If you love aerial views of salt lakes and pink lakes and things that you would expect in South Australia and Western Australia…..take heart! They are available here in Queensland as well. Port Alma, around 60 kms south of Rockhampton, is home to a few salt farms and crocodiles and a big winding Fitzroy River delta. All these were taken with my DJI Mini 3 Pro drone. I love the abstract nature of these salt pans, and the light was incredible just after dawn.
I spent some time in the Christchurch CBD in New Zealand, and it was fascinating to see how the city is coming alive again with new buildings, cool architecture, street art. There’s so many reminders of the catastrophic earthquake in February 2011: gutted buildings, uninhabitable. Empty vacant blocks of land. Construction underway. Whenever I visit a city, no matter where in the world, I look for quirky art, interesting lines and curves, and light. I particularly loved the bright and cheery Turanga Library, gorgeous lighting, staircases, and books, and it looked to be a hit among locals and visitors alike.
It’s been my experience lately to hear feedback (a lot of negative feedback) about some photo tours and workshops offered by Australian photographers (and others but we’ll concentrate on Australia here). I thought I’d share a bit of that feedback and offer some suggestions for you to consider when choosing a photo tour or a workshop, and explain the difference between the two. I invite you to Like and/or Comment below if you find this of value after reading!
Let’s start with comparing photo TOURS vs photography WORKSHOPS. When you see ‘tour’ in the title, this would indicate like any other tour, there is a guide, there is someone in charge, there is someone who does the organising and the troubleshooting and the research, so you pay your fee and prepare to be taken to places to photograph, places to eat and places to sleep, without the added stress or problem-solving that comes with organising a trip on your own. It might be an unfamiliar place, it might be that you’d like to be part of a group of like-minded people, it might be that you look up to the guide/leader and follow their photography, or you want to access the best locations in a limited time. On a tour, unless otherwise stated, you should probably not expect any actual tuition. (NOTE: I will say here that although my TOURS do not offer formal instruction per se, I am on hand always to offer suggestions, tips and assistance, and it is to my benefit to ensure my clients come home with amazing photos (isn’t this every guide’s goal?). Some tours are JUST that….tours.
Which leads me to expectations vs reality. If you are expecting to get tips and tuition and LEARN things, make sure this is included in the tour description as most tours will not offer this - on most tours, you can expect that your guide/leader will be taking their own photos as well as accompanying you. They are there to facilitate a photography experience for you.
If it’s tuition and learning you are wanting, perhaps choose a WORKSHOP over a tour - the lines can be muddled sometimes but a good host/leader should be able to answer these questions for you before you book, to make sure that what you are expecting is what is going to be delivered. Make sure you read the description carefully, and ask specific questions.
A huge red flag to me is photographers/ tour operators who are not transparent about what happens on their tours, and do not invite questions or are willing to answer them! I highly recommend you speak to past participants of the tour/workshop you are interested in. I know that some who spoke to me in confidence were not willing to ‘go public’ with their dissatisfaction about their experiences or go public naming and shaming, however would probably be okay to private message and discuss. So ASK questions in your photography groups and amongst your friends. I find my best form of advertising is word-of-mouth and my past clients are always happy to chat with people about their tour.
Please note too that it has been reported to me that some photographers offering ‘workshops’ actually take their own photos DURING the workshop (!!!!) - as I said above, ensure that you ask questions and be sure about the service you are paying for, before signing up for anything. To me, a attending a workshop is 100% for learning, it’s not there for the leader to take their own photos.
Now this may come as a shock to you however it is not uncommon (and this was the same when I worked in the scuba diving industry many years ago) how much of a ‘boys’ club’ some groups can be, where the mysoginistic male guide favours his male clients/mates, and women feel intimidated and pushed to the side. This makes my blood boil and I can assure you that my tours and workshops are definitely not like that - my client base happens to be majority female, however I always welcome men on my tours and workshops but can honestly say that this IS a thing and many, many women in the past have reported these incidents to me. Everyone should feel listened to, and valued on a tour or a workshop. In a group situation, it’s usually the loudest and most assertive attendees who get the attention, leaving everyone else in the background (this is also the sign of a good instructor, that they are aware of this and deal with it accordingly).
