27th May 2009, Mt Field National Park

The rain has stopped; it looks like four days of good weather, at least.

I rode my motorbike to work this morning, and home again this afternoon in the sun.

Even the locals are saying this has been more rain than usual. It has been hard to get motivated to do stuff outside. So, I’ve been mostly researching cameras and lenses – I still can’t decide – and doing other indoor things. Every time I go outside, I’m wearing gum boots.

Everything here is now in flower – flowers are appearing around the block. A really nice thing about Tasmania is that people have planted daffodils everywhere. You can see them in the middle of paddocks and on road sides.

And the parrots have arrived, eating the kernels of fruit that fell to the ground earlier this year.

Popularity: 22% [?]

7th June 2009

This is a picture of Wiebke setting up for a shot on the Tarn Shelf walk, Mt Field National Park.

Typical of alpine walks are the moving mists and changeable weather. You can be at the base of a peak in clear blue sky to arrive at the top barely able to see five or ten metres.

On the mist covered ridge that Wiebke is facing there is a tarn (lake); it is out of frame to the right. In the space of ten or fifteen minutes we could see it clearly then not at all. It would be a beautiful clear shot, then by the time we got our cameras on tripods it was gone.

Popularity: 29% [?]

27th May 2009, Mt Field National Park

That’s what I think when I take photos of mushrooms like this, that they are little worlds. Worlds that most people walk past without seeing. And I imagine there are smaller worlds again, that I don’t see.

Be warned – there are more mushroom photos for future posts

Popularity: 35% [?]

We’re home. Another big day today, getting back to the car right on dark. We finished off with another walk at Mt Field National Park, the Tarn Shelf circuit.

No snow this time, but it was still cold and misty. One minute you could see a lake or tarn, the next minute it was gone.

There is an interesting old ski hut on Twilight Tarn. It was built in 1927 / 28. There are signs hanging off it now, from National Parks and Wildlife, warning not to go in because it is in an unsafe condition. Inside it is like a museum. There are old wooden cross country skis, ski poles made out of gnarly branches, old food tins, and just lots of odd bits and pieces, all old, laying about. There are also interesting photos on the walls.

During the drive down from the plateau there were brush tailed possums and potteroos, just sitting in the middle of the track making us wait for them to wander off at their leisure. It was good to see native animals that were at ease with people, and none of them run over on the track.

27th May 2009, Russel Falls Mt Field National Park.

This was taken on our way to Strahan, our first visit. I was impressed with the falls, and the park, and the tracks. The first time I came to Tasmania in 1983 / 84, I avoided this park thinking it was too popular, too touristy.

27th May 2009, Horseshoe falls Mt Field National Park.

I had to look through one of our books to see what these falls are. I don’t usually take any notice of names. One thing with taking photos of falls is that you get a wet camera from the mist. The picture below is also Horseshoe Falls.

It was an overcast day as well as dark under the canopy of trees. Because of this I was able to use a slow shutter speed so that the movement of the water is blurred smooth.

Popularity: 14% [?]