Just back from a 2 week Photography Road trip in April, with my son Mitch, and finally have some time to put together a photo diary of our adventure.

Quite a lengthy blog, so if you're still interested, maybe grab a coffee/tea/beer/red wine … put on some Enya … 😀

'Twas a pretty full on couple of weeks in which we targeted just a couple of key areas of Tasmania.

We were keen to explore the north west of Tassy, having seen glimpses of it during a family holiday there in 2016. Mitch had done quite a bit of research on potential Photo-worthy locations, so, apart from Cradle Mountain, we were keeping each day quite flexible.

Thursday evening we drove on to the Spirit of Tasmania, docked in Melbourne. Friday morning we drive off before sunrise in Devonport … so easy, except for that time when they had 12m waves!

Anyhow, this voyage was much less eventful. We quickly found a café for breakfast, one that we had visited before - great food and GREAT coffee - The Lane Way .

Nourished and batteries charged we headed west. We had a couple of nights booked at Tullah. Along the way we hiked into Upper Qualie Falls - what a gem! Great find Mitch! The hike in takes you through some lovely forest with moss's, lichens and fungi. The waterfall itself is a wide cascade, framed by tree ferns and mossy rocks.

Just past Cradle Mountain can be found The Vale of Bellvoir Conservation Area - think ancient rainforests and eucalyptus trees, oh, as we were driving out, we also discovered the Vale contained leeches! I haven't seen Mitch move so fast in a long while! 😀

Late that afternoon we checked into Tullah and headed off to find the Mount Murchison Track. We were keen to challenge ourselves on the hike up Mt Murchison. The weather wasn't great, and we had left it a bit late, so we decided just to at least start the hike and see what it was like.

After about 40mins in we both agreed that there was no way we could complete the hike in time, especially with light rain falling. We'll save that one for another time!

The weather next day was cloudy and wet … perfect water fall weather! We headed north to find Wandle Falls. Again, stunning rain forest, ferns and fungi! I think we spent nearly 3 hours exploring the forest … so beautiful.

A quick bite to eat, then off to Philosopher Falls. A great track winding it's way through lush rainforest, and a stunning array of coloured fungi! Oh, and a pretty cool, multi tiered waterfall once you cross the bridge over the Arthur River and descend down the 210 steps to the viewing platform! That night, a well earned Schnitty and ale.

Our stay at Tullah was over, and after a stop in the lovely town of Sheffield for coffee and supplies, we headed to Cradle Mtn.

We were now on the hunt for Fagus! 👹

Fagus is Tasmania’s only winter deciduous species, and one of only a handful of deciduous species in Australia. "The annual 'Turning of the Fagus' in mid-autumn produces a riot of colour in Tasmania's high country. The crinkle-cut leaves turn from brilliant gold to rust red and orange creating a majestic tapestry in the alpine landscape" Get the picture?

Our other reason for spending 3 nights here was to capture sunrise on the eastern side of the Cradle. We'd booked a hut for the overnight hike, had mapped out our evening hike up past Hansons Peak, kitted up with tent, cold weather gear etc. We hadn't planned for the projected -7°C with a 'feels like' well, lets just say A LOT LESS! ❄️ The cloud cover was also not being kind to us. We had a free night later in the week so changed the booking hoping to come back, but again similar conditions prevented us taking on the challenge - again, for another time.

Our first afternoon was spent wandering through the King Billy Walk amongst these giant pines.

They grow in excess of 40m high and can live for over a thousand years!

The next day, the fagus hunt was on!

Icy Wind, Fog, Rain, Snow, … no Fagus shots.

We started on Ronnys Creek hiking the first section of the Overland Track, then detoured along the Horse Track up to the western side of Crater Lake, where we expected to find our quarry! Once there we did indeed see Fagus! Unfortunately the howling wind and driving rain made it impossible for any decent shots so we settled for a few iPhone pics! Large pockets of snow made the hike even more challenging.

We continued on to re-join the Overland Track, making our way down to the Dove Lake circuit, observing more fagus on the way, as well as many stunning Snow Gums, all the while battling the freezing, driving rain. Detective Murtaugh's words from the movie Lethal Weapon again echoing in my mind … "I'm getting to old for this sh*t!' 😭 Anyway, 5 hrs later ... 20,000 steps ... 150 flights of stairs, driving rain, bitterly cold wind, pockets of snow, 3 wombats, a few crows, a few nut bars, not one shot taken of the famed Fagus, we made it back to our cabin. The most challenging test for my knee so far - a tad sore but all good!

The next day the weather was looking a more friendly for photography. Still overcast, some showers, with the promise of some sunshine around sunset. We decided to target sunset up near Hansons Peak. Trouble is you can no longer leave your car Dove Lake. In fact private vehicle's are not allowed along Dove Lake Road during the running of the new shuttle bus's ( 8:00am to 6:00pm). So, an early breakfast, then down to Ronnys Creeks at 7:30am to drop off our car - at least we'd only need to walk back to there after sunset. Making use of the early start we again headed off on the Overland Track and then up to the Waldheim Chalet to explore the forest and shoot the pandani plants.

We then took the Cradle Valley Boardwalk back, taking time to shoot some of the Snow Gums and grass's along the way. Mitch and I both agreed an afternoon nap was well earned to ready us for the afternoon hike.

