I’ve wrapped up my stay in Derby, and am now settled back into Melbourne life. The last 7 months have been an absolute blast, a great way to discover the ‘real’ Australia. Unfortunately I didn’t catch any famed Kimberley Barramundi, but sampled plenty whenever we ate out, becoming somewhat of an accidental Barra connoisseur. My pick for best restaurant Barra goes to the Dragonfly Cafe in Broome, delish!

I’ve tweaked the gallery layouts on the website, so the photos are bigger and bolder. After living in the beautiful Kimberley region for a long time, the Australia gallery has expanded significantly, so I’ll release a new design for showing off photography projects soon.

The post So Long, and Thanks for All the Barra appeared first on on the wild road.

A couple of days ago I was fortunate to be out on the Derby marsh, camera and tripod in hand, when the fiercest storm I’ve seen up here ripped through overhead. In some respects there is a huge element of luck in play to capture a special landscape photograph, but planning and persistence can also pay dividends.

If you’ve followed my uploads recently, you may have noticed a suspicious number of dramatic clouds and storms creeping into my portfolio. In the Kimberley at this time of the year, most of the roads between towns are flooded, and access the beautiful surrounding gorges is very limited. This means I’ve been restricted to roaming around Derby. Derby is a small town which honestly can be covered in 15 minutes, so 3 months is ample time to get to know it well. It’s charming, but not overly photogenic, so I’ve turned my attention to the sky instead.

The day before yesterday, I was out on the marsh 45 minutes before sunset, and things weren’t looking great. The sky was overcast and flat, the clouds grey and lifeless. The wind was blowing strongly, so I thought some motion in the grass would be interesting.

A valiant attempt, but not really working out. I walked out onto the mudflat which was surprisingly firm given it had been raining in recent days. The patterns in the cracked mud were great. There were some deep footprints left from an excited and probably very muddy dog which could add a little foreground interest, so I experimented with some compositions.

Eventually I found one that could possibly work.

The sky was still pretty grey, but some definition was forming in the sky. I was intrigued by the sliver of sun which peeked out under the oppressive weight of cloud.

A couple of minutes later, the sun approached the horizon, and things started to get interesting. The sky turned a fascinating blue-green. A storm front materialised and started heading in my direction! I rushed back to my previous composition.

Flashes of lightning started hitting the ground. The storm was approaching rapidly. I wanted to capture some lightning, but my lightning trigger didn’t seem to trip the shutter fast enough. In desperation, I fired off frames continuously.

As it got darker, the colours became even more vivid. I wanted to keep shooting, to capture a lightning bolt marking a special moment in time where everything comes together: the storm front perfectly timed with the sunset. However it wasn’t to be. Eventually I figured it wasn’t smart to place myself as the only object taller than half a metre on the flat marsh, and hurried back to the car.

Still, I’m quite pleased with the captures. The moral? If you’re facing a boring sunset, be persistent and stay out there, as you never know when you’ll get lucky!

Click here to see more Kimberley photos.

The post Kimberley Storm Season appeared first on on the wild road.

Karijini National Park is a rare gem located in the remote Pilbara mining region of Western Australia. The Pilbara is a barren, scorched land, a harsh place reputed for hard work and hard living. Driving into Karijini, the park almost seems out of place. Suddenly, the pancake-flat land gives way to the rolling Hamersley ranges. Gorges are carved, knife-like, into the earth. Water is flowing. It’s not the most famous National Park, but for me it’s one of Australia’s most beautiful.

The traditional owners of Karijini are the Banyjima, Kurrama and Innawonga Aboriginal tribes. The nearest town, Tom Price, is an hour away, while Newman (2 hours drive) and Port Hedland (4 hours drive) are the next closest. In a state where you can drive for 8 hours and still end up in the middle of nowhere, this is relatively close!

We visited at the end of September. The Australian Spring was underway, with the temperature inexorably marching higher toward the approaching summer. Days were a pleasant maximum of 30 degrees Celsius, and the nights were cool, but not unbearably cold. Plenty of water ran in most of the gorges.

The gorges are Karijini’s star attractions. We were fortunate to stay 5 nights, which was adequate time to explore.  We walked in the early morning, and late afternoon taking a break in the middle of the day. This was the most pleasant time to walk, and offered the best photographic light, as the gorges were shaded.

