Dusk and day at Coledale in the Illawarra, NSW.

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Andrew McInnes Photography

Stunning, if fleeting, colour and drama at Coledale, in the Illawarra region of NSW.

Coledale 2AM-002791
©Andrew McInnes. All Rights Reserved.

Aerial (drone) photo of wave wrapping around rocks.

Coledale 2AM-000161
©Andrew McInnes. All Rights Reserved.

Freedom and playtime on the beach.

Coledale 2AM-007447
©Andrew McInnes. All Rights Reserved.

Coledale 2AM-007450
©Andrew McInnes. All Rights Reserved.

Another splendid summer day at Coledale Beach.

Coledale Beach 2AM-009728
©Andrew McInnes. All Rights Reserved.

Cheers 🙂

Wombarra Headland and Wombarra Rock Pool, NSW.

Posted on December 23, 2016 by Andrew McInnes Photography

A short series of images from Wombarra in the Illawarra, NSW.

Wombarra Headland 2AM-009394

Wombarra Headland 2AM-002817

Wombarra Headland 2AM-009406

Wombarra Headland 2AM-009408

Wombarra Headland 2AM-002847

Wombarra Rock Pool 2AM-009706

Wombarra Rock Pool 2AM-009712

Wombarra Rock Pool 2AM-009725

Cheers.

Austinmer, NSW.

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Andrew McInnes Photography

Some images from Austinmer in the northern Illawarra area of New South Wales, Australia.

Austinmer 2AM-000069

Austinmer 2AM-000076

Austinmer 2AM-000072

Austinmer Sunrise 2am-003460

Austinmer Surfers 2am-009661

Cheers 🙂

Days 9-11: Makarora and Fox Glacier etc, New Zealand – December 2015.

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Andrew McInnes Photography

Day 9-11. Makarora and Fox Glacier etc, South Island – New Zealand.

Onwards…
More from Otago, plus some from West Coast. As is the case with all holidays, the end comes too soon.

This last post includes images from Blue Pools on the Makarora River, the Whataroa River, Fox Glacier, and Lake Hawea (near The Neck).

Dusk settles over the Southern Alps at Makarora.

Makarora 2AM-000934.
©Andrew McInnes

Makarora River 2AM-000931.
©Andrew McInnes

Makarora River 2AM-000930.
©Andrew McInnes

The stunning, and frigid, Blue Pools.

Blue Pools – Makarora River 2AM-000916.
©Andrew McInnes

Blue Pools – Makarora River 2AM-000914.
©Andrew McInnes

Happy hour 🙂
Cold beers and conversation in and alongside the Makarora River.

Makarora 2AM-000539.
©Andrew McInnes

A Tui (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae), in the honeyeater family, foraging on New Zealand flax (Phormium sp.).

Tui 2AM-004945.
©Andrew McInnes

Dawn over the Southern Alps at Fox Glacier – includes Aoraki / Mount Cook.

Fox Glacier 2AM 1002-4 HDR.
©Andrew McInnes

Fox Glacier 2AM-000957. ©Andrew McInnes

Fox Glacier 2AM-000981.
©Andrew McInnes

Fox Glacier 2AM-000988.
©Andrew McInnes

Fox Glacier 2AM-000993.
©Andrew McInnes

Fox Glacier 2AM-000995.
©Andrew McInnes

The Neck 2AM-000537 iPhone panorama.
©Andrew McInnes

Whataroa River 2AM 1024-1029 panorama.
©Andrew McInnes

Whataroa River 2AM-001017.
©Andrew McInnes

I hope you enjoyed this and the previous posts of my images from a fantastic holiday in New Zealand.

Cheers 🙂

Day 7: The Catlins, New Zealand – December 2015.

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Andrew McInnes Photography

Day 7 – The spectacular Catlins area, South Island – New Zealand.

Spectacular, diverse, ever-changing – we drove through beautiful rural scenes, along a rugged coast, saw a few more yellow-eyed penguins, sea lions, a couple of lighthouses, and low tide allowed us to walk among a 180 million year old petrified Jurassic forest – one of only three such accessible fossil forests in the world! All this and so much more we couldn’t fit in 😦

Nugget Point Lighthouse, built in 1869-70. A place of spectacular views, many rocky islets (The Nuggets), and much wildlife.

Nugget Point Lighthouse 2AM 0739-0744 Panorama_edit

Nugget Point Lighthouse 2AM-0379-0744 panorama. ©Andrew McInnes

Nugget Point Lighthouse 2AM-000749. ©Andrew McInnes

Nugget Point Lighthouse 2AM-000754. ©Andrew McInnes

Nugget Point Lighthouse 2AM-000775. ©Andrew McInnes

To be able to view, and even walk among a petrified forest in the intertidal zone at low tide was remarkable. There are both stumps and fallen trees, petrified, with some growth rings plainly visible. This is but a sampling of the numerous specimens at Curio Bay.
Curio Bay is of international significance for its fossilised forest dating back to the Jurassic period. The tree fossils you see here are 160 million years old and the forest was alive when New Zealand was part of Gondwanaland. (source: The Catlins New Zealand website).