Making sure YOU match the vibe of the tour or workshop is on you - ask who the majority of the participants are, are they party animals? are they drone pilots rather than stills camera photographers? What kind of meals (if included) are they? Are you expected to eat with the group or can you go off on your own? What does a typical day look like? Are you expected to join each and every session? What happens on a rainy day? Are editing sessions offered and are they private or group? I have noticed on my tours, I offer individual critique and editing tips to clients and I would say that they definitely appreciate the confidential nature of sharing their images and discussing them with me. Again……a lot of people are intimidated by groups, especially if they involve outspoken people who tend to command all the attention.
One more thing to consider……if you are going to national parks and reserves….is your tour leader licensed to operate there? are they paying your park fees? do they even have insurance? To me, another red flag is businesses who don’t even have their own domain, for example if they are Boba Jonis Photography but their email is bobajonis123@gmail.com ……and their website does not have a domain either….what kind of business are they? Do you trust to place your money into the hands of unprofessional operators? Something to think about.
I hope this clarifies a few things for you when it comes to choosing an experience. And keep messaging me with your thoughts and comments about other tours so I can ensure I never go down that path of choosing money and ego vs client satisfaction. I’m passionate about sharing travel and photography, and having return clients and friends. x
OH WAIT! one more thing…..it’s not always possible but if you CAN meet the leader/photographer ahead of time, it will give you an idea if you will click…….for instance, do a shorter experience with them - with me, I have more than a few clients who start with a 90-minute workshop, that turns into a weekend workshop, that turns into an Australian photo tour….then international. What I strive for is people who come back, again and again. It drives me to work harder and come up with exciting and fun photo tours to run.
Ballendean is a small rural town on the Queensland border with New South Wales……autumn is a gorgeous time to visit, with all the vineyards and the leaves changing colour……even if you don’t drink (like me!) it’s worth going. We stayed at Just Red Wines in a lovely modern cabin with fireplace and a gate behind it leading to a walk through granite boulders, tiny colourful wildflowers and nobody else around. We were on a mission to shoot some cowgirl inspired portraits so we borrowed some amazing boots, a vintage suitcase, and some cowgirl gear and off we went to visit the Ballendean train platform (disused but with old timber boards and colourful flowers surrounding).
Queensland is full of beautiful old train platforms and stations….nearby we visited The Summit, one of the coldest places in Queensland, and home to the highest railway station in Australia! I really liked the Ballendean one the most, with pretty flowers right next to the platform, and trees in the background.
And of course, no trip down that way is complete without a visit to Girraween National Park….what a gorgeous park with granite boulders, meandering walks around creeks, crunchy leaves, wallabies and king parrots and beautiful nature all around!
On my Tasmania tours, I don’t just shoot landscapes but I encourage you to photograph ‘the little things’ like flora: wildflowers, weeds, tiny branches….we make time!……it’s easy to get lost in macro photography, (although it’s harder when you’re old with knee issues (like me). Cradle Mountain is …..the clean crisp air, the flowers and trees, the wombats and the wallabies…..the rainforest….the alpine wildness…it’s all there for you! There’s a reason it’s on the UNESCO World Heritage Register . Pristine wilderness, protected areas, I’m so excited to share this location with my guests on my NEW West Coast and Cradle Mountain photo tour in Tasmania in November. Message me to book.
