TRENTHAM

Another pleasant Sunday afternoon, although the sky was grey and the rain tried so hard to fall as we travelled down the highway, the sound of Lionel Ritchie singing on the radio made for a relaxing trip followed by another smooth song from the 80's.The sky over head was very gray and in spots here and there I could see the blue peeking it little head out, only to be over taken by the gray. Cars sped by as if  they were in such a hurry, where they were going no one knows.

We arrived in Trentham a little after 2.00 pm. Deep in the Wombat State Forest, just a short drive from the township of Trentham is the states highest single drop waterfall. At the base of the falls lay quartz and gravel to form the river bed.

We drove into the carpark and stepped out onto the gravel to be surrounded by the most beautiful tall stringy bark gum trees. Some over 100 years old. In the distance I could hear the calling of a lone bird.

A short track lead us to the lookout, a few people stood in awe of the beauty that lay in front of them as they watched the water flow over the edge of the cliff. Two small children ran backwards and forwards in the mud and giggled happily as I leaned over to capture the waterfall with my camera.

As I stood and looked at the waterfall and took in the beauty around me, I could feel a few drops of rain falling. I was so thankful that it wasn't heavy as I didn't want it to dampen our day. I could see the mist forming over the trees in the distance as the cold breeze came past me and touched my face with gentleness.

Life in this area was basically unspoilt, nature and it's beauty was wonderful. The ferns which had sprung up here and there amongst the fallen tree branches made for a lovely photograph.

We then drove into the township of Trentham over the bridge and into the township, what a quaint old fashioned little township. Wow look at this what a site to see oh so cute and original and yes they were all in the back of an Aussie ute.

I would love to have been able to take one of these home, but sadly I wouldn't have known which one to choose, the expressions, the work was nothing other than fantastic.


As I walked down the street I could smell the aroma of freshly cooked bread what a smell, it makes your mouth water I just had to venture down the laneway to where it was being baked. As I stepped inside I smelt the mixture of baking bread and freshly made coffee.. Hmmm what a lovely welcome on a cold Sunday afternoon. As I stepped out into the lane way with my coffee in one hand and my loaf of freshly made crusty bread, I took in the cold fresh air which was around me and thought to myself this is the life, no hustle and bustle of traffic darting here and there, people didn't seem to be in a hurry to go anywhere they leisurely walked by and with a kind warm smile said hello as they passed you and went on their way.

The street was quite and no cars went by, it was lovely and peaceful and you could just about hear your heart beating it was that quiet, then I noticed a doorway which took you into a gallery, as I stepped inside I could feel the warmth of the gallery come over me. There was a chap sitting behind a counter painting, the chap said hello and welcome to my gallery in a very cheerful voice. I greeted him with a hello as I looked around his gallery, what a beautiful selection of colours and art which was placed on the walls and among the stands which stood on the floor. We talked to him for more than an hour about his art and the like, until we had to say good bye and he said I do hope to see you again. I will share with you his web site www.markpayne.com.au, As I stepped outside the gallery into the quite street I could smell the lovely smell of someones open fire and longed to sit in front of it with my bag of marshmallows.

As I walked back to the car I had a happy feeling inside, I felt good and it was like nothing mattered in the moment other than where I was. I felt sad saying good bye to this sweet little town which over the past few hours had grown to love, the people were friendly and always had a smile on their faces and where quite happy to talk. Life seemed so much simpler than the life I led here in the city and I wondered why I lived the life I did when I could have the peace and tranquility of a life in Trentham.

HIGH COUNTRY

Well Sunday is usually the day I like to sleep in, I don't get much of a chance to do that during the week, and on these cold mornings bed is the only place you really want to be. I had decided a week ago where I wanted to go for my next photography session, so here it is.... actually no I hadn't decided where I wanted to go, more I knew what I wanted to photograph. I wanted to photograph a really nice waterfall. I'd seen many great waterfall photographs they all looked so pretty. The countryside the trees etc.

As I climbed out of bed and put my feet onto the soft carpet below and looked out the window to see the sun just starting to peep through the clouds, I felt a sense of excitement knowing I was going out to greet the beautiful day which lay ahead of me.

Breakfast, shower, dress, makeup, thermos coffee, camera off I go.

Ok where do we go? We headed towards Kilmore, the sun shone through the window of the car it was warm and inviting as I sat there and took in the surroundings around me. Beautiful big gum trees towered way above me, some where quite black due to bush fires which went through the area, re growth of a new life had started to show it's face on some of the trees and pretty wild flowers swayed slowly in the breeze as they lapped up the warmth of the beautiful sunshine.
























The road was long and windy and the view was spectacular, you could see the valley of the high country which went for miles, the colours, the shape of the mountains, the shadows all made for a very nice photograph. In the distance there was a lone house with a few cows. Wow what a lifestyle, no loud noises from traffic, no pollution, just the sound of the trees blowing in the wind and in the distance the faint noise of birds flying by and the smell of the cool fresh air.

There was not a car in site as we drove along the long lonely road, the radio played quietly some old song from the 80's, which made for a relaxing drive.