Petrified Forest – Curio Bay 2AM-000635. ©Andrew McInnes

Petrified Forest – Curio Bay 2AM-000631. ©Andrew McInnes

Petrified Forest – Curio Bay 2AM-000634. ©Andrew McInnes

Petrified Forest – Curio Bay 2AM-000665. ©Andrew McInnes

Petrified Forest – Curio Bay 2AM-000656. ©Andrew McInnes

Four images of the Waipapa Point Lighthouse. This is the site of New Zealand’s worst civilian shipwreck. In 1881 the SS Tararua ran aground on Waipapa Reef and 131 of 151 passengers and crew died. The lighthouse, built after the disaster, stands as a poignant reminder. (source: Southern Scenic Route website).

Waipapa Point Lighthouse 2AM-000600. ©Andrew McInnes

Waipapa Point Lighthouse 2AM-000611. ©Andrew McInnes

Waipapa Point Lighthouse 2AM-000622. ©Andrew McInnes

Waipapa Point Lighthouse 2AM-000616. ©Andrew McInnes

I hope you enjoyed these images from a fascinating region of New Zealand.

Cheers 🙂

Days 5 and 6: Moeraki and Dunedin, New Zealand – December 2015.

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Andrew McInnes Photography

Days 5 and 6 – Moeraki and Dunedin.

Just outside the coastal town of Moeraki there are numerous large concretions, exposed and highly visible, lying along a stretch of Koekohe Beach. I thoroughly recommend reading more about them (here is a Wikipedia link).

Here are a series of images captured during our brief visit.

Moeraki Boulders 2AM-000526. ©Andrew McInnes

Moeraki Boulders 2AM-000500. ©Andrew McInnes

Moeraki Boulders 2AM-000496. ©Andrew McInnes

Moeraki Boulders 2AM-000517. ©Andrew McInnes

Moeraki Boulders 2AM-000533. ©Andrew McInnes

Moeraki Boulders 2AM-000549. ©Andrew McInnes

Moeraki Boulders 2AM-000538. ©Andrew McInnes

After a thoroughly enjoyable dinner washed down with a local amber ale at the Moeraki Tavern, I took these shots of the nearby harbour. We had hoped to also eat at the famed Fleurs Place restaurant another night but, alas, it was closed for a while over the Christmas break.

Fleurs Place – Restaurant 2AM-000598. ©Andrew McInnes

Moeraki Bay 2AM-000599. ©Andrew McInnes

Moeraki Bay 2AM-000593. ©Andrew McInnes

Moeraki Bay 2AM-000595. ©Andrew McInnes

A little further south is the city of Dunedin, where I have family heritage. We had a joyous visit with a cousin and her family, and she accompanied us on a lovely hike to see the Organ Pipes. “The Otago peninsula was formed entirely by volcanic activity and the tall polygonal columns featured on this walk are remnants of this past. As molten lava cooled slowly beneath the hardened crust, it contracted and formed geometrical cracks which propagated downwards as the mass cooled.” (source: NZ Tramper website).

The Organ Pipes 2AM-000567. ©Andrew McInnes

The Organ Pipes 2AM-000576. ©Andrew McInnes

The Organ Pipes 2AM-000577. ©Andrew McInnes

The Organ Pipes 2AM-000578. ©Andrew McInnes

After the organ pipes we wanted to visit the world’s only mainland breeding colony of Royal Albatross so we ventured out to Taiaroa Head on the Otago Peninsula. Unfortunately we did not see any albatross, but there was a rather active colony of gulls. Whilst wandering along an observation path, we heard, then saw, quite an aerial commotion… upon further observation we saw a Black-backed Gull being harassed by several smaller gulls – the larger gull had apparently “kidnapped” a chick and was heading off with it. For those who may be a bit squeamish about natural history, the following two images may concern you.

Black-backed Gull 2AM-004861. ©Andrew McInnes

Black-backed Gull 2AM-004882. ©Andrew McInnes

Looking down the steep cliffs of Taiaroa Head I was entranced by bull kelp (Durvillaea species) as it seemingly twirled and shimmied in a whimsical tango with the ocean.
Rimurapa - Bull Kelp 2AM-004857

Overlooking the spit within Otago Harbour – our lunch spot on our way back to Moeraki.

