Benz World Blog » Tasmania

Hobart Skyline

Jason Benz — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 20:00:51 +0000

This night shot is Hobart in Tasmania, Australia. This photograph adds to the set of Australian Skylines I have been collecting since starting this blog almost 10 years ago. I always position the camera to get the city lights reflected in the water. A very small aperture was used to create a starburst effect. This reduces the amount of light so you need to use a tripod and a long exposure. Using this method you can avoid increasing ISO and therefore minimise noise.

Now I only need a shot of Darwin to complete the set and produce a calendar for 2020.

Today I arrived in the Blue Mountains and am looking forward to seeing my brother and his family who are visiting from the UK.

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

Wineglass Bay

Jason Benz — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 05:13:45 +0000

This is Wineglass Bay on Tasmania’s South East coast. This view is from the top of Mount Amos. It provided the best perspective and most challenging bushwalk. You even have to sign a safety sheet in case you do not make it back.

I had been waiting for good weather and low tide to coincide for a couple of weeks. Finally, I decided to risk it with a wet morning which had a forecast for a mostly clear afternoon. There are many warning signs advising you not to attempt it in the wet as it is essentially a climb. Imagine steep slabs of rock covered with rivulets and very little to hold on to.

I was reminded of my first off-piste skiing attempt when I discovered, regardless of posture, every mountain surface has an angle which, if you lose your grip, accelerates you towards a cliff.

After covering myself with cuts and scrapes I finally reached the top with a couple of English lads who shared their bananas with me while we waited for the mist to clear. After an hour of sitting in the clouds, they started back down. I told them if it gets better they can pull my image from this blog. email benzworldblog@gmail.com if you would like high res.

I am going into Hobart this evening to get some night shots of the city for my Australian Skylines Collection.

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

Trial Harbour

Jason Benz — Sat, 02 Mar 2019 11:43:46 +0000

This is Trial Harbour on Tasmania’s wild South West coast. It is as close as it gets to the end of the world, next stop Antarctica. Last time I was camped this close to the ocean was at Stanage in Queensland. But unlike the calm waters of the Bay, here the untamed full force of the roaring forties lash a rugged windswept coastline. Waves on an epic scale move in slow motion as they relentlessly crash into the rocky headlands between the beaches. Even the waters within the harbour have claimed many lives. These days a safer harbour further down the coast is preferred adding to the remote feel of the place.

Tasmania experienced exceptional fires across the state at the start of 2019. It was leading news during the ferry journey so every screen was repeating the worst of the fire footage for the 10hrs crossing. It appeared as if everyone had accidentally booked the boat to Hades. There has been some rain since then but a few persistent fires remain. One such fire was on my route after detouring to Hobart to get a replacement Canon 5D mark ii. I spent a few days parked next to the fire station in Ellendale waiting for the forecast rain to put out a fire near Maydena on my way to Lake Pedder.

When the road reopened I drove through a fire-scorched landscape only to find all accessible campsites had been closed. I searched WikiCamps for sites with wildlife and scenery and found Trial Harbour far from any remaining fires. The west of the country consists of cold rain soaked mountains dotted with sheep. I am surprised the colonists did not call it New North Wales. I am currently in the old silver city of Zeehan. I am going to investigate some of the mining heritage before restocking and exploring the east of the island.

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.