The Devils Kitchen

The Devils Kitchen is a very interesting geological area south west of Ballarat, out past Scarsdale. I usually visit here a few times each year, as I did on Wednesday. The Woady Yaloak Creek flows through the area and is really full at the moment - luckily I had the gumboots on as I had to cross the creek twice. One of the best parts of the Kitchen is an area known as Nudes Nook shown here in the first 2 images. I knew that the sun usually lights the walls up really well in the afternoon and luckily there were enough breaks of sunshine on this visit. 
Soon after this, the clouds moved in to add some great drama to the amazing rocky outcrops that ring this whole area. I could almost convince you I had taken these images on a trip to the Kimberleys...just another one of the amazing local locations we have so close to Ballarat.

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More Pelicans

Remember the pelicans at Lake Burrumbeet from last week? Here’s a few more, and also a bit of video. When you watch the video check out the top pelican at the 8 second mark...he makes a contribution to the Lake!
https://vimeo.com/232598241

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The Clouds

A grey and dull day offered little on Tuesday. I had to settle for the subdued colour of this view of Mt Warrenheip. Fortunately the clouds added some nice drama to the scene. Whilst Spring has sprung, we are probably in the dullest period of the year so far.......

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Snow

There was a big forecast for snow on Monday around the Ballarat district that had me out and about through the afternoon on the hunt. Whilst this first image out at Mollongghip had me stopping for a quick snap, it wasn't until almost sunset that I found some of the white stuff at Mt Buninyong. There was some good flurries around as you can see in the 2nd image here, though there wasn't a huge amount settling on the ground. On the road to the top I stopped for this field of ferns just as the sun was breaking through. It was amazing how many people were there...word certainly gets around these days when there is a chance of snow around.
I did capture some very nice scenics looking across to the wind farm out west, and a nice image of Mt Moorookyle to the north. The constantly moving clouds created some great layering in the views.

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Black and White with a Touch of Colour

On Sunday afternoon I made a visit out north to Birch's Creek at a place called Lawrence. I have been passed here a couple of times lately and the creek is flowing very well at the moment. My thoughts were to work with the water textures in black and white, and the arch of Wheelers Bridge also offered a strong, stark image. 
As I was climbing back up to the car I could detect a slight change in the light and by the time I got up onto the bridge a few drops of rain alerted to the possibility of, yes, you guessed it - another rainbow! I was in great spot to make the most of it - this tree has appeared in a lot of images from here, and the view looking up Birch's Creek was a nice end to the visit. Have you ever noticed in a double rainbow that the colour in the outside band is a reflection of the inner one...check it out!

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The Lake

Unlike the day before, no dramatic colour for Saturday's sunrise at Lake Wendouree, though the texture in the sky was very nice. And a nicely placed bird always adds that extra element.
And this gives me a good opportunity to post a few catch up images. There are many images I capture that rarely see the light of day, and Lake Wendouree has been in my sights a lot over the last 2 weeks, so here's a few that have been hidden away, from a location that always offers so much. And the last one is from a bit further afield....you can just see the sliver of the lake below this huge sunset taken from the Black Hill Lookout.

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A Pelican Parade

There was a spectacular sunrise on Friday morning out at Lake Burrumbeet, however it was the pelicans that really caught my attention. They were amazingly calm as I took many, many images - this is a couple of my favourites.
...and not a bad end to the day at Lake Wendouree!

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