I know everyone is so time-poor with work and family and ….life…..but honestly, make the time!! I just spent 29 hours, that’s just over ONE whole day and overnight in the Southern Downs, an area south of Toowoomba in Queensland. Rich with farms, crops, old buildings and the odd cowboy, I highly recommend it, especially if you are a city girl (well, a coast girl) like me. We left the Sunny Coast and travelled inland and then south (note: it’s a 3.5 hour drive non-stop), where we stopped at the gorgeous Back Plains church, a privately owned historic Catholic church. We respected the owner and the fence and did not enter the area but took some photos from the fenceline. It’s a gorgeous old timber church with so much character! We were on a bit of a mission to find sunflowers but ultimately we didn’t even care in the end because we found so much more!
Now, of course, a good road trip requires SNACKS and good company. Nicky was in charge of both, AND she did all the driving, which is very awesome for me as I would always prefer being a passenger/navigator. We ended up at Duchess Farm Stay, a really sweet cabin on a farm near Nobby with oh my goodness. GOATS of all things, they were just adorable. And not just goats but Misty the dog, and some small cows and sheep and even chickens right outside our door. We did, in fact, find sunflowers and the timing could not have been better to get Nicky into a dress and put her ribboned hat on and we had a hilarious time taking photos outside of the crop (again….we did not enter the crop at all….we respect farmers here, and private property, and the associated bio-hazards. PLEASE always show the same consideration).
We also saw the most incredible sorghum crops, fiery red in the afternoon light, and silhouettes of horses and trees, and and and the beauty of the rural area really shone through. And of course….silos…windmills and things we find interesting….it never stopped! When we finally went to bed around 10pm Nicky noticed the sky exploding with a bajillion stars and so we had to get up and go outside and take more photos. It really was fantastic, with the dark country skies showing the most amazing sight. In the morning we went back to the sunflowers and the sorghum and then slowly made our way home, stopping in Kilcoy for lunch. What a fun trip! What do you think….worth the trip or not? Please comment below!
I do so much research online, and speaking with people I meet about fun places to photograph and to visit, and I was thrilled to get in touch with Jenny from the Scenic Rim Flower Farm and arrange to spend a few hours at her little flower farm in the spectacular Scenic Rim Area. She and her husband mainly grow wheat (which is pretty spectacular already) and then branched out into sunflowers, and now paper daisies. What a wonderful time I had, using my drone, plus all my lenses: Canon 100mm prime, 35mm Sigma ART, Tamron 24-70 f2.8, Canon 70-200 and 100-400. Actually, along the way there, I also saw some longhorn cattle, and the beautiful Moogerah Dam with stick trees, so it was a LONG day’s drive, but a good one!
I have been holding regular free Instameets for quite a long time, generally once a month. What are Instameets, you may ask? They are a way for getting like-minded people together. A way for making connections with other hobby photographers (and professionals too!). They are social events, at sunrise (because that’s my fave time of day of course, and we are on the East Coast so it makes sense). There’s no workshop or teaching going in - we all just take photos and chat with others. We usually have coffee and/or breakfast afterwards at a cafe nearby the location.
It’s also a way for people to meet ME and see that I’m approachable and real and happy to book you into a private lesson, workshop or tour, to further your knowledge about photography, and also you can have a look at the gear I use, and the gear I sell: NISI filters, Sirui tripods, Sunwayfoto L-brackets. You can ask me questions about what I teach. You can chat with me about some gear you might want to purchase. You can just come along and not feel so alone in your photography journey!
Many people have made connections at my Instameets, and there’s no pressure. If you post your images on Instagram afterward and tag me on them, there’s a good chance I’ll feature them on my Stories, reaching quite a diverse and wide market of people out there online. So what are you waiting for? My next one is in July.
I was born in Sydney, Australia but I didn’t grow up there, nor have I lived there since I was a baby. I’ve only returned a few times and more recently, as a photographer. I am constantly thrilled by all that Sydney has to offer a landscape photographer - it’s one of the most beautiful cities in the world: based on a giant harbour, there’s ferries on the water, the Sydney Harbour Bridge (which just celebrated a 90th birthday) and the magnificent Sydney Opera House nearby. I like to stay in the city, particularly in The Rocks area, as it’s within walking distance of Circular Quay, the historic Rocks buildings, and bridge and of course the opera house. One day I will do a trip just to photograph the many ocean baths in the Sydney region, but in the meantime I like to go to Bronte Beach and the ocean baths there. Great for people-watching!! Doing city walks is great fun, looking for architecture and night lights, and I was able to do an internal tour of the opera house and take photos of the beautiful designs, textures and colours inside. Can’t wait to go back.
