Benz World Blog » Water

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.

Stanage Sunset

Jason Benz — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 05:36:14 +0000

Stanage is a tiny town at the tip of a peninsula and the end of a 100km dirt road. It sticks out into the Pacific ocean surrounded by islands where the continent fragments into the shallow turquoise waters at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef just north of the tropic of Capricorn in Queensland, Australia. The town is encircled by rocky headlands separated by wide open beaches where unseen creatures create intricate patterns with millions of small sand spheres. The beach camp faces west so the setting sun reflects in the ocean every evening. A rare occurrence on the east coast. Anywhere else in the world this sea view would be priceless. Here local volunteers maintain a free camp along the coast between a boat ramp and the general store. Both are kept busy by the transient population. The Plumtree store sells gas refills and can fetch anything you want in their twice-weekly supermarket run. This all makes Stanage a popular place to escape the worst of the winter chill.

Fishing seems to be the main pastime here although I photographed one guy sat on a surfboard looking out to sea. He beckoned me over and announced he was about to surf in crocodile infested waters. I asked if he thought that was wise. He just grinned and looked back at the ocean. Not wanting to discourage his obvious enthusiasm I said I had heard people have been seen swimming here. Well, he liked that. Without hesitation, he grabbed his board and started running towards the sea. Had I accidentally encouraged someone to risk their life? I went back to the van to switch to a longer lens, by the time I got back he had attracted some onlookers. One couple said they had been visiting for 30 years and never seen anyone try to surf here. Try to? As if the only problem was lack of surf, not the risk of becoming a giant reptiles’ snack on a stick!

I am currently in Mackay for a few days to restock. On Monday I will be going to Cape Hillsborough National Park for 4 days. After that, I will be exploring the Coal and Sugar region west of here before going North again to see the sublime Whitsunday islands. Although Birds, Boats and Beaches are a lot of fun to photograph it is mining and machinery which seem to be in higher demand. Currently, Mechanography accounts for less than 10% of my portfolio on Shutterstock but almost 50% of the income so these opportunities cannot be missed.

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

Forgotten Oceans

Jason Benz — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 22:40:01 +0000

This is a composite of seven images blended in Photoshop. The ocean photography is from parts of the Caribbean in the Global Reef Record. Most of the work I do at Panedia is aimed at helping The Ocean Agency raise awareness of what is happening underwater. One of the challenges is the seas are easily forgotten. People generally don’t spend much time down there. It is out of sight and out of mind, so weeks, months and years can go by without considering the impact modern life has on this worlds oceans.

In 2012 Australia took a big step forward in creating the worlds largest marine park. Unfortunately this protection is under threat. In 2017 the federal government announced draft plans to allow long-line fishing and damaging seafloor trawling to take place in large areas of Queenslands Coral Sea and the waters off the coast of Western Australia, New South Wales and the Northern Territory.

The director of the Centre for Marine Futures at the University of WA said “The proposed protection zones for the Coral sea ignores all the science about what is needed to ensure we have healthy oceans and also ignores the government’s own risk assessments on what activities are compatible with conservation,”

Brushbox Falls

Jason Benz — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 13:42:23 +0000

This is Brushbox Falls hidden away in a remote corner of the Border Ranges National Park. The Gondwana Rainforests between Queensland and New South Wales are World Heritage Listed. Although it is only a few hours drive from the Gold Coast it is like stepping back in time. Few places in the world contain so much flora and fauna that remain relatively unchanged from their ancestors in the fossil record. The Brush Box Tree, after which the waterfall was named, is native to Australia and is used as a street tree in cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Perth because it is rugged and creates lots of shade.

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

Yamada Point

Jason Benz — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 06:38:54 +0000

In 2017 I have been working on the coral reefs around Okinawa in Japan. These waters contain the oldest and largest reefs in the Northern Hemisphere. This area has experienced some of the most devastating effects of climate change which has accelerated coral bleaching. This coral plantation at Yamada Point was built by local fishermen and is now the largest man-made coral field at over 2.5 hectares.

These images are a result of a collaboration between Panedia, Google, The Ocean Agency and the XL Catlin Seaview Survey. This project takes up most of my working week, although I don’t do the Photography, I have a lot of fun working on these beautiful images in Photoshop.

Judd’s Lagoon

Jason Benz — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 03:55:47 +0000

This is Judd’s Lagoon just outside Yuleba in Queensland, Australia. It has been our campsite for the last few days. It is a popular fishing spot and locals come here to cool off in the water. From here we plan to go west to Roma then Mitchell where Karen is looking forward to the Great Artesian Spa.

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

Big Mushroom

Jason Benz — Sat, 24 Sep 2016 23:17:28 +0000

This was the “Big Mushroom” off the Taiwanese coast. The 12 metre high coral structure is considered one of the worlds most iconic ocean dive sites. Despite surviving being struck twice by submarines this 1000 year old life form has now been toppled by Typhoon Meranti.

This is one of 6 dives from the waters around Taiwan which I have been working on recently to get into Google Streetview. These images are a result of a collaboration between Panedia, The Ocean Agency and the XL Catlin Seaview Survey. Although I don’t do the Photography I always enjoy working on these beautiful images in Photoshop.

Ian’s Boat

Jason Benz — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 23:03:09 +0000

This is one of the Keppel Islands. I don’t remember which one as Ian was good enough to take us to a few islands in his boat on 1st Jan 2016. This is one of those rare occasions when I wish my camera had GPS. It is fondly remembered as the best New Years Day ever.

Raja Ampat

Jason Benz — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 10:24:18 +0000

These are the waters around the Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia. This area has the highest density of marine life in the world. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the largest coral reef system but it is relatively young compared to this one. The diversity of life here is helped by being uniquely placed between the Indian and Pacific oceans and three continental plates.

Cooks Endeavour

Jason Benz — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 11:06:32 +0000

This is a replica of James Cooks Endeavour. The ship was moored at the Central Pier of Melbournes Docklands in Victoria, Australia.

To process this image split toning was applied in Camera RAW.