as a fall by most counts. But Australia is a dry continent and we will take what we get.

It was dark under the canopy even though it was only 2pm in the afternoon and these shots had to be taken with a tripod

The walk to the creek bed is barely 100 meters from the car pack. The walk is easy and forks to form one track that leads to the upper part of the creek and another to the lower part of the creek.

The lookout at the upper part of the falls looks down over the creek (top picture) while the viewing platform at the bottom part of the falls looks up at the creek bed and the falls.

Going Batty

2008-06-08T23:37:00.001+10:00

There is a colony of bats (flying foxes) located on the banks of the Yarra River as it approaches Melbourne city. The bats had invaded the Melbourne Botanic Gardens and were, after much effort, relocated to the present location at Yarra Bend just 10 minutes from the city centre.

No the pictures are not posted incorrectly. They do hang upside down. I was using the Sigma 70-300mm DG APO lens with a Sigma 1.4x teleconverter

Rainforest Gallery, Mt Donna Buang

2008-06-07T10:37:00.001+10:00

This broadwalk starts almost at the top of the forest canopy and down a flight of steps to the ground level of the forest. Although I had been here before, it was in the dry summer months and this time after a few bouts of much welcomed rain, the streams were flowing with water and the air was much heavier with moisture.

The whole place is very heavily shaded as you might expect and pictures had to be taken with wide open apertures often with speeds of 1/30 or less. It is nevertheless an enchanting place and I was almost expecting the elves to pop out to greet us

Early Morning in Lysterfield

2008-06-05T21:17:00.001+10:00

Rose up early one weekend and found a layer of mist floating over the fields.

Australian Summer Sunsets

2008-06-05T00:59:00.001+10:00

I live in Rowville an usually take a stroll in the evening when I can. This particular day, I came across this fabulous sunset and was at the right spot to capture the sun set reflecting over the water. The view lasted only a few minutes and I was just plain lucky to be at the right spot. It was a bit of a challenge as I had an older Pentax 50mm f1.7 non automatic lens which meant manual exposure and focusing. Was happy with the outcome.

JUNGLE DIARIES: BHITARKANIKA!

2008-05-27T08:54:00.001+10:00

JUNGLE DIARIES: BHITARKANIKA!
Came across this photographer in India. I never realised that they have crocodiles there. It is good to know that about their conversation efforts.

Yarra River in Autumn

2008-05-25T21:48:00.001+10:00

The autumn weather cleared sufficiently to provide some patches of sunshine. Arriving just after noon, we had a light lunch before walking along the river just around the town itself. The subdued colours held up nicely in the afternoon even though it was starting to rain lightly. Certainly worth a drive from Melbourne and a really nice way to spend an afternoon.

Wet Relief

2008-05-20T00:29:00.001+10:00

It rained over the weekend and brought much welcome water to an Australian landscape struggling to cope with the longest draught in living memory. It is becoming cold as we approach winter and for the first time, I could truly say that I really welcomed the wet albeit cold weekend weather. Through dry parched dry creek beds ran little streams and while we do not know how much more rain is to come, we have learned to accept with grateful hands what nature has brought.

Source Of Our Great River System

2008-05-17T10:04:00.001+10:00

If you ever have the opportunity to see the tributaries of our Australian major river system, you will start to gain an appreciation of just how fragile our ecosystem is and understand just a tiny fraction of what this whole debate over the Murray River system is all about. I was in the Snowy Mountains at the end of Spring even through the signs of the draught were clearly evident, the whole area was still nevertheless quite beholding.

Tamron 70-300 Di LD Macro Test Shots - Hin's Tech Corner

2008-05-12T13:19:00.000+10:00

Tamron 70-300 Di LD Macro Test Shots - Hin's Tech Corner

Take a look at the macro pictures by Hin - my favorite is the one with the lady bird

Autumn Around Rowville

2008-05-11T22:33:00.001+10:00

Churchill Park is just 10 minutes from my place. And I guess because of its proximity, I have a tendency to ignore the place. But autumn is here and having noticed the leaves disappearing from the trees in my garden, I thought that it would be time for a visit. Armed with only my 30 year old Sigma 28mm f2.8 lens, I wondered around for about an hour enjoying the changing colours.

Churchill Park

It was cloudy during the walk which worked out better in some ways as it meant that I was able to avoid the harsh late morning light. Hey and the old lens just keeps working like it's somewhat mature owner.