On a last minute random 11-hour road trip I discovered the Maryvale Roadhouse in the Scenic Rim, actually I drove right past it and then had to drop a U-turn to go back because it looked so vintage! OK….. well abandoned and rusty. But what really caught my eye were the old petrol pumps with the covers removed, I loved the cogs and numbers and spent a great deal of time photographing them. They kind of remind me of robots.
The community of Maryvale is close to the Main Range National Park and I’m sure people just drive by, but there is always something nostalgic and sad and lovely about abandoned places. I love the abandoned feeling, cobwebs, overgrown weeds, rust…………….
There’s something about weathered timber and old things that really catch my attention. The Urangan Pier in Hervey Bay - what a beauty. The original 1107 (some say 1120) metre pier was built around 1913 as an extension of the Pialba railway line, transferring cargo between rail and ships. It was a deep water cargo-handling facility for exporting sugar, coal and timber. At the end of it were 2 large sheds, and could hold up to 2,000 tonnes of cargo.
Around 1985 the pier was in disrepair and the end was chopped off, leaving just over 860 metres. Over the years, locals rallied together and wanted the pier to be rebuilt with stronger pilons, replacing rotten timber and making the pier safe again.
Today, the pier is a majestic playground for fishing, walking, bird watching and I love it every time I visit Hervey Bay. Marine life such as dugongs, dolphins, stingrays and many varieties of fish have been spotted off the jetty. Prolific birdlife abounds: pelicans, brown boobies, seagulls, eastern osprey and crested pigeon, pied oystercatchers and other sea birds.
Having flown in many helicopters over the years in Vancouver, the Kimberley, Sydney, Uluru and Kata Tjuta, the Fraser Coast and more, I’ve picked up a few tips along the way to get great shots from above.
Ask for DOORS OFF! This gives you a clear and unimpeded view of the outside world around you. Shooting through sometimes scratched and dirty perspex glass is not the easiest thing to excel at.
Communicate with your pilot. Be clear about what kind of shots you want, where you might want to fly, and do this before the actual flight if possible. On the flight you will have a headset and microphone so you can also chat while flying, but unless you’re a millionaire, chances are you have only booked a flight for less than 30 minutes so, time matters.
A clear day is best as clouds cast shadows on the land below, and are to be avoided if possible. Over ocean and rivermouths, low tide yields the most amazing designs and patterns.
If you are flying over the ocean on a sunny day, I recommend using a CPL filter - a circular polarising filter on your lens. This can help cut the glare and also show more clarity in the water.
Whatever gear you are using, it must be secured well - so wear a camera strap or a hand grip.
Take care that nothing can fall off your lens such as a lens cap (put it away before the flight) as this can have unwanted consequences if it falls off……….(I will leave it at that).
Don’t change lenses during the flight. I generally take one camera and lens, a Canon 6D and Tamron 24-70mm lens. I prefer not to bring 2 cameras but that is an option if you wish to use several different lens lengths. Note that using a super wide angle will most likely get the rotor blades or the bottom rack in your shots!
Be aware that the heli is constantly moving - so you want a fast shutter speed. I find that using Auto ISO and AV (aperture priority) mode set at f2.8 is a great start. You may want to adjust these settings as you fly, so check your camera to make sure it’s working for you.
You will probably have a friend or a few other people on your flight, so keep in mind that you are not the only person who matters - this is good to communicate before the actual flight to make sure you all get the shots you want.
Remember all your standard composition rules for photography, and keep your horizons straight if you include the sky/horizon.
ENJOY your flight and please leave a Comment below if you enjoyed reading this!
