Lake Burrumbeet puts on a show

More from last nights visit to Lake Burrumbeet. Amazing clouds all round, fantastic mossy rocks, Lake Burrumbeet continues to be the most prolific location I continue to visit (though Lake Wendouree was pretty nice this morning....but thats for tomorrow....!)


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Marvellous Mammatus

In case you didn't know, mammatus is a particular form of cloud....pouch-like cloud structures and a rare example of clouds in sinking air. Spectacular to see and last night at Lake Burrumbeet was a great display. This is a teaser, but got some fantastic images to share a bit later.
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Hepburn Wind

Grabbed this on the way home last night after my visit to Sailors Falls....here's some info off their website......

Hepburn Wind is the owner and operator of Australia’s first community owned wind farm, at Leonards Hill, just south of Daylesford Victoria.
The 4.1 MW wind farm comprises two turbines and is located at Leonards Hill, in Central Victoria, just south of Daylesford and approximately 100 km north-west of Melbourne.
Hepburn Wind is the trading name of Hepburn Community Wind Park Co-operative Ltd, a co-operative registered in Victoria, Australia.
Hepburn Wind was established in 2007 by the Hepburn Renewable Energy Association, now known as SHARE.
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Sailors Falls

Sailors Falls are about 6km south of Daylesford and I thought a visit was in order because of the wet winter we are having. I've only been here once before and this time it was a pleasure to battle the spray coming off the falls to grab this series of images. I did a get a few others of note from this trip that I'll post later.


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Another visit to Peerewur

I spent late Sunday afternoon exploring more of the old Peerewur Pastoral property just out past Bungaree. This used to be the home of WH Bacchus (Marsh) back in the 1860's and has some very nice areas to explore. First here is a nice reflection with some great late afternoon sunshine, then a small waterfall on an un-named creek (lets call it Perewurr Creek!) and then to finish off I made another visit down to Peerewerh Falls on Lal Lal Creek. So much to work with here I'm sure I'll be back. And if you're wondering about the spelling of Peerewerrh, so am I! Everywhere I look its spelled differently!


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Winter Light

....at its best. Last Thursday at Lake Wendouree was something special, and this is my favourite from that afternoon. And then this view off the side of Mt. Warrenheip on Saturday really gives a great idea of the clean, clear, crisp winter light we've been getting lately.

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Saturday Scenics - "X" Marks the Spot!

Headed out mid afternoon and ended up at Mt Warrenheip after an earlier visit to Mt Buninyong. By the time I got up to Warrenheip the clouds had moved over the top of Mt Buninyong as shown in this first image, then caught some misty rays on the top of Mt Warrenheip, then spent quite a bit of time on the side of the mount as the light  and clouds moved across the fields, and then the last one here is looking right across to Lake Burrumbeet through the low clouds. 



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Booming!

The falls at St Georges Lake at Creswick are booming.......haven't seen it this full-on for a long time, here's a selection. The last one is the channel that leads off the lake down to the falls, some great colours through here at the moment and the rain had given everything that great, vibrant, saturated look.



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Wow 2!

A few more from Thursday evening at Lake Wendouree as a huge storm cloud bank moved in across the Lake after the brilliance of the earlier sunshine and rainbows.


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Wow!

....what more can I say......I was actually planning to head out to Creswick on Thursday afternoon but when I got in the car and looked around I thought I'd just go via a look at Lake Wendouree as there were some interesting clouds moving around. Plenty of rain all day but seemed like it may pay off - big time! I've been up to the Lake hundreds of times and this would have to be right up in the top 2 visits for exciting conditions. I ended up on the west side at Windmill Drive looking back east towards the city and Mt Warrenheip. This is a few to start with, but I'll post some more later on. The last image here is actually the last one I took at this spot before the rain really pelted down....an amazing day. And I've left these larger than normal so make sure you click on them for a bigger look!