Churchill Park

Pentax DA Lenses Samples

2008-05-08T09:03:00.000+10:00

Here is a blog which shows samples of pictures taken with Pentax DA lenses. Really nice pictures with great colours showing just how good the lenses are.

chasing light...: flower fields of carlsbad, california

Wine Glass Bay

2008-05-07T22:01:00.001+10:00

[Freycinet National Park, Tasmania, Australia]

Freycinet almost seems like a poor cousin to the better known Cradle Mountain and Gordon River World Heritage areas. But that would be a big mistake. It is probably less spectacular but no less beautiful. The walks are easy to moderate and we we had the place almost to ourselves in September. The walk up to Wine Glass Bay Lookout is recommended. The bay gets its name from it's characteristic shape and because the waters were red from the whaling activities which used to operate from here. Take the walk down from the lookout to the beach itself. But be prepared to walk all the way back up or if you have at least a day to walk all the way round the long way back to the car park.

View from Wine Glass Bay Lookout

The beach is home to several species of birds and visitors are warned to exercise care not to step on nests which are in the edge of the sand. While on the beach don't miss out the orange coloured rocks on the left hand side of the beach.

Wine Glass Bay

Orange Rocks on Wine Glass Bay

Sherbrooke

2008-04-29T08:52:00.001+10:00

[Dandenong Ranges National Park, Vic, Australia]

Sherbrooke is located in the Dandenong Ranges National Park just 40 minutes out of Melbourne. It had been raining the day before and the ground was wet and a bit chilly. I had been digging up some of my old photographic equipment from the days before auto focus and digital SLRs and found an old 50mm 1.7 Pentax-M lens which I decided to limit myself to just for the experience.

It took more patience and time to compose and I found it actually enjoyable taking more time just to take pictures. The old lens performed faithfully despite its age (more than 30 years old) and worked just fine with my trusty Pentax ist DS.

Upon reaching Sherbrooke Falls I was a bit disappointed that there was just a trickle due to the drought that we have been experiencing but nevertheless I managed to get off a few shots. I had to use a tripod as it was already late in the afternoon and it was extremely shady under the canopy of the forest.

I couldn't help wondering what it would be like with a more normal flow of water. I must get back to try again if the autumn rains come this year

Healesville Sanctuary

2008-04-25T16:45:00.012+10:00

[Healesville, Vic, Australia]

One of the problems of having a wildlife sanctuary at your doorstep is that you always say that you'll get round to it but never do. Having finally made the commitment to go and I was not disappointed. The close proximity of the birds affords you more time to relax and enjoy your photography. Here is one of my favourites of a group of pelicans.

Pelicans

Here is another taken with the Sigma 70-300mm APO DG with a Sigma 1.4x Teleconverter. It was perched on a branch in the middle of a pond.. Despite using the teleconverter, the 70-300mm still managed a reasonable amount of detail.

Brolga Chicks in Healesville Sanctuary

2008-04-12T00:17:00.002+10:00

I am no bird expert but the staff at the Healesville Sanctuary were all pretty excited about a pair of Brolga chicks. Pretty fluffy looking. The Healesville Sanctuary is located about an hours drive from Melbourne and will take at least half a day to experience properly.

Melbourne's Backyard (Warburton)

2008-04-09T14:24:00.002+10:00

Warburton is located just over an hours drive from Melbourne and it nestled in the rolling Yarra Ranges. Autumn is a great time to stroll along the Yarra River Walks in and around Warburton town itself.

Mt Donna Buang is a further 17kms from Warburton and is worth the visit. The viewing platform on the summit provides a great view of the surrounds and the gum trees surrounding the summit.

The Rainforest Gallery right at the corner of the fork from the main road to the summit is easy to miss so look out for it. The walkways take you down into the floor of the ravine and under the canopy of ferns. Even at mid day, the air is cool and damp and is easily accessible to both young and old. A casual stroll will take no more than 30 minutes.

Bicheno, Tasmania

2008-02-18T22:49:00.003+11:00

Its easy to miss the small town of Bicheno, But don't get fooled by the slow sleepy atmosphere as there is plenty to keep you occupied. Take the short walk up Whalers Lookout. The walk is moderate but worthwhile and if you are there early in the morning you will be rewarded with a view of the sunset over the Gulch. The foreshore sweeps around the town hugging the coast line around the town past the Gulch and towards Blow Hole at the southern end of the town. If you catch the tide at the right time, the Blow Hole is will be active and is easy to get to from the car park.

Being on the Eastern coastline of Tasmania means that you will get witness incredible sunrises from almost any vantage point along the coast. So wake up early and enjoy. Bicheno is also home to nesting Fairy Penguins. These small little fellas are barely 12 inches high and really make a racket at night when they return from their daily fishing trips at dusk.