World heritage UNESCO listed Fraser Island (K’Gari) is the largest sand island in the world, off the east coast of Queensland, Australia. Wild purebred dingoes, huge sand blows, a wonderful shipwreck, rainforest and clear turquoise lakes, jetties, sand tracks, whales…………it is truly a wonderful magical place. I’ve been visiting this island for many years, and it’s always amazing. On my last trip I saw heaps of humpback whales on their annual migration, I saw stingrays and dolphins, dingoes, an array of birds including white-bellied storm petrel, brahminy kites, gannets, kingfishers, osprey, the list goes on and on.
I prefer the ocean side of Fraser Island. On the other side is a big resort (Kingfisher) and it’s accessible by barge/ferry from Hervey Bay. Over there is a long jetty and also a broken down stick jetty (Mackenzies Jetty) which I absolutely love. But on the ocean side, it’s 90-mile Beach, with views out into the horizon, and damn good fishing, especially around August/ September - tailor is the fish my partner likes to catch and it’s really good eating it fresh the same day nom nom….. we drive up to Inskip Point, queue up on the sandy beach and catch the barge, it takes about 20 minutes to get over the southern end of Fraser and then, it’s only sand tracks and beach from there on. I believe it’s one of the few beaches in the world allowing small aircraft to land in a few locations (and they have been bogged in the sand at times).
Four-wheel driving is what you need over there - knowing the tides is essential in order to get where you want to go, and experience driving in the sand is quite helpful too, as the sand tracks leading inland and across the island have claimed many unprepared drivers!
The dingoes are just gorgeous to see - however due to the stupidity and laziness of humans, they are accustomed to associating humans with food (campers leave their rubbish and food unsecured, or even worse, feed the dingoes) and this has led to dingo attacks on humans, mainly children (prey!) I have never been scared of dingoes but I do maintain a distance when possible, and I always respect them. They are naturally very lean, and eat fish and lizards and probably birds too, if they can.
So what’s a typical day for me on Fraser? Well, i get up at dawn, we drive up the beach to find a good gutter (that’s fishing-speak for dunno, a good place to catch fish?) and then my man puts on waders and has a bait bag clipped on his belt and he’s good for a few hours. In the meantime, I shoot flow, sunrise, beach tracks, then I whack on a telephoto lens and look for birds and dingoes, and then i may fly my drone. After many hours we go back to our accommodation (a holiday unit at a fenced village called Happy Valley) and have breakfast, go for a drive up the beach, spot whales and birds and dingoes, and then back for lunch of freshly-caught tailor, then a little afternoon rest before afternoon fishing (for him) and sunset photos (for me). There is really something for everyone on Fraser Island…..what could be better than that!!?
There’s all kinds of ways to experience this fab island - you can fly in a small scenic plane for a day trip including a 4WD to drive around, you could take your own vehicle over on the barge and either camp or stay at the many houses (very suitable for fishing groups or family groups), or at a resort, you could also do a day or overnight trip on a huge tour bus from the mainland. I highly recommend a week here to really soak up the Fraser Island vibes!
Let me know in the Comments below, have you been to Fraser? What do you think?
On my recent Tasmania photography workshop, I added something a little different to the week, because as much as I love landscapes, that is not all there is to shoot! Sunrises and sunsets of beautiful locations are really amazing, but I also like behind-the-scenes or documentary style photography too.
Tasmania is known for its delicious oysters, so I approached Cassie at Melshell Oyster Shack (a family business) with my idea some months back, and she was totally on board. I picked up some hi-vis vests for my group to wear, and we wandered around the oyster place (safely!) with Cassie explaining all about the oyster production from beginning to end. We photographed the men coming back with their boat and a haul of oysters and saw what happens to them from there, right up to sorting, bagging, and even shucking some too. We were inside, outside, and around the vintage caravan that sells oysters straight to the hungry tourists who seem to drop by in droves to taste them. What a fun morning!
