Another little collection of images to present, this time from two trips. The first was a family adventure, close to home, only a short drive down to the ever popular Grampians. In an almost unheard of move I managed to open my wallet and pay for accommodation rather than tent it. I chose the cheapest room I could find of course, but with mountains right outside the door no one cared if the towels weren’t fluffy enough. We had a lovely time of it, despite the weather flipping between downpours and baking heat.

My highlight was taking our five year old son on his first serious hike. We did the classic Grampians walk to the Pinnacles from the Wonderland carpark, a 4km round trip which I’m proud to say he managed with boundless enthusiasm and vigour. He jumped from rock to rock delightedly, exclaiming all the while about each little thing he saw, much to the amusement of fellow walkers. Looks like I’ll have some company on bigger adventures in the future. Can’t wait!

As the sun went down I managed to convince the team to make one more effort and let me shoot the sunset at Reeds Lookout. It’s so easy to access I’d been leaving this one spare for just such a trip. Amazingly the light put on a show, making the whole journey worthwhile.

My wife loves animals, so on our way out we also had a quick look at the zoo. I was very impressed. I had no idea it was such a big operation. Great family fun, if you’re down that way. Those deer though are something else. They’re like a street gang. We got mugged for our deer food (available at reception) within seconds of walking through the gate. I have some hilarious video of it.

The second trip was purely photographic, so I went on my own and slept in the car per my usual mode. A lot of driving later I managed a big circle, heading to east Victoria, up the New South Wales coast and back home via the far northern end of Kosciuszko, actually dipping my toes into the ACT to visit some mountain hut’s on my tick list. It was a grand few days and photographically rewarding. Places like Bermagui I’d been to before, but I’m sure I’ll be back again soon, the potential for coastal scenes is so good. The Namadgi National Park huts were magic too. I loved having those dawns all to myself to watch the light and just breath and be at peace.

No idea where I’m headed next, but I’m sure I’ll find something.