The Twelve Apostles, VIC II

Sometimes, the true majesty of the natural world unfolds in front of our eyes. As storm clouds rolled down off the Otway Ranges the sun hit the clouds and lit up the sky in a blaze of colour. Thankfully, I was there with camera and film at the ready.

The Great Ocean Road is truly a remarkable piece of coastline stretching from Geelong to Warnambool. The Twelve Apostles stand as a reminder of the ferocious nature of the Southern Seas, having been formed by the rough seas battering the soft sandstone coastline.

Being firmly planted on the tourist route and only a few hours from Melbourne, the Twelve Apostles is never short of tourists. This particular night was no different as the place was swarming with tourists, all there to see the light show at sunset. Having navigated the crowds and found a decent spot on the viewing platform allowing me the composition I wanted, I set up my tripod and camera. Little did I know that I soon would prove as much of a tourist attraction as the sea-stacks!

It would be somewhat of an understatement to say that the old GX617 attracts attention. The thing is big. Very big. However, on this occasion I was forced to used the ground glass back to compose my image as the view finder was all fogged up after dropping it in the water at Hopetoun Falls. So here I was focusing my camera under a drapped towel looking like something from the 1920’s. Those DSLR camera wielding enthusiasts and amateurs gawked and asked questions while others just gave me strange looks.

Thankfully the sky lit up in a flurry of colour as the sun dropped towards to the horizon. I was working like a maniac wiping sea spray and rain off my filters, firing off exposures, adjusting the settings and loading new film. I think I fired off 4 rolls of film before the light faded as quickly as it came.