The Blow Hole 2

Happy New Year! Sorry its a little late, things have been a little hectic over the last few months.

We did manage to get away as a family up to Bicheno on the beautiful East Coast of Tassie during my holidays in early January. You can always expect a good photo or 2 from the blow hole but this visit was a little different, I've never seen it like this before. We've had a few strange weather patterns going on recently and this is caused some big waves to come crashing into the coast. Normally the waves come in and and fly out a hole in the rock, hence the blow hole. On this occassion however, the waves were breaking up and over the rocks, a sight I've never seen before.

Fortunately I had the 1GB card in my digital camera so managed to get off quite a number of shots and got some good ones.

Location: Bicheno, East Coast of Tasmania. 176km/2hrs 10mins from Hobart. 172km 2hrs, 5mins from Launceston.

Shot Details: Canon EOS 350D, Canon EF 18-55 Lens. 1/640sec, F20, ISO 800 (Some Photoshop has been done on the photo)

Spring

While I'm not a huge flower or gardening fan, in celebration of spring I thought I'd better include some shots of the beatiful flowers growing at the moment.

We recently had the annual Tulip Festival at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens which always throws up some perfect specimens to photograph. Many thanks to my mother-in-law and her wonderful garden for the other shots.

Burnt Out

Three weeks ago Hobarts Eastern Shore was on alert due to a large fire that was sweeping through the Meehan Range. Fortunately it managed to miss all houses (only by metres) and only took out a shed, a few stolen cars and a heap of bush.

A forest fire is quite a spectacle as long as you're not in danger, but unfortunately I forgot my camera so didnt get to capture pictures of the fire as we watched it from across the highway.

The bush loves a firey cleanout every so often, I also love taking my camera in to check out what has changed in the aftermath of the fire. Normally lush green trees get dry brown leaves and black trunks which create some really interesting effects. Don't write off a burnt out bushland as a photographic location, its worth a look.

Location: Flagstaff Gully, Lindisfarne.

Photo Details: Canon EOS 350D, 18-55mm Zoom Lens 1/60 @ f8 / Photoshop: Brightness, Contrast, Cropping. Handheld (forgot my tripod!)

Apsley Gorge

If you’ve had enough of the perfect white beaches and surf of the East Coast, head inland, there amongst the trees and hills of the Douglas Apsley National Park you’ll find a fantastic little swimming hole loved by locals but unknown to a lot of outsiders.

A short drive from Bicheno and an easy 10 minute walk takes you down through the trees to a beautiful river and waterhole deep, wide, clear & rocky, perfect for families and a great place to end a hot walk through the tracks of the National Park.




Location: Douglas Apsley National Park – 188km/2hrs 20mins from Hobart, 174km/2hrs 10mins from Launceston

Shot Details: Canon EOS 500n SLR, Fuji Superia 400iso

Diamond Island

A walk on the beach, while nice, doesn't always get the adrenaline pumping, unless it’s along Redbill Beach and over to Diamond Island. The Diamond Island nature reserve sits just off the northern tip of Redbill Beach at Bicheno and is unusual in that you can walk over to the island at low tide.

The island is made up of the large granite boulders that the east coast is famous for, and is home to numerous bird species; it has a few smaller trees and some good fishing spots.

If you’re after a more invigorating saunter come back as the tide is coming in, you’ll have waves from either side smacking into each other and trying to knock you off your feet as you cross back to the mainland. Good fun, just don’t let it get too deep before you attempt to head back across.

Location: Diamond Island, Bicheno (East Coast) – 177km/2hrs 10mins from Hobart, 171km/2hrs from Launceston

Shot Details: Canon EOS 500n Camera Body, Canon EF 28-80mm Zoom, Circular Polarising Filter, Fuji Superia 400iso Film

Silver Falls

In amongst the trees on the slopes of Mt Wellington hide a number of great waterfalls. Some of them require you to trek through the bush for hours, others are a quick, easy stroll, fortunately Silver Falls is in the latter category.

All it takes is a leisurely drive around the bends from South Hobart to Fern Tree, stop at the shop, grab some hot chips then enjoy the sounds of the bush as you walk gently along the Pipeline Track. The only slightly taxing part of the walk is the hill you need to walk up to get to the base of the falls.

As the creek forms part of the Hobart City water supply, they are part natural, part man made. There’s mini dams, old concrete pipes and walls but above that lie the lovely ferns, trees and rock that were there long before the English decided they needed somewhere to hide their crooks.


Location: Fern Tree, 9.6km/15mins from Hobart city centre plus about a 25 minute leisurely walk

Shearwater

You wouldn’t know it by looking at my front lawn, but I really love lush, green grass. Golf is the perfect excuse to wander aimlessly over beautifully manicured lawns with the added bonus of the (very) occasional monster drive, perfect pitch or precise putt.

This is not the place to rate Tasmania’s Golf Courses, but the Shearwater Country Club has a course that is pretty flat and has wide enough fairways for a amateur hacker like me, more importantly, as previously mentioned, it has grass that makes me wish I was 6 years old again so I could just roll around in it for a while.

This shot was taken one fine spring morning, the sun just above the horizon, trees just starting to grow back their leaves, frost on the greens. It would normally have been a bit early in the morning and a little cold for me but it was just too enticing to let go. By the way, the trees really do go that orange, even without any leaves.

Location: Shearwater, NW Tasmania 289km/3hrs 50mins from Hobart or 100km/1hr 15mins from Launceston

The Blowhole

Feel like a shower East Coast style? While Bicheno has some great beaches, it’s the rocks that make up the majority of the shoreline that I love the most. As you drive into town take a right and go down to check out what happens when the sea comes crashing in on these beastly behemoths.

What is most amazing about the blowhole is that if you’re there at the right time of day, at the same time as the sea is crashing through and climbing 5 metres into the sky, you will also see 25cm tall fairy penguins making their way up and across the same rocks as if it was just a walk in the park with a little shower.

If you happen to get there on a quieter day, go and stand on the northern side of the big triangular boulder, feel the seemingly immovable rock as it shifts ever so slightly as the swell hits it from below. It’s a weird feeling but it’s a cool to squash a 20c coin down one of the cracks between the rocks.

Location: Bicheno, East Coast of Tasmania, 177km/2hrs 10mins from Hobart, 171km/2hrs 5mins from Launceston

Shot Details: Canon EOS 500n Fuji Superia 400iso