Trestle Bridge Encounters.
Whilst on a recent photography tour of eastern Victoria I encountered a couple of old wooden trestle railway bridges, …….and who can resist a good bridge!
The Stony Creek trestle bridge (pictured above) is located at Nowa Nowa in Victoria’s south east.
Apparently this is the largest standing bridge of it’s kind in Victoria, measuring 247 meters long and standing 20 meters high. The bridge was made in 1916 and remained in service for over 60 years until it was damaged by bushfire in 1980.
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The two images below were taken at the trestle bridge in Mt Lawson state park, in Victoria’s north east.
The high timber bridge which was built around 1915 spans Boggy Creek and formed part of the now disused Wodonga – Cudgewa railway line.
The view from above –
The view from below –
Exploring Cement Creek
It seems to me that Cement Creek was dealt an injustice when it was first named.
Despite it’s odd name, it really is quite an attractive location and a fine example of lush Victorian forest.
Cement Creek in located at the foot of Mount Donna Buang, near the intersection of Donna Buang Rd and Acheron Way.
On this excursion we gained access to the creek by walking along raised platforms which got us most of the way, then we jumped the handrail into the forest to get to the flowing water. At this location you need to be prepared to get muddy and wet, so it’s advisable to keep a change of clothes in the boot of your car.
The main hazard here is the slippery moss covered rocks. A minor hazard is the hungry leeches.
South Gippsland hills
Images taken from a recent excursion to South Gippsland.
The Symphony of Harvest
An image taken near Mt Best.
Distinctive trails on the ground show the path of harvesters on the grass. The foreground tree is shaped into submission by the prevailing winds.
The hay bale in the foreground is highlighted by the sun shining through scattered cloud.
I Looked Up High
Image taken near Dollar, Victoria, Australia.
Agnes – the rolling hills
This image was taken near Agnes, in Victoria’s Gippsland region.
In the cooler wetter months the hills are a lush green colour then they start to brown off over summer.
The Edge
Gum trees growing precariously close to a cliff edge in western Victoria, Australia.
I was attracted to this scene by the trees silhouetted against the bright cloudy sky and of course the dead limbs in the foreground.
Home Sweet Hell
Images from an abandoned house taken during an excursion to the Dandenong Ranges, Victoria, Australia.
The image above is available to purchase as a print here.
Roadside Falls
A small waterfall by the road somewhere south of Woods Point in hillbilly country, Victoria, Australia.
Roadside Falls
A trip to the lake area of Bonnie Doon
Somewhat ravaged by the ongoing drought, the lake has receded but Bonnie Doon still has some wonderful rolling green hills at this time of year.
Visiting Silverband Falls, the Grampians.
Image taken at the Silverband Falls, in the Grampians, Victoria, Australia.
Deep in the Woods
Fog blows across an otherwise sunny section of Mt.Difficult Road near Halls Gap, Australia.
This image is available as a quality print here.
Paradise Gully
Looking upstream at Cement Creek near Warburton, Victoria, Australia.
A beautiful lush green environment well worth visiting for it’s photo opportunities.
This image is available to purchase as a high quality print here.
Close of Day
The sun sets over mountains west of Neerim, Victoria, Australia.
This image is available to purchase as a high quality print here.
Autumn’s New Mist – a mountain landscape
The sunsets near Neerim, Victoria, Australia as a typical autumn mist engulfs the local mountains.
This image is available to purchase as a high quality print here.
Shhhhhh, ….you can hear the forest breathing – Sherbrooke Forest
Sherbrooke forest is a protected area of bushland located in mountains on the outskirts of Melbourne. It’s an area of fairly thick bush with a series of meandering walking tracks for visitors to enjoy.
The best way to explore the forest tracks is ideally alone, …. and as quietly as possible. Many of the forest’s resident animals are nocturnal but there’s still lots to see and hear during the day if you just stay still and quiet for long enough. You can forget about seeing anything much at all if you travel the tracks in a chatty group because the animals will freeze and wait for the noise to pass.
When I visited Sherbrooke forest it was a stinking hot day. . The pedestrian traffic along the track was fairly light, probably due to the heat, and this allowed me to stop several times along the track, undisturbed.
In this forest the animals are not tame but are somewhat conditioned to the presence of human visitors. If you stay still and silent for a couple of minutes, the animals seem to relax and carry on with their usual business. You start to hear the rustle of dried leaves as the animals move around on the forest floor and if you continue to stay quiet you can sometimes catch a glimpse of one of the wild residents.
On the day I visited Sherbrooke forest I was able to catch glimpses of wild kangaroos or wallabies and also a wandering echidna. I must admit though, that when I stepped off the track to photograph something of interest, I was very aware that this is also “snake country” and so I was careful to check where my feet were landing.
Photography by Jim Worrall 