Heart Reef at Hardy Reef It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful place to ride-out lockdown than Australia’s UNESCO-listed Great Barrier Reef!
The statistics are staggering: the 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands that make up the Great Barrier Reef stretch across 2300 kilometres (1,429 miles) into the Coral Sea off the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia. Between 24 km (15 mi) and 240 km (386 mi) wide, this – the world’s largest coral reef system – takes in an area of 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi) and is “the only living thing on earth visible from space”.
But of course, it is not just big: it is stunningly beautiful.
The last time I visited the reef was some thirty-years ago. Since then, the eco-awareness of tourism infrastructure has greatly improved: the operator I travelled with on this more recent trip, Cruise Whitsundays, boasts Advanced Eco Certification and partnership with Eco Barge Clean Seas. Their giant pontoon, Reefworld, is moored above the Hardy Reef, allowing visitors close, but relatively non-invasive access to a coral wall, with its myriad of colourful fish and other marine life. I can’t scuba, but snorkelling here in a supplied stinger-suit (Beware jellyfish!) was pure joy. While I didn’t see any of the endangered sea turtles who are often sighted by swimmers here, I did meet an enormous humphead wrasse – an exciting first for me.
Join me on the reef – about three hours off the coast of Australia:
Cruise-Boat Dock My rainy morning started at the Port of Airlie, where I pick up my transport to the reef, a Cruise Whitsundays catamaran.
Dive Team Whether it was the lack of international tourists because of Australia’s closed borders, or the fact that it is rainy season/low season, but the young staff almost outnumbered the travellers.
Boats in the Whitsundays The Whitsunday Islands are a sailor’s paradise: 74 tropical islands covered in dense rainforest and bounded by white sand beaches between the coast of Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef.
A Boat Like Ours Cruise Whitsundays operates island transfers, so we pass a cat exactly like ours as we head out.
Whitsunday Islands
Dive Team Member
Rocky Outcrops in the Whitsundays
Hamilton Island Our first stop is the Hamilton Island port, where we exchange passengers to-and-from here and Daydream Island.
Leaving Hamilton Island Property here is mostly high-end.
“Explore” We are not the only tour boat in the region.
Underwater Observatory My first activity, once I arrive at the multilevel Reefworld facility, is to walk down to the underwater observatory.
Damselfish (Neoglyphidodon Melas)
Lifeguard on Duty Other day-trippers are already in the water, and a lifeguard keeps watch over the areas marked out by swim-rope dividers.
Rescue-Ready There is great attention to safety: we were all coached in basic signals while still aboard our transfer boat.
Robinson Helicopter I had to stay dry as I had one of the four seats on a scenic helicopter flight.
Brown Boobies (Sula Leucogaster) While waiting for our turn to load, I watched the seabirds, …
Black Noddy (Anous Minutus) … many of whom weren’t remotely disturbed by our presence.
Helipad in Hardy Reef As we lift into the air and leave our helipad behind, the reef stretches out in all directions, and the exclusive double-story helipad in the heart of the reef comes into view.
Hardy Reef Helipad from Above The view is stunning, and the the colours change dramatically with every shift in light. What’s even more amazing is that this particular helipad has a luxurious boat shed underneath.
Heart Reef from Above Just 17 meters (56 feet) across, Heart Reef is a naturally formed coral outcrop.
Heart Reef The now-famous heart-shaped reef was discovered by a local pilot in 1975. For its protection, diving, snorkelling, and swimming in this immediate area is not allowed.
The Next Helicopter Load The breathtaking scenic flight is short: too soon, the next load of passengers shuttle in …
Boat Operator … and we are transported back to the main float.
Brown Booby Sea birds are all around, in the air …
Seabirds … and resting on floats …
The Platform … as we go back to the pontoon.
Butterflyfish from the Sub The colours of the reef are muted from the semi-submarine, …
Yellowtail Fusiliers (Caesio Cuning) … but amazingly vibrant in the sunlight …
Almost Abstract – Feeding Frenzy … where fish come to the surface to be fed.
Me and an Endangered Humphead Wrasse Of course, the snorkelling was the absolute highlight of the day! I got extra lucky when I met the resident Māori wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) and one of the scuba photographers with his underwater flash was handy.
This magnificent world is under threat. Even here in a designated Marine Park with World Heritage status, the reef is challenged by bleaching caused by ever-warming waters, and by reduced water quality because of dredging for port expansions, and waste-water run-off from expanding on-land developments.
