Fraser Island (Part 1)
Well, I'm back.
Hello, gang. Sorry for my long absence. As I said in my last post (written absolute ages ago, it seems), I meant to be back here in July, but lots of things conspired to keep me away until now. I'm still quite busy, so I doubt I'll be able to post as often as I used to, but I'll give it my best shot.
As for what kept me away for so long, well, let's just say that my last literary translation took rather longer to finish than I expected, that my new nine-to-five is enjoyable but exhausting, that I embarked on the mother of all hair experiments, that I've watched an awful lot of British comedy on YouTube and that I've discovered FaceBook. If any of my regular commenters are on FaceBook, too, let's be friends, eh?
Oh, and I've booked my next holiday, but that's another story.
I have heaps of photos to share with you, of heaven knows how many places. I thought I'd start with what was arguably my favourite place in Australia (along with Cradle Mountain National Park and Walls of Jerusalem National Park in Tasmania): Fraser Island, Queensland. Fraser is the world's biggest sand island, a gigantic sandbar measuring 120km by 15km and boasting some spectacularly diverse ecology, ranging from endless beaches and beautifully picturesque creeks and lakes to deserts and rainforest. The wildlife isn't bad either; I came across five dingoes, a giant sea turtle, a big snake and some rather scary-looking spiders. The latter didn't stop me enjoying the hell out of Fraser.
Now, being the devoted tree fanatic I am, I had a goal when I set out for Fraser, which was to take a good picture of a pandanus palm, the tree I most associate with Queensland. However, I only came across a few specimens, and they weren't particularly scenically located. Thankfully, there were other photogenic landmarks, as well.
See the tracks in the photo above? As you can tell, cars aren't banned on the beach. In fact, in the absence of proper roads, the beach acts as a kind of motorway on Fraser Island. It was quite an experience, speeding on the beach in a 4WD while watching the tide come in and having to brake hard every now and then so as not to run over a breeding seagull or get stuck in a creek.
And this was the bus I did it in. I spent hours in this thing, eating blueberry muffins, listening to tATu, Eskimo Joe and a guide who really liked hearing himself expound on the topic of poisonous snakes and spiders, and getting frustrated (as always) at all the great shots I was missing out on. Sigh.
One of the many creeks on Fraser Island, whose water runs all over the beach into the sea. I got a lot of funny stares for taking this shot, but I like it.
My last desperate attempt at getting a picture of a pandanus palm. I knew the light was awful when I took it, but I did it, anyway.
Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia, 2007
Holga 120CFN + Ilford XP2 400
PS: I continue to have grave doubts about my monitor. I recently re-recalibrated it, but I'm not sure I got it right. Do the above pictures seem drab to you? They do to me on my work computer, even though they look nice and bright on my home computer. Your feedback will be much appreciated...
Hello, gang. Sorry for my long absence. As I said in my last post (written absolute ages ago, it seems), I meant to be back here in July, but lots of things conspired to keep me away until now. I'm still quite busy, so I doubt I'll be able to post as often as I used to, but I'll give it my best shot.
As for what kept me away for so long, well, let's just say that my last literary translation took rather longer to finish than I expected, that my new nine-to-five is enjoyable but exhausting, that I embarked on the mother of all hair experiments, that I've watched an awful lot of British comedy on YouTube and that I've discovered FaceBook. If any of my regular commenters are on FaceBook, too, let's be friends, eh?
Oh, and I've booked my next holiday, but that's another story.
I have heaps of photos to share with you, of heaven knows how many places. I thought I'd start with what was arguably my favourite place in Australia (along with Cradle Mountain National Park and Walls of Jerusalem National Park in Tasmania): Fraser Island, Queensland. Fraser is the world's biggest sand island, a gigantic sandbar measuring 120km by 15km and boasting some spectacularly diverse ecology, ranging from endless beaches and beautifully picturesque creeks and lakes to deserts and rainforest. The wildlife isn't bad either; I came across five dingoes, a giant sea turtle, a big snake and some rather scary-looking spiders. The latter didn't stop me enjoying the hell out of Fraser.
Now, being the devoted tree fanatic I am, I had a goal when I set out for Fraser, which was to take a good picture of a pandanus palm, the tree I most associate with Queensland. However, I only came across a few specimens, and they weren't particularly scenically located. Thankfully, there were other photogenic landmarks, as well.
See the tracks in the photo above? As you can tell, cars aren't banned on the beach. In fact, in the absence of proper roads, the beach acts as a kind of motorway on Fraser Island. It was quite an experience, speeding on the beach in a 4WD while watching the tide come in and having to brake hard every now and then so as not to run over a breeding seagull or get stuck in a creek.
And this was the bus I did it in. I spent hours in this thing, eating blueberry muffins, listening to tATu, Eskimo Joe and a guide who really liked hearing himself expound on the topic of poisonous snakes and spiders, and getting frustrated (as always) at all the great shots I was missing out on. Sigh.
One of the many creeks on Fraser Island, whose water runs all over the beach into the sea. I got a lot of funny stares for taking this shot, but I like it.
My last desperate attempt at getting a picture of a pandanus palm. I knew the light was awful when I took it, but I did it, anyway.
Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia, 2007
Holga 120CFN + Ilford XP2 400
PS: I continue to have grave doubts about my monitor. I recently re-recalibrated it, but I'm not sure I got it right. Do the above pictures seem drab to you? They do to me on my work computer, even though they look nice and bright on my home computer. Your feedback will be much appreciated...