This gallery focuses on out of the way places that bear few of the scars associated with human activities. They are the places we go to unwind from the pace of modern life, to revel in the solitude and be inspired by the natural beauty. They are also the places where the ancient history of Australia is still reflected in the native animals and plants that dominate these landscapes. For the photographer, they are the places where we can capture glimpses and images of a prehistoric world.
This moon was an unexpected bonus - I arrived at my chosen spot on the Dandahra Crags 45 minutes before sunrise and this was the view that greeted me. The rock at bottom right made a nice silhouette and gave a sense of the rugged nature of the location, so I made sure it was sharp. I couldn't easily avoid the overhanging tree at top right, but I think it helps to balance the image - the fact that it's out of focus adds depth to the scene. If you look closely, the 8 second exposure has allowed a little movement in the stars.
Location Gibraltar Range National Park, Cangai, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 70-200L @159mm
Aperture F8
Shutter speed 8 seconds
ISO 250
Location Castle Rock, Girraween National Park, Queensland, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F11
Shutter speed 0.5 seconds
ISO 100
It took me several visits to the Dandahra Crags to find this composition looking down on a frost crusted Surveyors Swamp and beyond, and including a pair of grass trees that are a feature of the area. The walking track skirts around the far side of Surveyors Swamp, and is part of the 100km long network of trails that make up the Gibraltar-Washpool World Heritage Walk.
Location Dandahra Crags, Gibraltar Range National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @19mm
Aperture F16
Shutter speed 3.2 seconds
ISO 100
A thick mist shrouded the Dandahra Crags when I arrived just after sunrise, so my plans for some panoramic shots over the woodland and open heath below were put on hold. For around an hour, the visibility was no more than 10 metres, but as the mist lifted the rocky peaks in the background emerged from the gloom to give some perspective to this scene.
Location Dandahra Crags, Gibraltar Range National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F13
Shutter speed 1/2 second
ISO 100
Castle Rock is one of the most popular hiking destinations in Girraween National Park, being only 30 minutes brisk walk from the campground. Climbing to the top is mostly straightforward, if a little hard on the legs, but there are one or two spots where you need to keep your nerves in check. Doing it by torchlight before sunrise is in some ways less nerve-racking because your focus stays within the narrow torch beam, rather than being drawn to the steep drop-offs to the side. It's all worthwhile when you get to witness the colours of dawn from the safety of the broad, flat expanse at the top.
Location Castle Rock, Girraween National Park, Wallangarra, Queensland, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F13
Shutter speed 1 second
ISO 100
Location Surveyors Swamp, Gibraltar Range National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @19mm
Aperture F14
Shutter speed 3.2 seconds
ISO 100
Location Giant's Chair Lookout, Cania Gorge National Park, Queensland, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F16
Shutter speed 5 seconds
ISO 100
Location The Sphinx, Girraween National Park, Wallangarra, Queensland, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F13
Shutter speed 1/15 second
ISO 100
Location Gibraltar Range National Park, Cangai, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @40mm
Aperture F16
Shutter speed 1second
ISO 100
Location Surveyors Swamp, Gibraltar Range National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F16
Shutter speed 0.8 seconds
ISO 100
Location Girraween National Park, Queensland, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F11
Shutter speed 0.3 seconds
ISO 100
Location Surveyors Swamp, Gibraltar Range National Park, Cangai, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F13
Shutter speed 0.6 seconds
ISO 100
Location Gibraltar Range National Park, Cangai, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @19mm
Aperture F14
Shutter speed 0.6 seconds
ISO 250
Location Mount Kaputar National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F11
Shutter speed 1/20 second
ISO 100
Location Gibraltar Range National Park, Cangai, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 70-200L @78mm
Aperture F11
Shutter speed 1 second
ISO 100
Location Mount Kaputar National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F14
Shutter speed 10 seconds
ISO 100
When I hiked to this part of Gibraltar Range early one morning I had plans for some completely different types of shots. The Tree Fern Forest is a lush pocket of green around 4km north west of the camping area at Mulligan's Hut - towering Sydney Blue Gums and a dense understorey of tree ferns seem a little out of character for this National Park but would, I thought, make for some great early morning shots particularly if there was a mist through the trees. After struggling to find good compositions in the forest, I hastily decided to head out onto this open field of banksias, hakeas and grass trees that I remembered from a previous trip. As soon as I saw the soft morning light on the banksias and pockets of mist against the surrounding woodland I knew this was a better option. So this turned out to be one of my favourite shots from the trip, but I still have some unfinished business in the Tree Fern Forest.