The surrounding beaches are white and sandy and almost unoccupied at times. The town offers a wide range of dinning ranging. Give the local fish and chips located on the main road a go.

Mt Kosciuszko, Snowy Mountains

2008-02-18T22:07:00.002+11:00

Australia is not well known for high mountains. In fact Mt Kosciuszko is only just over 2000m.

The easiest way to reach the peak is to take a chairlift up from the ski resort of Threadbo and then walk the 12km (return trip) walk to the peak.

The track is a gentle track made easier by the metal grilled broad walk that was built to protect the environment.

Even in early December some deep patches of patches of snow are still visible. The area is home to over 20 species of plants which are endemic to this region.

We were a little bit early and the flowers were not yet in full bloom and the drought of the past few years has also restricted the blooms.

Guided tours by park Rangers run throughout the day and are worth taking. For those who are more adventurous, a longer trek from Charlottes Pass is about a 20km round trip taking you along the Great Dividing Range.

Take the drive up to Charlottes Pass card park and don't miss the short broad walk along Snow Gums to the viewing point.

Opinions Abound But Where is the Conviction

2007-08-13T09:03:00.001+10:00

We seem to be obsessed with opinions. We are bombarded daily by opinion polls of every sort every waking moment of the day. What really bothers me is really what do opinions count for at the end of the day.

Having and giving an opinion is really easy. It is based only on feeling. It really costs us nothing. As a society we seem to be conditioned by the quick "tell me what you think" mentality. But no one really wants to talk about conviction. Opinion polls measure opinions but opinions do not cost us anything. It is based on feelings. When was the last time you were required to do something based on your convictions.

Politicians have an opinion on everything. In Australia with a federal election looming, we are certainly not short of hearing of everyones opinion which tells us what they think instead why. The media rarely digs beneath the surface to get to the persons convictions. In this day of cleverly stage managed media engagements where single lines are repeated over and over again so that the opinion almost gets reported as unchallenged truth, it would be great if we really could get to the bottom of an individuals convictions, what is the person's conscience driving.

I for one would like to know what Kevin Rudd and John Howard is truly convicted about. Not what their strategists and minders have determined is popular and what the people want to hear to sway their votes. Perhaps if we knew this we could be in a better position to make a sensible assessment of who we would like to vote for.

Blogged with Flock

Ask Mums About Inflation

2007-08-06T09:12:00.001+10:00

Isn't it interesting how the press and the media (and the politicians) talk about inflation and CPI and prices. Arguments rage about whether it is representative and whether it is makes meaningful.

Spare a thought for a moment for the vast majority of folks who really experience price increases on a daily or weekly basis - the mums. They know for sure that bananas cost $6 a kg today when it was $4 a few months ago and that the fish and chips have gone up by 30 cents in the past 6 months.

Imagine what they are thinking when the they are told that the CPI is 3% or 4% and doing the simple arithmetics and it simply does not tally. Yes we kinda know that there is that fictitious bundle of goods and services that takes into consideration rent and petrol and the like but for they things that they purchase again and again on a regular basis they just know that 3% or 4 % just does not compute.

Proctor and Gamble (who make soaps and detergents and lots of other stuff we use around the house) have a very successful program using groups of real mums to get feedback about their products and they treat it very seriously because they should and really do know what they are talking about.

Is it any wonder that the vast majority of real life people are so skeptical about these official figures that are brandished about when they struggle to make the connection with what they are experiencing. Perhaps politicians should start to take them as seriously as companies like Proctor and Gamble do.

Blogged with Flock

Walking on Glaciers

2007-04-06T22:07:00.000+10:00

I have had the opportunity of a lifetime to actually walk on a glacier. Fox and Franz Josef are two readily accessible glaciers on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island. The weather on the West Coast is unpredictable at best but do not despair if the weather is wet or even colds as it means that there is snow on the mountain tops.

Some like me lack the energy to actually make the climb up the glacier so helicpoter ride to the glacier and a 2 hour hike was a much more practical alternative. The view is breath-taking and walking on the glacier something not to me missed.

Don't forget to get a swig of melting glacier water - its better than anything you can buy

Arrogance or Ignorance of the Press

2007-02-27T08:55:00.000+11:00

Driving into work this morning, I listened to a radio interviewer quizzing one of our federal ministers about the group of Sri Lankan people detained in Christmas Island. There is obviously a serious debate going on about the what actions should or shouldn't be taken. However what caught my attention was the underlying direction and tone that the interviewer was taking.

The interviewer wanted to know what "iron clad guarantees" Australia would be seeking from the Sri Lankan government about the safety of the people should they be returned to Sri Lanka. Let's just hold that thought for a minute. This is the kind of commentary that fuels the view that many developed countries are either arrogant, ignorant or both. OK I may be nit picking but it is just this kind of lack of appreciation and self centred view of the world in general that some portions of our press simply don't get.