Karijini contains two main hubs, based around the two accommodation options. The first option is Karijini Eco Retreat, close to the Weano recreation area comprising the Oxer Lookout, Weano Gorge and Hancock Gorge. Joffre, Knox and Kalamina Gorges aren’t far away. The second option is Dales campground, which has basic facilities and is located 45 minutes drive from the Eco Retreat. It provides close access to Dale’s Gorge and it’s attractions Fortescue Falls, Fern Pool and Circular Pool.

Weano Recreation Area

Weano Gorge

Iron rich, red rock walls surround marshy vegetation at the top of the gorge. There are numerous waterholes to wade or swim through. Approximately halfway, the gorge narrows alarmingly and the descent becomes steeper. The final descent runs through a tiny, slippery slot canyon before dropping into Handrail Pool. There literally is a chunky handrail stuck in the rock, to assist the scramble down the last waterfall, hence the name. The rail was installed by miners who visited the waterhole on their days off.

Hancock Gorge

It doesn’t take long to reach the floor; a short and steep descent down rock scree is followed by a ladder climb. Hancock gorge remains very narrow with extraordinary layered rock walls. Water flows down the middle of the gorge; be prepared to clamber up the sides if you can’t afford to get wet. It’s an adrenaline rush clinging to the slippery side of a cliff, especially with expensive camera gear on your back upping the ante!  Slide down the final waterfall into the incredibly photogenic Kermit’s pool. Here, the walls are finely polished, and form beautiful lines. You can either swim through, or crawl along an adjacent rock shelf to pass. From here the rock forms incredible concentric rings overlooking Regan’s Pool. Abseiling equipment is required to proceed further. Hancock Gorge is short, sweet, and my favourite walk at Karijini.

Oxer Lookout

Easily accessed via a 5-minute walk from Weano carpark. The lookout offers views over Weano, Red, Joffre and Hancock Gorges.

Knox Gorge

The towering red walls, and narrow width make you feel insignificant. Many broken rocks litter the floor. Knox Gorge is most impressive at its narrowest point with finely layered rock bands resembling wrinkles.

Joffre Gorge

The path to Joffre Gorge passes across the top of the main waterfall, before descending steeply down the sidewall. Immense in size, and can be viewed from every angle. Joffre Gorge is usually reasonably dry; the remaining water is coloured a luminous green by algae. Best seen in early morning before direct light hits.

Kalamina Gorge

The shallowest and widest gorge. Walk amongst the flowing, mini-streams cascading over the terraced rock. Generally flat and open. Quite dry when I visited, and the least impressive gorge for me.

Dales Recreation Area

Fortescue Falls

A giant waterfall crashing into a beautiful swimming hole. Surrounded by huge tiered steps, like an auditorium.

Fern Pool

A short walk past Fortescue falls, lush vegetation surrounds a perfect, blue swimming hole. This could have been taken straight from a scene in the movie Avatar. Fern pool is a sacred Aboriginal site, so the Department of Environment and Conservation are not allowed to advertise; you won’t find any acknowledgement of its existence onsite.

Circular Pool

A beautiful blue pool surrounded by sheer cliffs. The walk into Circular Pool is just as amazing. Perfectly cut rock terraces run alongside a square channel. With water trickling over the rocks, and ferns sprouting through the cracks, it felt like a natural Water Temple.

The pools at Dales gorge are the easiest in the park to access. They seemed most popular and at times there were just too many people. Visit in the early morning before the crowds arrive.

Hamersley Gorge

Hamersley Gorge is an hour’s drive away from the main park hub. Rock bands in the walls form enormous colourful waves, and there are a number of beautiful swimming holes. The highlight is Spa Pool, an uncannily round pool bored into the rock by a waterfall. Not to be missed, despite the distance.

No outback adventure is complete without a flat tyre!

Thanks go to Nicole, Shawn, Jane and Renee for a great trip!

Click here to see more of my portfolio photos from Karijini National Park. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about visiting.

The post Karijini National Park – Bushwalking in the Pilbara, Western Australia appeared first on on the wild road.

I have an even larger backlog of RAW files now – look out for a Nepal gallery soon!

The post Mt Everest Base Camp…survived! appeared first on on the wild road.