Harrington Point 2AM-000580. ©Andrew McInnes

Back to Mouraki, we were thrilled and fortunate to observe, up close, a few Yellow-eyed Penguins (Megadyptes antipodes)! These New Zealand endemics (native) are purported to be among the worlds rarest penguin species.

Yellow-eyed Penguin 2AM-004739. ©Andrew McInnes

Yellow-eyed Penguin 2AM-004780. ©Andrew McInnes

Thanks for visiting – I hope you enjoyed these images.
Cheers 🙂

Thunder and lightning – Wombarra and Austinmer, NSW.

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Andrew McInnes Photography

Last week (early December, 2015) we witnessed a wonderful series of lightning storms in the northern Illawarra area of New South Wales, Australia. Surrounded, but not underneath any particular cell, the light and drama at Austinmer and Wombarra was spectacular!

Here is a panorama of one of the lightning storm cells bathing Austinmer Beach in amazing light.

Austinmer 2AM 9850-9852 Panorama © Andrew McInnes

Stormy light over the Pacific, incorporating a little of Keswick House.

Keswick House 2AM 9854-9856 HDR © Andrew McInnes

Just a little further north is the village of Wombarra, from where the following three images were captured.

Wombarra Headland 2AM 9864-9866 Panorama © Andrew McInnes

Wombarra Headland 2AM 9867-9869 Panorama © Andrew McInnes

Wombarra Headland 2AM 9887-9888 stack © Andrew McInnes

The final two images include the Wombarra rock pool.

Wombarra Rock Pool 2AM 9900_9903 stack © Andrew McInnes

Wombarra Rock Pool 2AM 9913-9914 © Andrew McInnes

’twas a wonderfully dramatic sky, with quite the lightning show that was ongoing for quite some time. I hope you enjoyed these images.

Cheers 🙂

Horrific drought in most of Queensland – this is near Longreach.

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Andrew McInnes Photography

Oh my, this 2015 drought in Queensland is horrific! This is at Ilfracombe, near Longreach QLD.

So much heartache for our rural folks, doing it very tough! I have full admiration for the stewards of Australia’s agricultural and pastoral land.

Cheers to the bushies!

Autumn colour, toadstools, and a train station in the Blue Mountains, NSW.

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Andrew McInnes Photography

This past weekend I spent a brief couple of hours photographing near Mount Wilson and Katoomba in the Blue Mountains area of New South Wales, Australia.

Although it is the end of the season, remnant autumn colour abounds at Breenhold Gardens. I went looking for colour and fanciful toadstools on a brisk and breezy dusk and was fortunate to find both.

This quintessential toadstool, Amanita muscaria, is commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita. I looked hard but unfortunately I failed to find any gnomes or fairies 😉

A bit more colour…

More fungi – clumps of mushrooms.

On the way home after dark I stopped in Katoomba as the train station caught my eye. The first two images were on the way to the platform…

This is the view of the Katoomba train station that enticed me to stop and photograph on what was fast becoming a bloody cold evening.

I hope you enjoyed this very limited discovery of a portion of the Blue Mountains.

Cheers 🙂

“OMG – Mine Your Food Bowl?” Open-cut coal mines on the Liverpool Plains?

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Andrew McInnes Photography

I recently conducted a 36 hour reconnaissance drive up to Breeza and Caroona on the Liverpool Plains area of NSW to examine the area where several open-cut coal mines have been proposed – at least one of which, the Shenhua Watermark mine, is foreign-owned. The Liverpool Plains a highly productive region of Australia with vast acres in production of barley, chickpeas, faba beans, sorghum, sunflowers, soybeans, maize, wheat and cotton, plus grazing of beef cattle and sheep. I concur with the protesters slogan of “Wrong mine, wrong place.”

On the drive up I hoped to photograph the extensive raping and scarring of the land through the Hunter Valley but opportunities are not prevalent from the roadside due to significant concealing of operations and the resultant ramifications. I am not against mining, per se, however I do have issues with “the commons” being over-extracted for the profits of a few whilst the landholder has little recompense for the invasion, and the people of this nation see very little direct financial benefits.

The following two signs are in close proximity, located alongside the Kamilaroi Hwy, near Breeza.

Should they be able to mine this…

and turn it into this?

Here is a warning sign to the public (the same public who paid for the road) that as a result of mining activity in the Hunter Valley the public infrastructure is likely compromised…

Let’s Lock the Gate “to protect our common heritage – our land, water and communities – from unsafe or inappropriate mining for coal seam gas and other fossil fuels.”

To wrap this blog-post up here are several images capturing a very small portion of the scenery, productivity, and lifestyle of this magnificent agricultural region. I am very grateful to the property owners for their time and the access to their properties.

These first four images were captured as I arrived just prior to dusk at “Rossmar Park” near Caroona.