Today I have crossed two things off my bucket list! I had
set my heart on seeing the incredible shapes of the Cobbold Gorge and the
second desire was to see the Undara lava tubes for myself. My tour guide son
has taken some wonderful photographs of both places and I have seen them on
different “Getaway” type programs but they both looked to be so unique that I
wanted to go there myself. Now I have done it!
To begin the day we crawled out of a bed that was in the Forsayth Tourist Park
at the unearthly hour of five in the morning and climbed aboard a mini bus that
bounced us along unsealed roads to the Cobbold Gorge. Just walking down the new
aluminum walkway was a treat – at every step the savannah scrub changed to a
very different well watered riverside vegetation of strong majestic trees and
smaller leafy bushes.
The walkway down to the little punts
The lushness of the gorge.
We only had to wait a few minutes for the earlier tour to
return, two small electric powered punts pulled up and we climbed aboard.
I thought I had made a mistake by being the last in line but
no, I found myself at the very front of the second punt and I was able to
attach my tiny Panasonic video camera with a “gorilla-pod” grip to the railing
which allowed me to take photographs with the D90 without having to struggle with
two cameras. I was in heaven!
The Gorge was even better than I anticipated. The guide who
piloted the punt was a very quiet country fellow so did not bombard us with
commentary and our six fellow passengers were as quiet as I was – in fact I
think I was the noisiest because of the loud click my camera makes! There was
hardly any conversation or sound of exclamations at all! Today the sun was not
strong so we had fairly soft light which meant that we didn’t have to fight
with strong shadows and extra bright highlights. I still had to be careful not
to include too much sky because it was so white with clouds that the automatic
adjustments made the cliff faces too dark. Having less of that bright sky
allowed a more even balance of light.
The people who show us the wonderful sights of the
Savannahland are just so passionate about where they live it is infectious! The
two drivers on our train (The Savannahlander) are the same, they really enjoy
what they do and love showing off the features we pass and telling the stories
of the different towns, their explorers and the special characters that make
them the place they are.
We hear the same stories with variations – but that’s the
way with story telling, the story changes a little each time it is re-told.
We were picked up from the train in Mt Surprise by a bubbly
lad with a strong New
Zealand accent and a Dutch name! He first
took us to our accommodation at the Bedrock
Tourist Park
(Free standing cabins with en-suite and mini kitchen) and then out to the lava
tubes.
Our guide explaining the lava tubes and the area they cover
I was not disappointed! The sight of these huge arches of
black basalt made my heart race! To imagine the phenomena that create these and
the weathering that had revealed them so we could enter them is mind blowing.
(well it is for me!) I had to be careful not to get left behind – I wanted not
only to photograph every nook and cranny but to stand and gaze at the majesty
of the place. The trees and plants that have grown in the rich soil of the
decayed volcanic tubes are like a garden and to stand in the entrance of the
black tunnel and gaze out at this display of greens and golds is so beautiful.
From inside one of the tunnels looking out. (Very slow shutter speed!)
When we went into the second tunnel I was playing around
with trying to get slow shutter speed photos – without a tripod this was
proving really difficult! Anyway our guide enthusiastically suggested painting
with light and he recommended the settings I should try. It would have worked
if I had brought a tripod! But this is the best I could do with eight seconds. Jahn
painted himself too – and he moved so there are three of him! Sort of!
The bright bits are Jahn!
This time the camera is on a tiny little tripod - much better!
What a wonderful day. I shall dream of this trip!
We did so much more than this but those two I have told you
are the highlights.
AJ
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