Add to these stressors increased shipping activities, extreme weather events including floods and cyclone, and even illegal fishing, and it is no surprise that some scientists maintain that the Great Barrier Reef is at a critical tipping point and could disappear by 2050.
I feel so lucky to have enjoyed it!
I hope it lasts for my children’s children – and yours.
Men and Goats at Sundown As the sun drops over the dusty banks of the Omo River, Kara men and boys herd their goats back to the village compounds.
If you are carrying heavy cameras around on your travels, you want to be able to use them to full effect. Chances are there are a some “iconic” shots you hope to add to your collection of images: some of these might be staged, but others arise organically out of everyday activities. I never do enough homework before I go on trips, but I usually have a few rough ideas of images I’d like to make and techniques I want to try or practice.
For most travellers, the focus in the Lower Omo Valley in south west Ethiopia is on the the people. The region is home to 16+ ethnic groups, each with their own distinctive customs, dress, and body art. These people are fascinating to photograph, and the bright – often harsh – equatorial light provides extra challenges to keep photography enthusiasts on their toes.
I was staying several days in the heart of Kara (Karo) territory, a half-day’s drive from the market town of Turmi. Even by Ethiopian standards, this region is hard to get to, and infrastructure is almost completely absent. However, I was travelling with photographer Ben McRae on a Piper Mackaytour, and we were lodged in relative luxury at a mobile campsite organised by Grand Holidays Ethiopia.
Our camp was close to Dus Village, the largest of three Kara villages in Ethiopia; the majority of Kara people live in South Sudan or the Central African Republic. Some of the villagers helped around the camp, or sat in the shade, engaging in their beading or face- and body-painting. This added to my feeling of being in the middle of things. Our location also meant we were able to visit the village a number of times, and therefore could spend time with the locals as they went about their daily lives (see: Visits to a Kara Village and The Kara of Dus Village).
The relaxed environment made it easier for me to focus on things I wanted to achieve photographically – particularly with respect to experimenting with light. I’ve already shared some of the deliberately underexposed pictures I made of the Mursi people in very bright light (see: Meet the Mursi); I also wanted to work with whited-out backgrounds, and get more practice with off-camera flash.
In addition, I really wanted to make some silhouettes: every afternoon, the boys and young men of the village bring the goats back to their compounds for the night. As the goats cross the flat, dry landscape, clouds of dust rise – filtering the lowering sun and creating a wonderful light. I wanted an image of the goats, and the warriors who look after them, silhouetted against the afternoon sky.
Our local guide knew when things were going to happen, and Ben had plenty of tips on how to make the most of what we were going to see.
Join me in search of portraits and silhouettes:
Lale America Lale is a bit of a legend in this region, and a wonderful ambassador for his Kara people. He was still nursing a bullet injury when I met him: inter-tribal warfare is a reality here. Men need to demonstrate their ability to protect the village and herds, and must own an AK47 before they are allowed to marry.
Woman in Guinea Fowl Spots The Kara people are well known for their creative face and body paint, and for their love of layered beads. They are closely related to the Benna-Bashada-Hamar group and share many linguistic features and cultural practices with these tribes. The goatskin smocks the women wear is one of the many similarities.
Woman in Guinea Fowl Face Paint This was my idyllic campsite on the Omo River, and this gentle Kara woman in her beautiful face paint was a regular visitor. She tied a beaded bracelet on my wrist before we left the camp: it is still intact – a semi-permanent reminder of my time here.
Kara Woman Back in Dus Village, the face paint is variable, but everyone proudly wears their layers of beads.
Young and Younger It is not unusual for youngsters to be charged with looking after their younger siblings.
Girl with a Baby Walking around the village with an off-camera flash allowed us to make portraits with lovely warm skin-tones.
Carrying Wood Every-day life continues around the village, but people are quite willing to pause long enough to face our cameras.
Old Man with his Stick This old man is carrying his walking stick and his wooden headrest.
Young Mum I was fascinated by this young woman’s face and cornrow braids.
On the Banks of the Omo The afternoon shadows grow long, but there are still plenty of people wandering around the plateau above the river.
Afternoon at River’s Edge Others tend crops in the rich silt at the water’s edge down below.
Outside Dus Village It’s a beautiful environment, with stunning mountains in the background.
Kids and a Goat The villagers get paid for every photo that is clicked, so the children grab young goats to make themselves attractive to visitors.
Children on the Bank Other children ignore us, as they sit on the bank watching the river flow.
Sundown Silhouettes Late afternoon, and the dust in the air makes silhouettes out of the hut and the people – and the water tower in the background.