Sometimes it’s nice to concentrate on the little details as opposed to a wide all-encompassing image. The property is full of gorgeous and quirky things like…pink flamingos, heaps and heaps of empty oyster shells made into fences, tables and chairs by the river, a tiny jetty, and so much more!
The Melrose family has been farming Pacific Oysters successfully since 1984 and they are well worth a visit. To find out more about Melshells, or visit them next time you’re in Tassie, check them out on https://melshelloysters.com.au/melshell-story/ 😊
Tasmania, a small island state at the bottom of Australia, who knew it was so full of natural beauty, friendly locals and crazy weather? I was just there in April, doing a whirlwind road trip around a big circle (not nearly big enough) of Tassy, enjoying rainy moody weather (east coast), snow and sideways driving rain (Cradle Mountain), sunny days and cold mornings, and beautiful sunset skies. Here’s the thing - on PAPER, Tassy looks like a tiny place, but once you start driving the winding, curving roads, and stopping every five minutes because OH A JETTY! and OH RED ROCKS! and OH REFLECTIONS! and highland cows and lone trees and ………….you get the picture. Leave a lot of time to drive from A to B, okay?
As a photographer, I love to explore places, and get away from the cities and the buildings, and it’s easy to do that in Tassy. The environment is so different - you’ve got the west coast around Strahan with still water and timber jetties, and then in the mountains with curving roads and a mining-devastated landscape (although beautiful in its own way), there’s sea stacks and big rocks and crashing ocean waves, and who could ever go past the stunning Bay of Fires, with turquoise waters, white sand and orangey-red rocks.
I feel like Tasmania is like a mini-New Zealand in a way, so much to photograph, and so much to do: hiking, walking, camping, all of the things i love to experience with nature as a backdrop. In fact I love it so much, i’m now sharing it with photographers - running photography workshops down there (check out info on my next trip under Workshops). xx
I seem to be amassing large amounts of gear, but it’s all used regularly, trust me!! I shoot my landscapes and portraits with a Canon 6D - I keep meaning to upgrade to a 5-series actually, but my camera really cops a lot of salt spray and corrosion and dampness, every single day, so I’m not sure I need to upgrade just yet. I’ve already had the insides removed and replaced due to salt corrosion, so it will keep me going for a while yet! I also use a Canon 7D, a crop sensor body. I use that for action, surf, sports and wildlife mainly. My lenses cover a wide range. I will list them here, and let you know what I use them for:
Canon 100mm f2.8L - macro lens (flowers, tiny things) and portraits
Canon 16-35mm f4L - my main landscape lens, wide angle
Samyang 14mm - super wide angle, i only use this for astro photography
Tamron 24-70mm - such a sharp lens, a perfect all-rounder. I can use it for landscapes as well as portraits, and great for street photography!
Canon 70-200mm f2.8L ISii USM - the most AMAZING lens I own! gorgeous bokeh for portraits, incredible sharpness
Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L ISii USM - perfect for surfing and wildlife shots.
Can I tell you guys……it’s taken me quite a while to figure out what I want and need in lenses. I tried a Canon 17-40mm (didn’t like it). I tried a Canon 50mm (didn’t like it), I tried a Canon 85mm (didn’t like it). Lenses are such a personal thing and it depends on what you use them for. There are companies around who rent out lenses. I suggest you try to rent one before you invest in buying one!! Also, invest in the BEST glass you can afford. I saved up for the 70-200 for ages before I could afford to buy one, and it will never leave my possession. it’s that good, so it was worth the wait!
I use Sirui tripods, the W-series. They are waterproof and carbon-fibre. They are fantastic at being constantly in salt water and sweltering in the boot of my hot car. I’ve got my regular one, the W2204, and recently I acquired a W1204, it’s a little bit smaller in size and lighter, so i use that for travel.
