This is Greg’s travel journal, where he and Maria document some of the experiences they have had on their travels. Feel free to read about the towns and places they have visited and photographed.
To read a particular journal entry simply click on one of the links displayed on the left hand side of this screen.
The Journey of a Lifetime recently saw Greg and Maria travel 5000 km’s from their hometown of Toowoomba (Queensland) to the south of Western Australia.
Over a 2 month period Greg photographed the magnificent South West region and took in the amazing world of ‘The Pinnacles’. After being exposed to so much coastline on the journey Greg looked for some new inspiration (and wasn’t dissapointed) in the historical mining towns of outback New South Wales. The trip was a great photographic success.
Uluru
In order to respect our native Australian Aboriginal Culture, great care has been taken to photograph the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The park features many culturally sensitive areas and sacred sites, so before photographing I always seek permission from the senior manager of Parks Australia. If successful, the final photographs are then submitted to the ‘Anangu’ Aboriginal Elders and Parks Australia for final approval before being released on the public market as Limited Editions.
What an amazing monolith. There’s a lot to see around Uluru and the 9.4km base walk certainly bears testament to that! So many fascinating nooks and crannies, stories etc. We had so much fun exploring. It never even crossed our mind to climb it! I’d heard one lady say “Ayer’s Rock, I’m not going to see that – it might as well be one giant cardboard cut out!” If you can’t be in total awe of one of the world’s biggest natural wonders, you probably can’t see the beauty in anything!
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is an internationally recognised World Heritage listed National Park. Not only are these incredible rock formations the most amazing rock show on earth, it is also a living cultural landscape.
The Bungle Bungles
They call the Bungle Bungles rock formations ‘The Bee Hives’ because of their dome shapes. As I was taking photos in the long shadows of the afternoon I became increasingly irritated by what I thought were sticky flies!
They were crawling in my nose and mouth and every time I changed a roll of film about half a dozen flew out of the camera back!
I decided to pack up and make a run for it as I was smothered and could hardly see or breathe. Upon closer inspection I realized they were Australian Native Bees, luckily they are a stingless variety. It turned out the Bungle Bungles were ‘Bee Hives’ by name and by nature!
Coonabarabran
For two weeks I tried to photograph this Kurrajong tree in the hope of a great sunset. Every afternoon I would walk through the paddock, find my spot and crouch in the dirt hoping for a miracle.
One sundown I was taking some shots and I heard a quad bike coming up the hill. Next thing I see a big roo heading straight for me with two blokes on the bike in tow! A farmer was aiming his rifle at the roo which was directly in line with me! I remember thinking “So this is how it all ends!” Well I didn’t travel 1000km’s to sit in the middle of the paddock to find out how good this guy’s aim was! I leapt up in the air shouting “Don’t shoot!” and he pulled up the rifle at the last minute.
The bike and the shooters rolled to a stop at my feet and looked as if they’d just seen a ghost! We were all numb with shock and over the next few minutes hardly a word was said, we just knew what could have been. Somebody was looking after me that day.
Eucla
After a day checking out the sites around Eucla I decided to find a nice safe camp by the beach and turn in for the night. It was a great spot amongst the safety of the dunes and I could go to sleep with the sound of the Southern Ocean lapping at the shores, now this was camping!
As I settled down in the failing light I noticed a thick sea mist rolling in, so I decided to move my 4WD a few hundred metres inland to protect it from the corrosive mist. Happy with my new patch of ground I went to sleep with the sound of the ocean rumble.
Early the next morning I decided to watch the sunrise over the Great Australian Bight and as I approached the beach I couldn’t believe my eyes. The incoming tide had completely engulfed my abandond camp site from the night before. My original choice of camp spot was over one metre under water!
It was just as well I changed camp as my 4WD never came with an optional anchor!
Busselton
Busselton in WA’s Sth. West region is a cosy seaside town known for its famous 2km jetty that extends out into Geographe Bay. Early one morning I met a very old fisherman making his way out to his favourite fishing spot on the jetty.
He told me most of the fish he caught were given to his old mates who had become too frail to do the 2km walk over the rickety boards. He reflected cheerily how as a boy his father would take him down to the jetty in the morning and show him how to fish. This learned skill soon became a passion and a lifelong pastime filled with many precious memories.
He valued the importance of this early encouragement and with sadness in his eyes he described how this important cycle no longer exists. Nowadays a fee is required to enter the old jetty, and so in the early hours of the morning its now a rare sight to see a child honing their skills.
Kalamurina Station
After countless hours of driving across the Sturt Stony Desert we pulled off the Birdsville track and into Kalamurina Station to camp the night. We met the station owner who directed us over the dunes and down some sandy tracks to our spot. We couldn’t believe our luck – in the middle of this vast hot stony wasteland was a cool running river with a white sandy bank! 5 star accommodation outback style!
Coober Pedy
One afternoon our trusty 4WD broke down just short of Coober Pedy. My engine experience came in handy here as the carburettor had a major malfunction. I was quite nervous about being stuck on the highway as it was only a week after the Barrow Creek incident!
To make matters worse every second vehicle on the highway seemed to match the police sketch! It seemed like the longest repair job ever done!
Wilpena Pound
The rain was bucketing down as we rolled into Wilpena Pound one night. The next morning the dry river bed we crossed the night before was in full flow – floating logs and all!
A few of the overnight campers were not prepared for being stranded for two days, so, there were a few tins of baked beans being handed around! Needless to say when the tide went out, so did the campers!