Old Warrior in the Sunset We’ve met this man before: in silhouette, the feather stands out from the clay skullcap that Kara men wear attached to their hair after a kill to celebrate their bravery.
Dusty Sundown
Men and Goats at Sundown The dust swirls in clouds, blotting the lowering sun.
An Afternoon Sunburst
Boys, Goats, and a Water Tower I lay on my belly on the lowest ground I could find to try to capture the silhouettes and the wonderful sky.
Sunburst on the Horizon We are very close to the equator: the sun drops quickly. The goat herd also moves quickly across the plateau.
Silhouettes like Scherenschnitten The scenes formed by the moving goats remind me of traditional German scissor-cut art.
Goat Herd with a Gun and a Stick
Goats Although the Kara have a small number of cows, goats are their main livestock.
Sunset on the Water Tower
Blue Hour The sun drops below the horizon and the goats are almost home.
I never really got that one shot I wanted – which is probably why I took so many. I suppose I could have posed some “models”, but where is the challenge in that?
[…] This proximity had allowed us to visit the largest Kara settlement, Dus Village, a number of times. Sadly, it was our last full day there. After a morning of portraiture (see: Tribal Portraits), I was off to make a second attempt at capturing the daily activity of bringing the goats home at sundown (see: Men and Goats and Dust). […]ReplyCancel
Date Palms and Green Waters Wādī Banī Khālid is a recreational oasis in the aptly named Al-Hajar (Rocky or Stone) Mountains of Oman.
As we parked our car and followed the stone and concrete walkway into Wadi Bani Khalid, I had Maria Muldaur’s Midnight at the Oasis dancing through my head.
Walking towards the green date palms after two days in the magical Sharqiya Sands Desert (see: Sand Songs and Desert Dreams and Life in the Desert), it was easy for me to conjure up romantic notions of starry nights, Bedouin tents, and handsome sheiks. Of course, that wasn’t quite the reality, but Wadi Bani Khalidis a lovely spot, and it is easy to see why it is so popular with tourists and Omanis alike.
A wadi (وَادِي) is a ‘valley’ in Arabic. In many Arabic-speaking countries, wadis are dried out creek beds, but in Oman, a wadi is a true oasis, with permanent pools of water and surrounded by palm, banana, or mango trees. Wadi Bani Khalid is possibly the best known and most popular of Oman’s five wadis; it is certainly the most easily accessible.
Join me as I explore:
Entry to Wadi Bani Khalid Our driver and guide Said, in his grey (lilac?) dishdasha and with a colourful muzzar on his head, leads us into the wadi.
Signpost The Sultanate of Oman is an absolute monarchy. Although a policy of modernisation has been in place since 1970, this is still a Muslim country with an expectation of modest dress in public places.
Edge of the Water The Wadi is relatively close (about 203 km -126 mi) to Muscat, Oman’s capital and only major city, so it is a popular spot for local families.
Kids in the Water Plenty of children are enjoying the shallow and slow waters.
Palms on the Wadi Setting aside oil and gas, dates are the life-blood of Oman. They are central to the diet, the concept of hospitality, and the economy; so, it was sad to see the trees around the Wadi suffering. Unusually dry conditions – even by desert standards – have allowed some sort of illness to take hold, resulting in many yellowed fronds.
Dragonfly Oases are an important habitat for animals and plants in the desert.
Bridge over the Wadi The palm trees might be suffering, but there are plenty of shaded spots, …
Island Pavilion … where people can gather and sit.
Bridge over the Valley Another bridge leads to the lifeguard watch-tower, and a restaurant complex.
Rocky Cliffs The wadi is quite extensive; the cliffs contain a number of caves and underground canals. There is some signposting with distance markers, but the rocks were exceptionally sharp, and the ground was treacherous. In spite of having reasonable shoes on, I decided not to venture far.
Swimming in the Rock Pools You don’t have to walk or swim far to find beautiful rock pools …
Upper Pools … with people swimming in them.
On the Rocks
Boulders in the Stream
Nature’s Sculptures: Rocks in the Water
Stairs into the Rift
The Valley Rift It really is a beautiful – and rugged – setting.
Girl Running The local visitors are all having a wonderful time.
Omani Man
Giant Milkweed Flowers – Calotropis Procera Also called Sodom’s Apple, the milkweed is happy in Oman’s sandy soils and gravel plains. It is used in local traditional medicinal to treat infected wounds and skin problems.
Even with the surrounding trees, if you are not swimming, it is very hot in the wadi.