Scattered here and there was a lone house with a few sheep and a big water tank. Nothing more peaceful than living in the high country, no worries of neighbours and their loud music. We passed a few small towns which contained nothing more than a milkbar which sold milk and a few odd things and a chair and table out the front for the weary traveller. 

I noticed a sign which said Strath Creek Waterfall, wow the waterfall I'd long to take pictures of well not exactly this one I really didn't have a particular one in mind just wanted to try photographing a waterfall.

I stepped out of the car onto the dirt and started to walk down a quite steep incline, next time I will have to wear the right shoes not my boots, for the grip was not good and a few times I lost my step but I was greatful I didn't fall as I had my camera around my neck.

Strath Creek Waterfall

Wild Flowers

I felt good as the the sun shone brightly in the sky and the only sound was the rustling of the trees around me and the gravel under my feet. As I stood on the steep incline, I looked around me at the beauty infront of me, I thought Australia has some beautiful places many unexplored as I breathed in the cool fresh air and the smell of the Eucalyptus trees.

I  continued down until I could go no further and stood at the fence and looked around. I could see the waterfall with it's water flowing down and over the rocks, the reeds and trees moving in the breeze which came down from the top of the waterfall. It was all so quiet and as I stood there and looked around, I felt a sense of calmness come over me. I stood and looked at my surrounds for what seemed like for ever but was really only about 20 minutes.

As I started the slow decent back to the car, I realised how unfit I had become over the years and by the time I reached my destination my heart was racing and I was huffing and puffing. The walk back to the car was quite steep and I wasn't used to this type of trekking. I was so glad to reach the car and to be able to place my tired legs down, I sat in the warm car to catch my breath and to sigh with relief that I didn't have and further hills to try and climb.

I took in everything around me and took so many photos, the beauty of everything which was sadly being left behind me as I returned to suburbia with the rush of people and traffic every where.

REFLECTIONS IN THE RAIN

Here I am again, bit over due once again with this blog, life gets away from you and things crop up that stop you doing things sometimes, I have placed dinner in the slow cooker and whilst the smell permeates my room I will begin  this weeks blog for my photos.

The day started out quite dull, I was sitting with the warm coffee cup in my hands as the heater warmed the room around me. I looked out the window and the sky was quite dull and everything was quite damp from the previous nights rain. No birds were around chirping away, I longed to hear that sound as I know when I do the weather is beginning to turn and become much nicer than what we have.

I had the urge to go out and take more photos, but the problem was I could hear the sound of rain on my office roof which is made of tin, but I had decided even though it was cold and wet I wasn't going to let this stop me from going out and enjoying myself. I was a bit out of my comfort zone again as I had never taken photos in the rain before and I had a big fear that my camera would get wet. I had seen photographs from many photographer which had been taken in the rain, my inspiration is a a photographer called Trey Radcliff he had taken many shots in the rain, so I thought why not pack up my gear and venture out again. I decided to go into town and along the Yarra River as I walked into the Crown Casino I could smell the aroma of coffee being brewed, I decided to grab one and to wait for the rain to stop before I stepped out onto the path that ran between the Casino and the river. People darted here and there and the rain didn't seem to damper any of them as they shock them selves and walked into the warmth of the casino.

Well finally it has stopped raining enough for me to be able to go out in the cold and grab a few shots, surprisingly being my first time taking photos in the rain, if I must say they came out pretty good, but I think I will let you be the judge of that and wait for your comments below.

Once again the rain began to fall and we had to rush inside, I was very fearful about getting my camera wet so we took a leisurely walk through the plaza at Crown Casino. In all the years it had stood in the city this was the first time I had walked inside the casino, actually I wasn't impressed with it everything was very over priced in all the shops, and as I looked around the restaurants didn't seem to have too many people inside.

I had decided I wanted to take more photos as it was starting to get dark and I wondered how the photos would come out with all the lights, colours and the puddles on the ground. We ended up in the Bourke Street Mall, how lucky where we, we managed to get a parking spot just around the corner from where we wanted to go. As we turned the corner into Bourke Street I could see the sign for KFC and McDonalds yes food, the cold had made me feel quite hungry.

It was quite dark and seemed even colder when we stepped back onto Bourke Street, I grabbed my camera and started to take a few photos I was thankful the rain had stopped for a short time and these were the photos I got.

As you will notice I have taken another shot of this purse during a bright sunny day and you will see that the effect at night is quite different. The outside shone in the light. I stood and looked at the purse and asked myself why did they keep moving it and wondered where it would be next time I was in town. Would it be in the same spot or in another street?

As I walked past the Just Jeans store I happened to look at the ground and noticed the image of the sign which hung out the front, I grabbed my camera and hoped that it would make another great shot, and yes it did as you can see.

I was amazed even though it was still very cold and quite damp, there were people every where, running for that tram, tourists with thick accents taking photos to take back home to show family and friends.
Cars speeding past splashing that terrible puddle up when they drove through it making anyone who was close enough wet. The city lights shone brightly in the puddles and made for some amazing photographs.

The lane ways looked eerie as the light shone above with a few puddles here and there. I didn't dare venture down them not on a cold dark night. The graffiti on the walls still looked as enticing at night as it did during the day.

One lone pedestrian crossing the road, where they are going no one knows, maybe here maybe there may be anywhere.