A Ragged Bluff

On that day in August I had a feeling of standing looking out at one of the wild places on the Earth.  Pregnant clouds hung in a leadened sky and an icy wind blew in from the South driving the dark waves relentlessly against the sharp rocky outcrops which clawed their way from the sea.  I was witness to a spectacle of nature, a raw and unfettered moment in time and I thought back to Scotland.  I last had a similar feeling standing in the chilly wastes of Glen Coe whilst the tinkling of water running under ice was carried to me on the wind. There a cold wind howled over the highlands and you could almost feel the lost souls of the Campbells and the McDonalds battling still amidst the wild wind-swept heather.

Timing is everything in photography, some might have despaired at arriving at the 12 Apostles in the rain but after seeing how the photos came out I could only rejoice.

Land’s End

Title	Land’s End
Taken on	25 August 2008
	Cape Otway Lighthouse, Melbourne, Victoria
EXIF	f/4.5 1/320 ISO200

The Coming Storm

Title	The Coming Storm
Taken on	23 August 2008
	12 Apostles, Melbourne, Australia
EXIF	f/9 1/320 ISO200

Out on the observation deck of the 12 Apostles I stood and managed a couple of final photographs while watching a storm come boiling in from across the sea. We’d been battling a fine misty rain most of the way around the observation deck and the camera I’d been carrying was not weather sealed so I was walking around with my camera in my jacket, whipping it out for quick exposures.

Minutes later the heavens really opened and soaked us through but the rainy atmosphere was wonderful and the dark and threatning skies added so much to the mood of the pictures.  I was really glad to be carrying my Lowepro slingshot camera bag which comes with it’s own raincoat; I dried, my camera didn’t have to.

This trip and the drizzly rain has given much impetus to fast-tracking to the D700, that and all the low noise high ISO happiness which comes along for the ride.

Split Point Apostle and the road to Lorne

A lone Apostle stands just off the lookout point at the Split Point lighthouse. It is a tantalising taste of the beautiful and rugged coastline to come, imposing, seemingly impenetrable against the wind and boiling sea.

Title	Lone Judas
Taken on	22 August 2008
	Glenaire, Great Ocean Road, Melbourne, Australia
EXIF	f/9 1/160 ISO100 Manual

We stopped for lunch in Lorne, a quaint little coastal town. The cliffs above the town boast an amazing lookout point (Teddy’s lookout) which offers spectacular views of the Great Ocean Road and surrounding countryside. We parked a couple of hundred meters from the lookout and stretched our legs on a rainforest walk along the ocean side of the mountain – a welcome and enjoyable walk after a nourishing lunch.

Title	Teddy’s Lookout
Taken on	22 August 2008
	Eskine Falls, Lorne, Melbourne, Australia
EXIF	f/11 1/50 ISO200 Manual

About 6km inland from Lorne is the cool, wet, rainforest walk down to the Eskine falls. I admit I lugged my heavy tripod down to the bottom of the falls and managed to get some wonderful rainforest waterfall landscape shots.

Title	Whispering Creek
Taken on	22 August 2008
	Eskine Falls, Lorne, Melbourne, Australia
EXIF	f/22 1.3s ISO200 Manual