After a cold drink from the restaurant, I was happy to rejoin my guide and make the short walk back to the car for the two-and-a-half hour drive back to Muscat, all the while singing:
“Midnight at the oasis, Send your camel to bed,
Shadows painting our faces, Traces of romance in our heads…”
Figurehead of the HMS Benbow Vice Admiral John Benbow (1653 – 1702), Royal Navy officer and commander-in-chief of the West Indies during the War of Spanish Succession, was honoured posthumously by a ship named for him. The HMS Benbow was launched in 1813; the ship’s figurehead in Benbow’s likeness now has pride of place at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
The United Kingdom takes great pride in its naval history.
Separated by water from the rest of Europe since around 6500 BC., what are now the British Isles have always had a relationship with the sea for their livelihood and for trade. The Phoenicians in Iron Age Europe mention the trade route to England for tin and other raw materials around 600 BC. Even before the Roman invasion in 43 AD., early Britons used rafts and dugout canoes for fishing and transport.
In the early Middle Ages, Saxon mercenaries were recruited by British kings, but it was after the Norman conquest (1066) that seamanship and boatbuilding really took off. From the early 15th century and through into the 17th century, English ships were sailing all around the world searching for new trading partners, exploring new trading routes, and establishing colonies.
Of course, none of this was without controversy. Nor was it unchallenged by rivals. English ships traded in slaves and opium; ship’s captains engaged in royally-sanctioned piracy; and deadly sea battles and wars against other countries with competing interests were ongoing.
But, there is no taking away from the bravery and ingenuity of the men who went to sea, and no denying their ultimate success. On the maps hanging over the chalkboards in my childhood classrooms – half a world away – countries from one edge to the other were coloured in pink to show their affiliation with the British Commonwealth.
A few years ago, my husband and I were aboard a modern ship that owed very little to these early English pioneers: we were on a small Norwegian ocean cruiser sailing around the Iberian Peninsula and into the English Channel. On this particular morning, we were docked in Portsmouth – having stopped in Falmouth the day before (see: Another English Spring). We had tickets to the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard in hand and a few hours to explore.
I’ve never been greatly interested in battles and the like, and find the stories of wars distressing rather than glorious. But, there are some historical names that even I remember. To actually see Henry VIII’s favourite warship, the Mary Rose, was like reaching back into time. And my family (like many other British families, I am sure) told stories about Lord Nelson; to walk aboard his flagship from the Battle of Trafalgar was an absolute buzz!
Join me at Portsea for a small slice of Britain’s rich naval history:
Portsea One of the things I love most about small cruise-boat travel is the adventure of arriving in new ports. This is an early-morning view of the busy Portsmouth Harbour from our ship.
National Museum of the Royal Navy Elegant old naval storehouses, built between 1760 and 1790, have been repurposed to house the Royal Naval Museum.
HMS Victory This is the most famous of Britain’s warships: Lord Nelson’s 104-gun HMS Victory: launched in 1765 and decommissioned in 1831.
Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson This figurehead, made in 1840 for the HMS Trafalgar, depicts Vice Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson (1758-1805). The bust wears his full-dress uniform, the stars of the Order of the Crescent, (Turkey) the Order of St Ferdinand (Naples & Sicily) and the Order of Bath.
Lord Nelson Figurehead He also wears a Naval Gold Medal around his neck and his gold-laced bicorn hat.
Henry VIII As we walk into the Mary Rose Museum …
King Henry … a life-size statue of Henry VIII (1491 – 1547) greets us.
Inside the Mary Rose Said to be King Henry’s favourite vessel, this carrack-type warship was built in Portsmouth between 1510 – 1512, and sunk in 1545. The wreck was found in 1971 and raised in 1982. In a climate- and light-controlled room, the historic ship is undergoing extensive conservation and restoration efforts.
Ropes on the Mary Rose Gun Decks
Mary Rose Artefacts The thousands of artefacts found when the ship was raised give insight into Tudor-era naval life. The museum has a lot of these items on display.
HMS Victory Lord Nelson’s flagship is also undergoing extensive renovations.
View over the Docks from the HMS Victory
George Rex Everywhere you look, the details bring history to life. Wooden ships needed their fire buckets handy – and like the vessels themselves, belonged to the reigning monarch – in this case, King George II (r. 1727 – 1760).
Rigging on the HMS Victory Looking up, you get a feel for the complexity of these old sailing vessels.
British Royal Navy Flag The White Ensign, at one time called the St George’s Ensign, has been used by Royal Navy since the 16th century.
