On The Beaton Track: July 2004
Travels and Treks
Jervis Bay
The drought continues to worsen in New South Wales, and with that, the summer bushfires have become more serious and widespread. In January, I went to what used to be the jewel in the crown of the eastern coast, Jervis Bay. I documented the recovery of the vegetation after bushfires two weeks previously had destroyed two thirds of the National Park.
My photo essay featuring the amazing resilience of the Australian bush to regenerate after such a calamity will appear in the summer issue of Nature Australia magazine.
Murray River
I’ve passed through the town of Albury many times en route to Melbourne and only ever treated it as a refuelling stop. What a mistake! An assignment in February took me off the main road (the Hume Highway) and into the region’s woodlands and wetlands. The lush banks and billabongs along the Murray River were abundant with egrets, pelicans and other waterbirds, while the eucalypt woodlands were full of tinkling birds, huge insects, majestic tree trunks, curious frogs and spiny spiders.
St Andrews Cross Spiders
Speaking of spiders—some of my favourite creatures—another assignment brought me back to Sydney to photograph more of them. This story will run in the January issue of Australian Geographic. To capture animal behaviour on film is the aim of every nature photographer—yet it is so hard to do. But I did! I managed to film the mating process of St Andrews Cross spiders—where the teeny male has to leap onto the giant female’s abdomen. It would have been impossible, of course, if I didn’t have the vast expertise and knowledge of some very special scientists to guide me: the Behavioural Ecology Group of Macquarie University.
Presentations & Workshops
I was occupied in the early part of the year with several presentations. The Central Coast Leagues Club Camera Club and Northside Creative Photography were two of them. Both are huge organisations with lively, active members. I almost didn’t make it to the Northside gig. If anyone knows what a tick bite feels like, they would have some sympathy for me copping a dose of 125 bites! I had managed to pick up a nestful of baby ticks the day before and had an allergic reaction to all that toxin being pumped into my body at once. The audience was appropriately sympathetic; they oohed and aahed as much at my bites as at the slide show.
Autumn is a beautiful season for nature photography, so the Central Coast Environment Network timed their workshop perfectly. I conducted three workshops for them over three consecutive Saturdays, each at a different venue and each more scenic than the last. I took the participants through the paces on macro, wildlife and landscape photography and we had a ball. Credit to Nikki Bennetts, for organising a great way for locals to get more in touch with the environment in a fun-filled yet meaningful way.
Recent Publications
The ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) is coming out with a charming little book of inspirational quotes called Rapture. It contains several of my photos as well as using my shot of autumn leaves on the front and back covers.
Nature Australia again used a photo of mine on the cover of the Autumn 2004 issue: a sweet-faced Ringtail Possum peeping out of its nest. Inside, my photo of a Sooty Owl looks rather dramatic as it spreads its wings across two whole pages.
Happy shooting! Until next time,
