Helicopter over Uluru

Helicopter over Ularu

All though we chose not to walk on the rock itself, we thought it was a great idea to fly over it. The helicopter would not start at first which is always a worrying thought.

We made it in the end.

The girls were very excited to sit inside and put on the headsets. Although Mia only had standard ear muffs.

Ularu seemed like miles away from the helipad but only took a few minutes and we were nearing the worlds largest rock.

One of the resorts in the red centre.

 

The Lightening Strike Photo of all time

 The Lightening Strike Photo of all time

Hello All,

    Well as most of you would know there was a storm across Sydney last night and I happened to get some pictures for you.

You need to read the story behind the pictures to realise the stupidity of some photographers and their quest for the greatest images.

It started in the west. I could see great cloud formations and lightening strikes everywhere. In my office it was like a fluro light was flickering outside. I couldn't hear the storm but knew it was in the distance. So I thought I'd wonder up to the roof to catch a picture or two. I have a few excellent lightening shots but never knew what was going to come about this night

The camera was getting pretty wet so I had to be quick. I had no tripod either. Just an old table to rest on...

As I took a few more pictures the wind came up really strong. then a few strikes to the south of Parramatta.

I knew it was on its way and I could see that our unit complex was almost right in line of the storm.....

I Rang my neighbour and asked if he would like to catch some pictures with me but it was a bit late and he was ready for bed. It had been a hot day and the cool breeze was not too bad to be in so I grabbed a memory card and spare battery and headed for my own balcony "with an umbrella". 

I started catching so many strikes that I became a little bored with how easy it actually was.

This shot below has a minimum of 7 strikes in total.....

SO !!  I decided to capture my own image with a lightening strike in the same shot. NOW how many of you have your picture with lightening....?

The camera was taking 20 - 30 second exposures and easily getting me and the lightening all at once and with multiple strikes....

The freaky part is that I am standing in the rain... On the rooftop... In a thunder storm.... with bare feet... In half an inch of water...holding a wire framed umbrella over my head!!!

My hair was lifting up into the area between the umbrella and my head... Just like one of those static machines or something....everytime a flash in the sky would light up.... This photo was the hardest 20 seconds I think I'll ever do again.....especially when you see what is about to happen.....

The decision was made to put down the umbrella...

I was having a chuckle to myself when I thought of this shot above.... I would take an image that appears to have me creating the thunder and lightening,  just like some 'lord of the rings'  wizard or something.....

Now I was getting scared !!! because the hairs on my arms where lifting straight up when the sky flashed above....

So I decided to come under cover and finish up my lightening photography for the night....

BUT..... I had to get just one more shot of the tremendous storm that had entertained me for over an hour so I set up the camera for one last shot.....

Timed it for a thirty second capture

Pointed it at where I had been standing only a moment ago..........

And pressed the button.........

1second.....

2seconds.....

3seconds.......

Then it happened !

 

Lightening only 20 feet away and right near where I had been standing.......

Lightning Specifics

·  Most lightning strikes occur either at the beginning or end of a storm.

·  The average lightning strike is six miles long.

·  Lightning reaches 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, fours times as hot as the sun's surface.

·  A cloud-to-ground lightning channel can be 2 to 10 miles long.

·  Voltage in a cloud-to-ground strike is 100 million to 1 billion volts.

Just 20 feet away......

I hope to bring you more pictures in the future......

Regards

Wayne

Property Marketing Sydney

Ayers Rock - Amazing Sunset

 Sunset At The Rock

If you go to the centre of Australia it is guaranteed that you will watch the sunset at Ayres Rock. It will not disappoint you in any way. Every car will park at the designated parking area for the best view and then it's just a waiting game.

This 30-minute video is sped up to 1 minute to show the dramatic change of light that happens at sunset. In the last few moments, you really are freaked out by what the Rock does.

An amazing place to be in the afternoon

Heather goofing around with the camera

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The clearest skies without any clouds what so ever

One of our favourite location photos

The red Centre

 Ayers Rock - ULURU

THE RED CENTRE
After 7 weeks we pull into the very very red centre of Australia. This video below is one of my all-time favourites.

We weren't to know but this photo of the girls collecting some red sand was later printed at 1.5 meters, framed and still hangs on our upstairs wall.

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l. 


Thats one almighty rock

Our good travelling buddies. Lots of laughs with these guys
and we camped next to each other at the camping grounds

Location photos - Digital 1 photography

The Olgas

 The Olgas & Uluru Sunrise

Today we ventured out very early to watch the sunrise at the rock. Certainly not as captivating as the sunset but nice to see never the less.