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Along Birch Creek

Birch Creek is north of Creswick running west from Newlyn over to Clunes and after driving over Wheelers Bridge a few days ago and seeing the high level of water I thought a wander along the creek would be worthwhile. These are all from the section just west of Wheelers Bridge...the first one shows the massive Berry Consols Extended Gold Mine remnants catching some great late light, and then a wander along the creek and rocky escarpments that flank the creek.



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Along the Woady Yaloak

The Woady Yaloak Creek runs into the Devils Kitchen, and after Satruday's visit to the Kitchen I'd noticed this section of possibilities, so on Tuesday I went back  in and did a lot of rock scrambling and creek crossing to get this series. The second one here is an interesting find......looks to be a manmade hollowed out bowl on the side of the creek - aboriginal? And one last blue evening image at Newtown just up the road on the way back to Ballarat.


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Boundary Falls, Gibraltar Range National Park

An extra bonus image today...this is from my trip up north just after Xmas last year. You know I love waterfalls, and this image was another one I haven't seen since back then, but I thought it was kinda nice and worth a post.
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Black and White on the Yarrowee

On Monday I went to a new spot on the Yarrowee River south of Buninyong at Durham Lead. I managed to find a few nice images and they make a nice black and white set. My favourite is "The Wave" - not what you expect to find on the Yarrowee!


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Morning Magic at Lake Wendouree

This is from Saturday morning...another of those images that may have been forgotten in amongst all the other more exciting photography later that day at the Devils Kitchen, but definitely worth sharing here.
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Along Creswick Creek

On Sunday afternoon I spent some time exploring downstream from the Falls at St Georges Lake. The Creek is running very strong and though I didn't get too much chance to look at the Falls, they are certainly worth another visit. I was very pleased with this series of more intimate views.



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The Devils Kitchen

On Saturday afternoon I took a fellow photographer to one of my favourite local spots, and we got some great conditions there. Here's a bit of history about the area:
The Devil’s Kitchen, which sits below the old gold mining town of Piggoreet,  is a steep-sided gorge of basalt cliffs flanking the Woady Yalloak River. From the top of the gorge cliffs the din and activity from the hundreds of miners below would certainly have made the place appear like the Devil’s Kitchen. The diggings around Piggoreet were all part of a very rich and active mining area 25 km SW of Ballarat, south of the town of Scarsdale, on the Woady Yalloak Creek. Piggoreet was the town located on the east side of the Woady Yalloak Creek, the Devil’s Kitchen itself was the gorge of the creek in which there was great mining activity. In 1866 there were sixteen mining companies listed for Piggoreet such was the level of activity there. Not one house or building assoiated with mining remains in the area today, the only evidence being large scattered mullock heaps. 
In 1873: “there was a population of around 1200 at Piggoreet and a bank and five hotels. In the early 1870s the town was at the height of its prosperity; rates and taxes were low; firewood was abundant; the rabbit was not in competition with the stock for grass; the customs, habits and ambitions of the householders were not over-ambitious or clanish; nor social, religious or political controversies divided them, they were contended and happy; they engaged in the games their fathers enjoyed in the old country. … The sawn-timber hardwood weatherboard house with shingle roof predominated. … Almost every house had its own garden. Neither water, gas, nor electricity were laid on; in those times a barrel at the house-corner, a waterhole, a well-worn footpath and a few kerosene tins formed the water supply.” 
And click on that pano for a bigger look!



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Organ PipesNational Park

On my trip down to Melbourne last Thursday I made a visit to Organ Pipes National Park out near Calder Raceway. I haven't been here for more than 30 years (!) but I don't think its not changed too much - these geological formations take millions of years. This pair seemed suited to black and white, certainly a spot I'd recommend if you're in the area, not too big to explore and some great scenery.

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Snow Time

It's been a while since my last post. We had a fantastic snow event last Saturday here around Mt Roland and Sheffield and of course I wa...