Benz World Blog » Green

Satin Bowerbird

Jason Benz — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 07:21:59 +0000

This is a satin bowerbird in Girard State Forest in New South Wales. The male birds use bits of blue plastic to decorate their courtship area and attract females. This behaviour attacted a biologist Aussies call The Bro aka David Attenborough.

I think this one was eyeing up the blue stripes on the side of my van.

I am now at Armidale State Forest which is full of mountain bike trails where I can recreate the Endor speeder chase with the whirring sound the old motor makes on my solar powered bike.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Blueberry Farm

Jason Benz — Sat, 31 Oct 2020 04:16:05 +0000

These blueberries at Riparian Farm in New South Wales are bursting with flavour and ready to be picked. The industry has been impacted by Covid border closures. Even Australians stranded abroad are only trickling back into the country as seats on flights are strictly limited to the number of spaces in hotel quarantine. The lack of backpackers in 2020 risks delicious food going to waste. My inner pragmatic green knew I could help and the farm is in the warm end of the state which is a beautiful place to defrost after a cold Blue Mountain winter in my van.

Berry picking is the perfect antidote for anyone who has become stir crazy in lockdown. Nature, laughter and reggae can be heard in the fields every day. A handful of pickers carry speakers, when they are spread over the hillside, the mix of music in the breeze evokes the sound of festivals, which now feel like part of history. Physically, it is easier than expected. Unlike most jobs, the human body is perfect for selecting and picking berries. Our colour eyesight and nimble fingers evolved for this purpose. Fresh air, light exercise and plenty of vitamin D, one healthy way to ride out a pandemic.

Anyone in NSW interested in helping with the harvest from May to November contact Mountain Blue.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

New World

Jason Benz — Fri, 22 May 2020 13:23:57 +0000

The world is changing. We are living in the wake of the planet’s response to an infection. The impact has grown as it spread around the world, destroying life.

We are now in limbo, A great pause. We have seen a glimpse of a future and a taste of the cure. Now we should ask if the relentless appetite of consumerism is worth the cost.

Original image by NASA. A Photoshopped version of this image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Leven Canyon

Jason Benz — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 14:58:19 +0000

This is Leven Canyon on the edge of Tasmania’s wild west. Before leaving Melbourne on the ferry I caught up with some old friends including Lieven who I last saw on my first trip to Australia over 20 years ago when we drove a terminally ill ford falcon from Perth to Darwin.

Melbourne was in the middle of a heatwave and a power cut. All the traffic lights were off as I drove from one side of the city to the other. This was much easier than you would think as when you drive a big old heavy van all the shiny tiny town cars do not risk crossing so I sailed through the grid system.

Tasmania has exceptional bushwalking and at this time of year, the temperature is perfect. The circuit walk from the campsite includes 697 steps and this lookout. If I had an ultra wide angle lens you would see the river circling around the mountain of rock like a moat. It was my first serious walk of the year so it served to remind me how out of shape I have become in the festive break.

Just after taking this photo my camera died during a wild echidna encounter. Today I am driving to Hobart to get a 3rd hand replacement. This will be the 3rd Canon 5D mark ii I have owned. It is half the price of the 2nd hand one which lasted 4 years and a quarter the price of the new one which also lasted 4 years. If it survives the next 12 months with me I will be happy.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Blue Mountains

Jason Benz — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 22:06:15 +0000

These remarkable plants somehow hold on to these sheer cliffs in the Blue Mountains, Australia. The weather here over summer has been great. The altitude cancels out the worst of the heat and you are left with sunny days and the occasional thunderstorm to spice things up.

The last 7 weeks have been both relaxing and productive. Along with Stock Photography submissions I have done some well-needed maintenance on my van and laptop. I am in the final stages of packing before hitting the road again. From here I will drive to the coast at Jervis Bay in New South Wales. Said to have the worlds whitest sand beach.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Numinbah Valley

Jason Benz — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 03:32:07 +0000

For the last week, I have been camped in the Numinbah Vally. Over the weekend I was on this 2500 acres cattle property. There was only a handful of cows and no other campers when I drove into the field so I picked this beautiful spot next to the Nerang River and settled in to enjoy my birthday surrounded by flora and fauna. On Monday I moved a few miles to another spot close to where a wild platypus has been seen feeding at 5pm each evening. It was a bit of a climb down to the rock pool but there was a rope slung around some trees on the steep sections. I sat on the edge of the pool for 3 consecutive nights followed by a torturous climb up the hill in the dark. The only things I saw feeding were mosquitoes, leeches and a brown snake which missed me by a few inches. After a second chat with the caretaker, I discovered the platypus had not been seen for months. Next time I will ask these questions before booking. I live and learn. So far the weather on this trip has been almost constant rain. I cannot complain as farmers across Queensland are gratefully receiving the first significant rain after years of drought. The climate has however taken its toll on the 2nd battery which powers my laptop and is only recharged with a 100 watt solar panel. I have rewired the van again so I can give it a boost from the alternator when I’m driving, but this means I can no longer claim to produce purely fossil free photos.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Protesters Falls

Jason Benz — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 22:54:35 +0000

This is Protesters Falls in New South Wales. It is an enchanting pocket of ancient Gondwanan rainforest. Through a fluke of tectonics, these world heritage sites preserve species which existed when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The waterfalls were named after the first successful anti-logging action in 1979. The area is still the centre of counter-culture in Australia and is home to some of the most colourful people, places and festivals.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Forest Rain

Jason Benz — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 00:07:07 +0000

This photograph was taken at Judd’s Lagoon just outside Yuleba in Queensland, Australia.

There is something magical about the light in a forest when the sun shines through the rain.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Leaf Rain

Jason Benz — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 11:52:10 +0000

The colours in this leaf on the grass in my garden caught my eye. It is the dry season here in Queensland, Australia but no one told the rain. The Gold Coast has a subtropical climate. This time of year is the build up to the hot wet summer but sometimes it arrives early.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Masked Lapwing

Jason Benz — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 08:59:37 +0000

This bird is one of a family of Masked Lapwings which have become our latest neighbours since we hit the road again in our van. Tonight is our first stop in a place call Tiaro. It is a free campsite behind a friendly local pub, with showers and bounded by horse pasture. It is also half a day’s drive from our start point in Southport and puts us within striking distance of Keppel Island and the Great Barrier Reef.