One can only assume that countries go about giving iron clad guarantees to most international issues to any country that simply demands it. Just think about that for a moment. Just what did the interviewer expect the minister to say. This is not investigative journalism, it is just the kind of shoot from the hip kind of interviewing that sounds great but actually reveals a lack of respect especially on such a sensitive and serious issue like this.

Blue Ocean Strategies in Australian Politics

2007-02-26T23:26:00.000+11:00

Here is go again. It's that time again...Federal Election Year. For those who have read the book "Blue Ocean Strategies" it just makes me wonder whether the election campaigning would take on a different approach if the folks in the back rooms of the political parties just tried this approach. One element of Blue Ocean Strategies it is find new space where no one is playing in to compete on. Sounds great but far from easy to do.

The trick is to find areas to diverge from what the market commonly deems as industry standard. Let's just for a moment consider where this analysis could take us if applied to Australian politics.

I am no political commentator or analyst but just indulge me for a moment. For years, the issues and platforms that both the Liberals and Labour have pursued and articulated have converged looking decidedly very similar. This is classical risk minimisation and has come in many different guises. Make few radical and controversial issues, present yourself as the smallest target. So we we get is a whole bunch of policies and ideas which only differ slightly.

Is it any wonder that we the common men and women on the street find very little to chose from between the major political parties. Which means that the political parties compete in Red Oceans choosing to do battle in the most competitive areas of the market (for our votes). You would think that they would have figured out by now that maybe it is about time to pick new white ocean spaces to compete on. No wonder politicians appear to be worn and tired and offer few new insights - they are competing on the same old areas, same old ideas and issues often just dishing out the same old stuff with just a new coat of paint.

Gimme a break, we voters are not all that ignorant - let's have something real and innovative. Shock us, do something really different - we just might sit up and take notice - now that would be radical

Election Advertising Going Downhill

2006-11-03T08:17:00.000+11:00

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water, things start to get bad. The nasty stuff just got started. The lastest Labour Party advertisement was nothing more than a straight personal shot. It was a pure personal attack using paid advertising.

The people of Victoria can easily tune into any soap opera without political parties trying to create their own soap opera series. Come on Victorians, lets say no to this. Lets send a message to anyparty who needs to resort to such direct personal attacks. The media folks are in the Labour Party may think this was cute, but I'm sorry, I just did not get the message - were they intending to talk about school closures - then OK give us something about what the Labour Government has done and in planning to do. Let's have a clear articulation of what their education policy is going and why is will help young Victorians in all levels of education find meaningful jos in the future.

Let's just hope that the Liberal Party does not respond in kind. It is a waste of money doing this kind of negative, personel advertising. Surely Victorians deserve much better than that.

Who Judges Magistrates

2006-10-30T23:38:00.000+11:00

Watching today's news about the sentencing of an P-plated driver who did not stop at a red light and was found to have exceeded the blood alcohol limit for a provisional driver makes a complete mockery of our legal system.

For starters, there are at least 2 offences which the police got the individual for and neither of which she had any real excuse for. "I didn't really see the red light" really does not cut it nor does the fact that she was over the alcohol limit which in case people forgot is zero for a provisional driver.

But even more incredible is the fact that an expert witness was called in to give evidence about "thin people" and alcohol absorption levels. Am I missing something here Mr Magistrate! Which part of zero did you not get! Surely the point was not there is a valid rate of alcohol absorption for thin, fat, short or tall person but that the limit was ZERO. And as for credibility of the expert witness, I really don't think that finding 10 or 12 people who fit such a condition (which as I have said was irrelevant) is really credible.

The more disturbing trend is a continuing trend of legal decisions by judges and magistrates which firstly show no respect for the law they are supposed to be dispensing, no respect for the police force who in this specific instance has done what was required of them and a growing disconnect from common sense. It would be an ever greater "crime" if this particular magistrate were to escape any censure or reprimand. As it is, a completely inappropriate message has been sent to the public about drink driving and running red lights. It is indeed a sad day when being caught red handed is insufficient to produce a conviction. I thought Magistrates were a lot smarter than that.

2006 Victorian State Election: Education - Are We Missing The Point?

2006-10-29T12:45:00.000+11:00

Education seems to have fallen off the radar for the moment. Both the Opposition and Government seem to be keen on promoting their own variants of "free" public transport. The whole education debate has been an exercise in media manipulation and the debate seems to have completely missed the heart of the matter.