Refreshed, we took the shuttle bus down to Dove Lake and started the ascent to Hansons Peak - a wonderful hike providing a great view of both Dove Lake and the Cradle.

We arrived around 4pm roughly 90mins before sunset, giving us plenty of time to look for compositions and take in the amazing views … and fagus! There we fagus! Light conditions looked favourable … until 30mins later when a snow storm hit us! Quite amazing to be standing up there, visibility down to not much, and the sound of snow hitting us. Fortunately it only lasted around 15mins, clearing enough to allow a few sun rays through. Cloud was hugging the Cradle, some golden light was also trying to negotiate it's way through … shots taken, some lovely sunset coloured clouds signalled it was time to begin our hike back down, and back to the car.

Next morning we headed to our northern base for 2 nights to explore even further west into The Tarkine.

Our first morning we able to squeeze in a sneaky sunrise at Wynyard before exploring Rocky Cape National Park, and then down into the Tarkine to take in Trowutta Arch and the Julius River Conservation Reserve. The Reserve has a wonderful forest walk, with fungus of all colours, with the river lined with tree ferns!

Next day we had a challenging hike lined up - the Bastion Cascades Hike.

Magnificent cliff overhangs and small caves all encased in rainforest leading to the stunning cascading waterfall, just a 9km Grade 4 hike in the way. So grateful to Mitch for taking the time to 'encourage' and challenge me on all these hikes. Certainly would not have been able to do and enjoy the experiences that these hikes provided without him being there with me! Anyway, the hike was wonderful, as challenging as I had expected, including the rope climb up and down. The cascades were beautiful.

Time for another well earned schnitty and a beverage! :)

Bastion Cascades

Lower Bastion

Now well in to the second week of the hunt, we headed south.

A great road trip in it self from the north west coast down close to Mount Field National Park.

Mitch … pondering how good life must have been in the 60’s!

On the way we stopped at a small town called Poatina. This town had a definite 'vibe' to it. Kind of weird, a little creepy … think Twin Peaks (Google it!) It sits half way up a mountain, quite isolated. We new there was a coffee there somewhere. Searching, we slowly drove around the streets, looking for a shop or cafe, not seeing anyone, or any signs of life. We bravely parked the car and explored on foot. The town was frozen in the 60's. It was a hydro-electricity camp which was purchased by a Christian group in 1995, who run youth and community training programs.

At 10am, the tea shop opened and a few people came out of their house. We ventured in and had a pretty good coffee … and left.

Conditions at Mt Field were fairly bleak. Rain all day, driving wind and temps of low single digits, with a feels like temp of … a lot less. Call us silly, call us brave (just don't ever call us late for Schnitzels! ). We endured, and spent a couple of hours in amongst the stunning Fagus and dazzling Snow Gums. Very challenging to set up a shot, constant wiping of lens, frozen hands, but lots of laughs and a great session! Detective Murtaugh still whispering in my ear …

Back in our cabin we rewarded ourselves with the best toasted Ham, Cheese, Spicy Relish deep toasted sandwiches EVER!

Out time in the wilderness was coming to an end. We were booked in at Hobart for the next couple of nights, however, instead of heading east, we took a detour through the Styx Valley. Driving on a winding dirt road, in amongst giant trees and battle scarred hills, previously logged.

When we reached Hobart, the sun was shining, birds were singing … well, sounded like they were. No rest though, straight up to Kunanyi / Mount Wellington, for a late afternoon hike to scope out some compositions for net morning sunrise. The South Wellington Track starts off pretty good, a nice graded track, however quickly diverts to a rock hopping affair. Not too strenuous, just need the skills of a mountain goat to traverse! 🐐

Some great scenery along the way, giant boulders perched up high as well as magnificent views of Hobart and the Derwent River. Arriving back at the car park the just after sunset, the icy wind biting at our face and hands, the Super Moon was slowly rising to the east. I grabbed my zoom lens and, testing out the inbuilt stabilisation, snapped a few pics!

Up early next morning for the drive to the top of Kunanyi, we were channeling our inner 🐐 preparing ourselves for the pre-dawn hike. Though nothing could really prepare us for the icy conditions ❄️! Getting to our spot, we started looking for compositions - a bit tricky in the dark for non-goats! All set, be just had to wait for the suns rays to strike their target and light up those boulders!

First Golden Rays striking Kunanyi

Obligatory Sun Star!

A massive bonus of spending some time in Hobart was to be able to catch up with Di - a cousin I haven't seen for years! Loved it!

We spent most of the day exploring Hobart on foot, checking out the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, a great coffee at The Stagg, and found "Australia's Oldest Drinking Hole" - The Alexandra (aka The Hope and Anchor 1807). Our last night in Tassy was celebrated with a wonderful dinner at the Urban Greek. Some truly delicious food and dark lager!

Next morning we were up early for a pre-dawn flight.

The flight was a birthday gift from Mitch - thanks so much Mitch! Another awesome experience we were able to share together! 😍🙏 Seeing the first rays of sunrise light striking the massive columns along the Tasman Peninsula, with the Super Moon descending … stunning!

If you’re still here, thanks for taking the time to share our Tassy adventure. I guess if the Enya didn’t put you sleep this blog may have! 😁

Our Photography road trips and adventures are not as frequent these days, but they seem to be getting more and more enjoyable … and challenging!

Thanks Mitch … until next time buddy, Love you!