Cape Schanck and Pulpit Rock

An area that I have been visiting regularly over the last two years is the Mornington Peninsula National Park; in particular Cape Schanck and Pulpit Rock on the very tip of the cape.  The cape separates the calm waters of western port from the wild ocean waters of Bass Straight, in fact the waters surrounding Cape Schanck can get so wild that they claimed the 247 tonne SS Alert in 1893 with 15 people losing their lives.  The Parks Victoria website describes the Cape Schanck area particularly well:

“Cape Schanck offers stunning landscapes; the mystery of dramatic volcanic       features, unspoilt and wild beaches and scenic walking tracks with spectacular ocean views.”

I like visiting the Cape for several reasons: it’s only an hour from home, the rock formations are fascinating (particularly Pulpit Rock), you never know what the weather is going to serve up, and if you are there early of late in the day the light can be very beautiful.  Pulpit Rock has long interested artists and photographers, for example this link is to an oil painting of the rock done in the 1860s by Nicholas Chevalier.

All of the photographs below of Pulpit Rock were taken over the last 2 years and were captured with my Pentax K7 using a variety of filters such as polarisers, neutral density and graduated neutral densities.

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Pretty Valley Pondage

This is a shot of Pretty Valley Pondage at Falls Creek in the Alpine National Park (Victoria). It was taken at sunset a couple of weeks ago just before the fog rolled in.

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Huts on the Bogong High Plains

A couple of weeks ago I spent a few days in Falls Creek to do some photography.  Falls Creek is located in the Alpine National Park and provides a convenient starting point to explore the Bogong High Plains.  The high plains were used for many years by local families to graze cattle during the summer months; with several of these families building Huts for shelter after driving their cattle up onto the plains.  Other huts were purpose built as shelters for cross-country skiers and bushwalkers. Some of the huts date back to the 1880s.  The photos below show a small selection of huts.

This first hut is Cope Hut and was built in the late 1920s as a refuge for cross-country skiers, however in summer without any snow the area is covered with wildflowers.

This is Fitzgeralds hut and while the original hut which was built in 1903 was burnt down in the mid 1980s, it was rebuilt in the early 1990s in the original style.

Kellys Hut below is not an original cattlemens hut, this is an old SEC 1928 (electricity commission) hut that is on the site where a hut built by the Kelly family used to stand.

I saved the best for last.  This one is Wallaces Hut and is the oldest hut on the high plains being built in the late 1880s, it has survived numerous bushfires and after some recent maintenance is still going strong. 

Each time I visit these huts I feel as though I get to step back in time and witness how early pioneers lived in the high country.  If you ever get the chance to pay a visit to Falls Creek the huts are well worth visiting too, especially as most are within an easy day walk.

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Snow gums of the Bogong High Plains

Earlier this week I spent some more time in the Australian Alps and while the Alps are not high or extensive by world standards, they are unique in Australia as they make up just 0.3% of the Australian land mass.

The area I visited was the Bogong High Plains and is part of the Alpine National Park, during winter the plains make up one of the largest snow covered areas in the country.  The majority of the Bogong High Plains are above 1500 meters and the only tree that will grow at this altitude is the snow gum.  These trees often stunted and take on a twisted appearance away from the direction of the strong blasts of prevailing winds.  Below is a series of black and white images of these incredible trees.

The Alpine National Park is a remarkable place to visit and while the weather can be challenging, the spectacular scenery more than makes for it.

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