Well, there are some times i like to take a break from cars and shoot something on a much grander scale. My fiance' and i were invited on a trip to Tassy with my brother and his partner, and as it is known world wide for having some of the nicest landscapes who were we to turn it down.
All was going great, we were really keen on the trip, and then the week before, our bulldog Ralph decided to trip me up when playing and make me roll my ankle for like the 4th time... Ahhr... A trip to the doctors the next day, once again torn ligaments and I'm on crutches just days before the tip :( Not to let this hold me back, a lot of rest (sitting on the couch watching Oprah & Dr Phill) pain killers, ice and heavy strapping and I'm close as can be to mobile again. All was good, sorta..
First point of call on the short trip was Mt Field National Park, and 2 of the best waterfalls i have seen in person, Russell & Horseshoe Falls. And we were in luck as the surrounding rivers that feed into out out of these falls were flowing very hard, which made for some falls with force!
Russell Falls were first on the trail, you could hear the rumble from almost the start of the boardwalk, as you get closer you start to see what looks to be a viewing platform hidden behind a wall of mist. Then you see this amazing 170 million year old wall of water cascading over the rock edge. It was no easy task to get this shot, as easy as it may seem, but with the amount of spray coming from the falls it was basically like trying to take pictures in you shower at home... soo, now I'm soaked, there is water dripping from my camera and lense but after a few attempts i did manage to come away with this -
Russell Falls were first on the trail, you could hear the rumble from almost the start of the boardwalk, as you get closer you start to see what looks to be a viewing platform hidden behind a wall of mist. Then you see this amazing 170 million year old wall of water cascading over the rock edge. It was no easy task to get this shot, as easy as it may seem, but with the amount of spray coming from the falls it was basically like trying to take pictures in you shower at home... soo, now I'm soaked, there is water dripping from my camera and lense but after a few attempts i did manage to come away with this -
(Click view on black for larger images)
View On Black
Next stop, Horse Shoe Falls, just 100m upstream is another amazing sight. While only being a single cascade, the layout within the surrounding ferns and open stream at the bottom is a gorgeous sight which i could have spent hours soaking in. See for yourself.
View On Black
Day 2 we drove up to the the hills and towards Cradle Mountain. The area surrounding the range was unlike anything i had see, almost not from this world. Wide open plains, with small groupings of tree's, many in strange and unusual shapes. Area's that look like they had been scorched by fires, but were full of life. Unfortunately the weather at the time was not real good for camera gear so we stayed in the car for the majority of the journey. When we go to the base of the mountain it was a different thing. 4 seasons in a matter of minutes is what we saw, from rain and clouds, to sleet ans snow, sun came out, and went away before you could say woohoo, the suns out! We put up with the sad weather as much as we could, not being able to walk more than 30 mins at a time didn't help but i managed to find a decent spot, set up the tripod and snapped away. i managed to come home with enough decent frames to stitch up a nice panorama.
View On Black
View On Black
There was also same great streams and falls nearby when we stopped to have a bite at a cafe on the way back, luckily the clouds parted for long enough to take a few happy snaps. The falls below were basically off the side of the car park, hows that for cripple convenience...
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Day 3 and last but not least we were on our way to Port Arthur. Port Arthur is one of Australia's most significant heritage areas and the open air museum is officially Tasmania's top tourist attraction. Known for its harsh conditions, dark history and stark beauty, it is also Australia's largest Penal Station.
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This amazing place is full of history, and you can really feel it when you walk through the ruins of what used to be a ambitious experiment in prisoner reform. Just staring at the weathers stone walls you can try to imagine what it must have been like.
Below are a few more snaps from the trip, others can be seen in my FlickR stream http://www.flickr.com/photos/jngimages/
Port Arthur Skylight
Birdie playing in the fountain at Port Arthur
Gorgeous old Church ruins at Port Arthur
Main watch tower at Port Arthur
Crazy field patterns
Jason.
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