I made the investment into NISI filters a couple of years ago, and I use them almost every day. I use the v5 square system, a selection of Neutral Density (ND) filters: a 3-stop, 6-stop and 10-stop, plus a few graduated filters, and Circular Polarising filter, and a Natural Light filter. Interestingly, filters are the number one thing my students want to learn, so I teach how to use them, and how to get the best out of them.
What else do i have …..hmmm well I have a GoPro Silver Hero4 which is fantastic when I go stand-up paddling, and I fly a DJI Mavic Pro drone whenever I get the chance (I’ve posted some images in my gallery, check them out!).
I use a LowePro Flipside 400AW backpack. When I travel….hmmm depends where I’m going and my needs when i get there, but sometimes I fill the backpack and then it fits perfectly INSIDE a hard shell carry-on case, so it’s then on wheels (best thing ever). Sometimes I just carry the backpack on my back, pretending it hardly weighs a thing (tip for getting through at airport check-ins). It doesn’t fit ALL of my gear but I pack according to what I’m going to need! Tip: bring a non-photographer with you when travelling so they can carry some of your gear ;)
As most photography-related brands come out with new gear all the time, unless you are sponsored by the brands and given the use of gear as it updates, it’s hard to keep up, and frankly, quite expensive. I would rather spend my money on travel (so far i’ve travelled to 7 continents…Antarctica was my absolute fave!).
Anyway, i’m always around to answer any questions you may have about my gear, just flick me an email! x
Well, who doesn't love a sunny yellow cheery sunflower, or two...or GIANT FIELDS that go on for infinity!??? I recently came back from a 2-week road trip with my caravan, I went up to Central Queensland, and west to the Outback, and then to the lovely Darling Downs area (a 90-minute drive from Brisbane), where I found the most amazing sunflower crops imaginable. There is actually a signed and mapped route called The Sunflower Way that you can follow, but I have found more success in driving around randomnly for hours on end, searching for the best location, the best view and the best access. It's quite fun to do this, as small towns like Allora, Clifton, and Nobby have little cafes you can stop at to refresh and coffee-up along the way. I stayed in Warwick, as they have a couple of caravan parks, and it's a good base for the area.
I found some lovely crops in Freestone this year (yes, I tend to head down there every year to see the sunflowers...in recent years I haven't seen huge crops or lots of them) and found sunflowers for miles and miles. Their petals gently swaying in the wind, the gorgeous country sky above, all I can say is WOW. Definitely worth a trip.
Please note though...the crops are all on private land (even unfenced land). The farmers earn income from growing sunflowers, so please be respectful and stay OUTSIDE the crops, like on the edge of the road. Getting inside the crops means you can damage them, trample the stalks, and ruin things for the farmers. I had an unpleasant experience with tourists doing just that, and I just want to remind everyone that we all love the flowers, so it's worth doing the right thing.
The Gold Coast.......famous around the world for its magnificent beaches, stunning glassy surf breaks, theme parks, nightlife, Schoolies Week, shopping, hinterland walks.....the list is endless. Since I'm an outdoorsy type of girl, I spend a lot of time in the water, on walking tracks, and sipping coffee near the beach and people-watching.
The Burleigh Head National Park is one that I have visited many times. It is 27.6 hectares of pristine eucalypt forest and pandanus groves with several walking tracks (a high one and a low one). Oh, the shady forest is so welcome on a hot Queensland summer day, and the views? Amazing coastal scenery, birds, and frothy white surf with an stunning turquoise ocean. Did I mention people-watching? Fitness buffs. Families. Photographers. Holiday-makers. Locals. Surfers. Picnickers. Weddings. Last time I was there, a body builder was getting oiled up for a photo shoot down on the rocks! (okay, I confess I may have stayed around there a little longer than necessary).
One time I met a lovely...shall we say...'silver surfer' named Ron (fictitious name to protect anonymity) down at Burleigh Beach, very early on a Friday morning. He looked like he was waiting for someone, his battered surfboard tucked under one arm, his fluoro boardies lighting up the scene. Ron said although he loved to surf, he never liked to be the FIRST one in the water, so he was waiting for other surfers to arrive and take the plunge first. I admired his attitude, and mind you, his age! He was a born-and-bred local, and had nothing but good things to say about the Gold Coast. To him, the casual outdoors lifestyle offered him freedom in his working and family years, but continued to offer that freedom with wide open beaches and a huge surfing community in his later years. On ya Ron!