After an hours walk with other campers around the base area, we decided to move to the next oversized outcrop nearest to us. 

Now we can see the Olgas just up ahead.

Funny wonky egg-shaped things they are. 

Curtin Springs

 

CURTIN SPRINGS

We have finally reached the Northern Territory. 

On one side of this huge sign, you stand in the Northern Territory

And on the other side you're in South Australia

We Stand Divided. One foot in Either State.

None of us has seen anything beyond this point in our lives so it's rather exciting for every little detail along the way.  Curtin Springs is one of the last stop-overs for most travellers heading to the Rock. The distance is too far so everyone tends to stay here and leave in the morning for a fresh start.

The Boomerang Entrance sign

Funky Street Art

Main Street Sign Post

There was a guy who had ridden the entire Stuart highway on this posty bike. What a nutter!

Town Amenities were what you can expect here at Curtin. Very Dusty too. They did have internet here but WOW... i think we paid $5 (per 10 minutes) into some sort of vending machine and the screen looked 100 years old. but the speed was dial-up and took me 15 minutes to even check emails etc. obviously for desperate people only.

  Thought I might walk the town with the girls to get a couple of photos in. feeling quite anxious about seeing Ularu and having the girls with us for this fantastic family adventure

Little Lily is always smiling 

And Mia is the chatterbox.

 So Its 'keep the van attached' and get a nights sleep here till the morning. Next stop. The ROCK!

We are definately not missing the work and running a business. As for real estate photos, i cant see anything worth taking in Curtin Springs.  haha

Agnes Creek

 

AGNES CREEK - SOUTH AUSTRALIA

 

We made it to Agnes Creek today. Travelling alongside our good friends from Western Australia. These are quite long journeys without much to see but flat dry roads and land. On the way we spotted a couple of huge wedge tailed eagles and so stopped to capture some footage and some photos for the travel log.

With a wing span possible of over 2 meters these big birds must get pretty hungry so they watch the roadsides for road kill.

 Not a nice photo but very true of the middle of Austraila.

Its time for some wood collecting as we love our campfires by the roadsides. 

Brian & Wayne

 Time for a quick photo and then decide what to have for dinner.

Merrilyn

Wayne & Heather

We became very quick at our roadside setups for the nights on the road.  Find some wood and light a fire, then grab a beer or wine and settle in.

me and the kids loved our compfires

These road train truckies were everywhere at the homesteads along the way. Fuelling up and moving on. 

They always seemed to need a coat of paint or something

Our rig was always identifiable due to the kids pink bikes always on the roof racks. people would see us for miles and know it was the Robbos.

 Real estate photographers Sydney

Coober Pedy

 Coober Pedy - A dusty town

We had to snap this one

Coober Pedy 

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A day out today in Coober Pedy. We started at the feeding of the orphan kangaroos which was great fun for the girls (see video) and saw some aboriginal artwork at the gallery.

It was mothers day today and we sat for lunch in the underground hotel and enjoyed brunch. 

Coober Pedy was a dusty hole of a place with no real comforts to speak of but a tone of character, a definate must see if travelling Australia... We stayed at the Riba's underground caravan and camping park which included a Mine tour in the evening it was very cool. We did some water divining and learnt about staking our own claim in the opal business. girls were terribly bored after 10 mins but it was their bed time and both were sleepy. This caravan park also caters for campers who want to camp underground in the hillside dugout tunnels.. 

Learning about how to blow the earth away with high explosives

Water divining is key to finding opal in the ground

The chicken man - strange travellers starting to appear

Coober Pedy from the Big winch Lookout area

Coober Pedy landscape

The Big Winch

We desperately wanted to find some opal and for people keen to try their luck there is a noodling area near the main street of town. It looks like a big pile of diggings from opal mines that you can noodle through and if your lucky and look hard you can find opal... we were lucky and found a few bits to bring home. 

We bought the girls some opal earrings to remember their trip to Coober Pedy.

This is our final night at Coober Pedy tonight and since it was mothers day.. no cooking for mum so we bought one of their much talked about pizzas . Heading off in the morning leaving all the street drunk aboriginals behind. The only downfall to this town is the local aboriginals scattered through the streets drunk and sitting in the gutters... not a good site for tourists.

Noodling & The Breakaways

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The Breakaway

The dog fence