Location Gibraltar Range National Park, Cangai, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F13
Shutter speed 30 seconds
ISO 100
Location Mount Kaputar National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F11
Shutter speed 1/8 second
ISO 100
Location New England National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @27mm
Aperture F8
Shutter speed 0.5 seconds
ISO 200
Location Mount Kaputar National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F11
Shutter speed 1/8 second
ISO 100
Location New England National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F16
Shutter speed 30 seconds
ISO 200
From my vantage point on Turtle Rock, this amazing balancing rock formation doesn't look much like a Sphinx at all. Closer up, the resemblance becomes more obvious. This particular morning was far more vibrant than a 2-dimensional image can portray - the little flowering wattle was glowing gold with the first rays of sunlight, the air was crisp, cold and scented with eucalyptus and wattle blossom, and the evocative calls of a suberb lyrebird were echoing through the woodland below. It was one of those special mornings I almost wanted to put the camera down and just soak up the atmosphere.
Location The Sphinx, Girraween National Park, Wallangarra, Queensland, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F13
Shutter speed 1/2 second
ISO 100
The colours and twisted branches of this little gum tree growing out of a crevice in the rocks were too good to pass by without a photograph. I've spent quite a few years learning how to identify gum trees, and one of the things I've learnt is that they can be really hard to tell apart in the field. It often comes down to seed shapes and number, and the anatomy of flowers and buds. So that's my excuse for saying I really don't know what species this is, but it's a great little tree nonetheless.
Location Girraween National Park, Wallangarra, Queensland, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @24mm
Aperture F13
Shutter speed 0.8 seconds
ISO 100
Location New England National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @20mm
Aperture F11
Shutter speed 1.3 seconds
ISO 100
Location Bald Rock National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F11
Shutter speed 1/60 second
ISO 100
Location Bunya Mountains National Park, Queensland, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @35mm
Aperture F8
Shutter speed 4 seconds
ISO 100
Location Main Range National Park, Queensland, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 70-200L @126mm
Aperture F8
Shutter speed 2 seconds
ISO 200
Location Imbil State Forest, Queensland, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @19mm
Aperture F18
Shutter speed 0.8 seconds
ISO 100
It always amazes me how trees can find a foothold in what appear to be the most extreme and uncomfortable of positions. This Gibraltar ash seems to be growing out of solid rock some 20 metres above the forest floor, but it has obviously been there for quite a few years and despite its lean, doesn't appear about to fall over.
Location Anvil Rock, Gibraltar Range National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @17mm
Aperture F14
Shutter speed 30 seconds
ISO 100
Location Tree Fern Forest, Gibraltar Range National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @22mm
Aperture F14
Shutter speed 13 seconds
ISO 100
Location Gibraltar Range National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @200mm
Aperture F11
Shutter speed 5 seconds
ISO 100
Location New England National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @22mm
Aperture F11
Shutter speed 0.25 seconds
ISO 200
It's a special treat to watch the sun come up over the New England wilderness from Wrights Lookout. This July morning was freezing and a thick fog hid the view until well after sunrise. The fog finally lifted to reveal a dazzling display of sunlight rays spreading over the mountains around. There's a short article about the morning here.
Location Wrights Lookout, New England National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @20mm
Aperture F13
Shutter speed 1/6th second
ISO 100
Location Wrights Lookout, New England National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 70-200L @98mm
Aperture F11
Shutter speed 1/80th second
ISO 100
Location Wrights Lookout, New England National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 70-200L @81mm
Aperture F11
Shutter speed 1/40th second
ISO 100
Hanging moss is a feature of the wet forests in New England National Park and gives the place a fairy-tale atmosphere. This tree is about 20 minutes walk from the main camping area, and is only one among many similar trees in the area, so I was amazed to later discover that a fellow photographer has a feature image in his portfolio of this same tree taken from exactly the same spot. I swear I wasn't copying!!
Location New England National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Canon 5D MKII
Lens Canon 17-40L @30mm
Aperture F8
Shutter speed 0.8 seconds
ISO 200
