April 24th - The Milky Way

In the US we've got so much light pollution that most under the age of 40 have never see the Milky Way with the naked eye.  In fact, today,  it's only visible in remote areas like Natural Bridges, UT, which very few of us venture to see.

Things are different in Australia.  Get outside of a city and you can see it.  Many people grew up seeing it.  Whilst we were here we were lucky because there was no moon and we got some clear nights. 

We had scoped out Reid Lookout in the Grampians during the day and decided it was the place to be!  After dinner we put on everything we owned and headed slowly up to the look out.  Slowly, because night time is when most of the animals are really awake and running around.  A wallaby hopped out right next to the car and thanks to Johns quick reflexes, we missed him!

To shoot the Milky Way you need tripods, cameras with really high ISO, patience, and lots of practice!  Fast, wide lens also make a difference!  We both had our Canon 5d Mark iii cameras.  John has a 20mm f1.8 and Cheri has a 24mm f4.  A shutter release cable can be helpful too.

This particular night was spectacular!!  It was the biggest, most spectacular viewing either of us had ever experienced.  It was like looking into God's eye as you peered into light from extinct galaxies!  Spiritual experience for sure and one you didn't tire of seeing! 

We shot for about an hour and a half, trying our best to capture the beauty to share with all of you.  Cheri took multiple shots so she could get a wider view.  It's one of the images below.  She stitched them together in Photoshop.

Enjoy!

Cheri & John

Multiple Frames

April 24 – Hamilton to Halls Gap – The Grampians!

It rained and blew like crazy all through the night.  It sounded as if there was a hurricane outside our hotel.  Hopes were low until we opened the curtains and lo and behold – sun and blue sky were making their way into view!  The day was fresh as the Aussies say.  Clear, blue sky and about 15 deg C.

We had a quick bite at McCafe for breakfast, the fastest thing we could find and then hit the trail for Halls Gap and some hiking.  It took about an hour from Denkeld and the scenery was great.  Once we got to Halls Gap we stopped at the visitor’s center to get the lay of the land.  We were quickly informed that if we wanted to see wildlife, the best bet was to walk the 2.5 km loop right there at the visitor’s center.  We had already picked out some hikes for later in the day and they showed us where to start.

That loop around the visitor’s center was a jackpot!  Kangaroos resting and willing to let us walk up close.  Parrots were in the trees and on the ground.  Two Kookabara’s in trees and again willing to let us come close.  A nice little wallaby hanging around!  Jackpot!

We grabbed a meaty pie for lunch and then headed to hike the sundial.  This was a nice meandering walk that had a steep part at the end with superior scenery.  The woods were alive!

Do you remember when you were a kid and you got your first box of 64 color crayons?  I remember there being many shades of green and at the time wondering what they were for.  Today, if I had any doubt, I know what they are for because every color green was in the rain forest we walked through.  The ferns were healthy and a main part of the forest.  The smells were amazing!  There was eucalyptus at one point and it made my nose tingle.  The sky was blue, blue.  The trees ranged from white to brown to burnt black from previous fires.  The rocks were all bumpy and interesting;  some grey, white, red, orange and more.

After we hiked the Sundial pinnacle we drove to the Reed lookout and hiked to the Balconies.  Stunning views.  In fact, we plan to head back there tonight to capture the Milky Way!

Enjoy!

Cheri & John

Red Kangaroo

Kangaroo

Grey Kangaroo

Kookabara

Pied Crow

View from Sundial

View from Sundial

The Balconies

April 23. Mt Gambier to Hamilton and the foothills of the Grampians

The Barn was spectacular. We were sorry to leave such a fabulous place and sent some extra time there in the morning downloading images, blogging and just relaxing.  The food was all locally sourced and oh so delicious. That included the wind. 

Now on the road again, it feels and looks fall like as we see giant sheep, elk, and cattle  ranches.  It's lonely, but beautiful country.  The light makes everything look like its a water color painting. 

We finally made if to Hamilton around 2 PM and checked Into our hotel.  Quickly we threw our hiking and camera gear into the car and headed to the base of the southern Grampians.  There was a very helpful woman at the info station who helped us with choices of which hike to make. 

We headed off for Picciny and ended up doing Mt. Sturgeon. It was a beautiful hike with ups and downs and ups and downs.  As we got to the steeper final section we were hiking quietly along and Cheri looked up into the eyes of a Wallaby!!  Holy cow...there she was....right in the path watching us intently chewing on a piece of grass.  She looked as if she was a toll collector and had her hand out for a $1 coin!  Cheri had her small lens on and she shot so as not to miss her.  John quickly changed out his lens to the 100-400 mm while Cheri kept her focus.  John shot away!  Cheri changed lens, but she hopped off into the brush.

We kept hiking and before we knew it we had found another smaller one.  This time we were both loaded for bear and got some great shots!!how exciting!!

The hike was about 8 km and took about 2.5 hours.  Glorious!  When we got back to the car and headed off and quickly found a large group of kangaroo in the fields.  We stopped for some picies.  Next thing we saw was a goshawk all lit up by the sun.  Cheri grabbed him in the air!  Next the sunset was spectacular!  What an end to the day light hours!

Off to dinner now!

Plover

Goshawk

Enjoy!
Cheri & John