and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere out in space
So it’s new moon and I’m at the coast. The Night Augmented Reality module of Photopills shows the milky way emblazoned across the night sky with the lighthouse beneath. All that stands between me and a photogasm is a dense layer of cloud. The lights of Warrnambool are a poor substitute …
The recent foray in search of a good foreground for the magnificent background of the Milky Way took me to the Mallee. This word describes a habitat type and the region of Victoria where that habitat once stretched to the horizon in all directions.
Mallee trees are eucalypts usually slender and not very tall. They tend to be multi-stemmed. They are found on light soils and are extremely well adapted to fire, resprouting from underground lignotubers after a wildfire has gone through.
In the Mallee region much of the land has been cleared for agriculture and the winter crop here is mainly wheat. This summer has been as dry as a Nun’s … Australian English is rich in metaphors, most of them rude, best I just say very dry.
The word rain, though, had been mentioned in the weather forecast and farmers were out optimistically disturbing their top soil.
Widespread rain fell in Victoria the following day and was very very welcome.
Box Flat in the Annuello reserve is a very pleasant place to camp. No reservation is required, no fee is charged and no facilities are provided. Perfect. I was the only human occupant.
I spent the morning exploring and was well rewarded with flocks of Mulga and Regent Parrots. The tracks through the reserve were in good shape, not necessarily the case after rain but there hasn’t been a lot of that lately. Annuello covers about 36,000 hectares and is well wooded mainly with Mallee eucalypts. If it had a nice sexy lake it would certainly be a National Park instead it’s even better. Quiet and with a little less over-regulation.
Leaving the reserve I made my way north to the mighty Murray and the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park. At the river I was greeted by large noisy flocks of Little Corellas and entertained by Whistling Kites circling overhead.
The environment in the national park is a little more varied and it does have some sexy lakes. These were my destination in search of some more photographs of the night sky.
I found what I was looking for at Lake Mournpall.
Or Lake Tyrell revisited. This is Victoria’s largest salt lake. The other-worldly landscape provides excellent material for the photographer. I posted about a previous trip <HERE>. Here’s a photo from that trip.
This time I was after the Milky Way. Things have changed a little in the interim. It was my intention to pitch a tent by the lake shore and fall into bed once the photography was done but the scenery has grown a large number of prominent signs promising large fines for camping.
The track was dry, the trees in the photo above are unreachable if there has been rain and I did want to include them in my composition if I could.
The lights of Sea Lake, the nearest small town, are visible on the horizon.
My favourite shot of the night is this next one …
I had intended to stay two nights but that plan had to be modified. So in the wee small hours I drove north to the Annuello Flora and Fauna Reserve where I could camp without prior reservation.
Sadly is not abolished from the world but rarely have I seen it so blatantly advertised …
bobmcgee 