Lifeboat
Figurehead of the HMS Illustrious I found the figureheads fascinating. The identity of this one at the entry to the National Museum of the Royal Navy is a mystery.
“In the Toolbox Shed” The old boathouses contain a number exhibits …
Shipwrights … demonstrating the tools and skills required in ship building.
HMS Warrior Spare a thought for the sailors working all that rigging! We got a last look at the 40-gun steam-powered armoured frigate, the HMS Warrior, …
Ship-Shape … before heading back to the docks next door, where even our modern cruise ship requires a fair bit of people-power.
It was a fascinating and educational glimpse into history.
And it gave us even more appreciation for the comfort of the modern vessel we were travelling on.
Sunrise on Kata Tjuta It is just after six in the morning: the sun creeps over the horizon behind me and lights up the desert oaks on the flat plains and the boulders that make up Kata Tjuta.
It’s an incredible landscape.
Red, flat, and empty as far as the eye can see, except for two remarkable – and remarkably different – ancient rock formations: Uluru, the 348 m (1,142 ft) high sandstone monolith, and Kata Tjuta, the 36 domes of conglomerated sand, pebbles, and cobbles. This is a living, culturally-rich topography, home to countless ancient stories belonging to the IndigenousAnangu people. The “spectacular geological formations”, and their place in the belief system of the traditional owners, was formally recognised by UNESCO in 1987.
A visit to Australia’s Red Centre was always on my grey nomad bucket list; then Covid-19 happened and international travel was off the table. Even interstate travel within Australia was severely curtailed, but I managed to find a small window of opportunity and a package deal to the Ayers Rock Resort.
I was determined to fit as much exploration as I could into the short time I had in the area, so I booked myself into a range of activities (see: A Camel Ride into the Red Centre and The Field of Light). On my second morning, I got up pre-dawn to join the SEIT Kata Tjuta tour, which includes a sunrise-stop at a special viewing area inside the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, and a short walk into Walpa Gorge at Kata Tjuta.
Kata Tjuta means ‘many heads’ in Pitjantjatjara, one of the two major Indigenous languages in the region. The formation is also known as the Olgas: the highest dome was named Mount Olga, by Anglo-Australian explorer Ernest Giles, in honour of Queen Olga of Württemberg (born Grand Duchess Olga of Russia, daughter of Tsar Nicholas I) in 1872. In 1993, a dual-naming policy was adopted, leading to the current official name: “Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga”
Join me for a walk into an ancient world:
Sun below the Horizon At the viewing platform just inside the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, it is cold and dark. The sky is just starting to lighten behind Uluru to the east of us.
Dawn at Kata Tjuta This is the desert: the chilly pre-dawn light stretches to the boulders on the horizon to the west of us.
Day-Break on Uluru There is something about that rock that resonates in my soul, …
Sunrise on Kata Tjuta … even though I find Kata Tjuta more visually interesting.
Sunrise at Uluru Finally! The sun slips over the horizon, and very quickly the whole landscape is light.
Rest Area – Western Side of Kata Tjuta From the sunrise viewing platform, we drive a short distance to our breakfast spot.
Sun Flares on Kata Tjuta There is enough time to play with the morning light while the kettle boils.
Sun through the Trees
Entry to the Walpa Gorge After breakfast, we drive a short distance to the entry for the walk. That same sun angles straight into our eyes as we make our way over the gleaming 600 million year-old conglomerate rock.
Boulders and Scrub Desert-loving plants cling to patches of poor soil along the path.
Waterhole There had been a rare rainfall a few days before I arrived: a few standing pools of water were home to small tadpoles and fast-growing frogs.
Walpa Gorge The gorge is named for the wind (Walpa) that whistles between the massive domes, which are polished smooth by the eons. This is a sacred site, and we were given instructions about where we can and cannot photograph.
Stone Stairs The sheen and colour of the rock is amazing – and is due to the feldspar and iron oxide in the conglomerate of granite and basalt.
Inland Thornbill and Grey-Headed Honeyeater The park is home to 178 species of birds; I saw only these two.
Pink Mulla Mulla All the plants here are well-adapted to the arid conditions.
Nature’s Artworks: Standing Water
Dead Gum Outside the gorge, it is hot and still. A leafless gum provides no shade.
Nature’s Abstracts: Gum Tree
Last Look Even from the bus as we are returning to the resort, the shapes and colours are incredible!
Walking through 600 million-year-old rocks, at least 30,000 years of living history, and the left-over waters from the last week’s rains, was truly magical!
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
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And it gave us even more appreciation for the comfort of the modern vessel we were travelling on.