As soon as the sun came up over the horizon, I wandered over the surf club and ordered a hot steaming flat white and a paper. I sat at a surfboard-shaped table overlooking the beach, and enjoyed a relaxing start to my day.
Morocco is amazing! First of all, visiting there gave me the chance to practice my rarely-used French........wow it's tough to converse in a language you barely speak anymore after living in Australia for so many years but I managed. Friendly people, a little guarded yes, but lovely to chat with. There are so many different areas to Morocco: I started in Casablanca: chaotic souks (markets), yummy food, and people-watching. I went to Fes (or Fez) - this is the image below with all the houses, it's a rabbit-warren full of people and markets that are separated into sections: iron mongering, fabric and leather dying, butchers (camel heads hanging from hooks), and so on. I was lucky enough to be guided around by a local, who showed us his little house (prized possession; a television!) and luckily he saved me from getting totally lost, never to be seen again.
I rode a camel (I named him MoMo as the cameleers don't give them names) and he had the longest eyelashes I have ever seen. I slept out under the stars in the Sahara Desert, and was thankful I didn't have to trudge up the sand dunes, down the sand dunes, up again......I took a cooking class in Essaouira and made the most delicious chicken pastille, and later wandered around the fishing town (kite surfing, hippies, and plenty of blue paint). I had a little chat with an old fisherman, who drew pictures on his little notepad as we had trouble conversing (his boat. the fish he catches). I sat in the Jemaa el Fna (town square) in Marrakech, sipping mint tea (without sugar! yikes so much sugar!) from a silver pot and people-watching. Mainly the men sit around sipping tea, and the women do the work (at least that's how it looked to me). There were snake charmers, tooth-pullers and yummy nuts and fruit for sale. What a crazy place to hang out.
I went to Aït Benhaddou, where it looks like sandcastles are built to giant sizes - Gladiator (the movie) was filmed here.
I loved the daily calls to prayer - five of them, spaced out. Every day. The soothing wailing is impossible to miss, as it is played on speakers around the city. The lamb tajines were delicious to eat too. Really interesting culture: stunning mosques, wonderful people and a joy to visit.
Patagonia.......a stunning region in South America, in both Chile and Argentina. Wild weather and trekking! First I stayed in El Calafate, a small town closest to the gorgeous glacier Perito Moreno. Milky water, snow-capped mountains, AMAZING cloud formations, tiny wildflowers, floating ice, and the sound of cracking as the glacier moves.
I went out to EcoDome Camp, in the middle of the Patagonia wilderness, and stayed just a few short days in a dome suite, with windows cut out in the ceiling, and a timber walkway. They come and light your fire in your dome in the late afternoon as it gets cold at night. I loved my time here, I trekked the French Valley trek (part of the bigger 'W' trek), I mountain-biked down dirt roads with the sparkling sun in the sky, ate a Chilean BBQ and drank red wine. I also discovered why many of the guides wear glacier glasses - the wind, at times, is intense. It blew so much dust into my eyes that I could not see, and felt like I had gravel in my eyeballs. Luckily (other travellers!) I met an Aussie guy who gave me some single-use eye drops...thank goodness. No shops around here!
This is not an area for the faint-hearted. The trekking is intense, the conditions change from warm and sunny one minute, to freezing cold and windy the next. The French Valley required a ferry ride to get there (and you have to time your return trip in case you miss the last one!) and around an 8-hour hike. And when I say 'hike', I mean, walking walking walking, no time for stopping, hardly any time to take photos. It was fantastic! For some reason, when you're in an amazing place, the food tastes better, the wine tastes better, and you sleep much better at night!