Both major parties have drawn the lines on opposite sides of the fence and they all seem content and pretty happy about this. The whole debate about "subsidising" private schools and wealthy parents not only misses the point but is very misleading.

Few will argue that every one who wants to learn should be given the right to do so. The Howard Government is morally wrong to continue to fund private schools. This is not the function of government. No matter how attractive the argument, the fact is that it is a matter of choice. Anyone who chooses to send their children to private schools do so as a matter of choice. Their children's right to an education is not in jeapordy. On the other hand for the vast majority of the population, the state schools are the only real choice available to them. It is therefore the moral duty of any government regardless of their underlying persuasion, to ensure a healthy and thriving state school system that provides the every student who wishes to learn to be able to do so.

What is morally unacceptable about the Howard Government's approach to education is not simply the channeling of funds to a smaller portion of the population but the massive discrepancy between defence spending and education and health. By the way, it is not just the Liberal Government who are guilty of this. Every government has been spending increasing amounts on defence buying billions (not millions) worth of defence equipment. No one will argue that we need a strong defence but do we really honestly believe that we can, through military might alone overcome our insecurities and exposure to terrorism.

There is a better way. People will feel more secure when they have the assurance that the basic things in life are assured. That people who can and want to work should not be poor. That they can count on the provision of a sound basic education as a means to improve themselves. Education is simply too important to be treated as a political football that has no outcomes. It is perhaps time for the people to speak out and tell out politicians and government that it is tim eto stop this nonsense about dividing the population between have and have nots. It is time for either Baillieu or Bracks to be brave enough to do something radical. The whole Federal-State blame game has to stop. The people of Victoria are simply sick of it.

So let's hope that over the coming weeks we see some real initiatives backed by politicians with enough courage to do what is right for the people of Victoria and Australia and not what is right for their party and the media.

2006-10-28T23:10:00.000+10:00

Do We Care Enough To Make Our Local Australian Politicians Accountable

I don't know about you, but every time we talk about our politicians it seems like we the people are almost like helpless pawns. That the only time we really matter is that one time every few years when we get to vote. And for the most part the majority of us seem to accept that.

We seem to take our political representative behaving badly, displaying poor judgment. I cannot find too many places of work where people who get sacked continue to receive a pension for life. Can we just cut to the chase - not getting re-elected is getting sacked - let's stop this fooling around.

In the main, a great many of our elected representatives do a pretty good job and should be pretty well commended. However badly performing ones should just get the boot. Let's not sugar coat this. Many politicians simply don't connect with us the voting public simply because, they cannot identify with the real world. In no way can they really claim to face real world situations when they can act irresponsibly, lie and get away with it. The last time I saw someone in the workplace act like this, they were dismissed. I have never seen too many businesses provide their employees with junkets overseas especially over winter. Its about time, we the voting public say no to such blatant abuses of position. It is completely unacceptable for politicians to be spending time on "study" trips overseas when they should be spending it on the job.

But if they get away with this all its simply because we, the voting public are absolutely silent about it. If we leave it to the press to represent our outrage and disapproval, then we are likely to be disappointed or waiting for a very long time.

The age of technology now affords any one to have a voice and not just simply be dependent on the press and media to put forward a view. Blogs, forums are cheap are a cheap and effective way to let them know what we think. Letters can simply be ignored but the power of mass communication is a twin edged sword for politicians. Let us not remain ignorant, instead of merely using the new media for social discussions, it is time Australians take these technologies and use them to continually hold our elected representative accountable.

And we can do this by staring blogs that seriously convey to the public what we feel about key issues in the community like education, health, affordable housing and the like. Build up a sizable community of readers - nothing scares politicians more than a massed public in their constituency who are organised and vocal. The internet has now provided the people with a real voice so lets use it. Lets look for commentary and issues which we want our politicians to deal with and bring them together in an online community so that they collective strength of our combined voices will start to be heard.

Let's make a difference

2006-08-10T21:43:00.000+10:00

Winter Reflections
Reflections off Lake Lysterfield just outside Melbourne, Australia. The weak winter sun produced a black and white like picture although taken in colour.

Camping At Coopers Creek

2001-01-01T11:00:00.001+11:00

Coopers Creek is a lovely camping site just outside of Walhalla. I had originally planned to camp at the site in Walhalla itself but stumbled across this campsite on my way. It was a quiet weekend as the AFL Grand Finals were on and there were only a couple of families with young children.

I had a quiet evening and waking up early the next morning to walk align the creek came across the remains of this chimney which the forest had largely reclaimed. This was all that was left of the home that once stood there just a stones throw from the creek.

Location:Garland Rise,Rowville,Australia