El Questro/Kimberley "teasers"

[rogerg]

OK, so last month we went for a short trip (4 days, fly in - fly out) to El Questro.

I came back with 6.5 GB of photo's, and my partner 5 x 36 rolls of velvia. Stunning scenery and wonderful trip in general.

I'm still working through the shots, will eventually have a gallery up on the web. The problem is though, that in 4 days we go away for 2 weeks for another holiday (that time of the year) and I know I'll comeback from that with just as many if not more!! So t could be a while.

In the mean time, here's a couple of nice shots.. some "teasers" you could say. I'm really happy with them :)

We didn't have time to stop much for serious photography. Managed a few slow shutter speed shots of waterfalls and stuff, but nothing serious. So these are taken very much "on the run".

8684 is Chaimberlan Gorge
8729 is near the start of Emma Gorge

Enjoy :thumbsup:

Roger.

[AlexN]

Chamberlan Gorge looks great! very nice photos..

Waits impatiently for more :D

[iceman]

Looks like a beautiful place. Thanks for the teasers, Roger. I look forward to the gallery.

[gary]

Hi Roger,

Beautiful shots and look forward to seeing more. Stayed at El Questro
there in the East Kimberley a few years back and it is a really nice place.

I would like to see the whole of the Kimberley declared World Heritage listed.
It is the most stunning part of Australia and having traveled through over 50 countries
around the world, I would rank it as one of the most stunning and environmentally
significant parts of the planet which should be preserved at any cost. Planet
Earth doesn't get much better than this!

Thanks again for the shots.

Best regards

Gary

[Striker]

What a great part of the world...looking forward to the rest.

[Dennis]

The scenery looks stunning Roger – beautiful photos. It’s also nice to hear that there are still people out there using film, I though the days of alchemy were long gone!

I hope that the powers that be listen to Gary’s wise words – the region surely deserves protection from the types of abuse and misuse seen elsewhere.

Cheers

Dennis

[rogerg]

Thank you all :)

It is a stunning area of the country. The biggest threat would have to be mining, like the most of WA. I once heard that something like 85% of the Darling Range (which runs near Perth) is leased to mining companies in some way or another. Must be the same up north.

From the air you see areas where they've gone through doing a grid survey and there's a grid of tracks buldozed through the landscape.

It sometimes feels like we're selling our souls to China in the form of ore and the returned goods don't quite cut it.

But hey, I realise many people on this forum earn their living from mining.

Roger.

[gary]

Hi Roger,

One of the worrying threats had been a proposal to build three dams, one on
the Fitzroy and a couple more on its tributaries, the Leopold And Margaret
Rivers, to irrigate, of all things, cotton.

Cotton requires enormous amounts of water and apparently they were also
seeking the rights to tap much of the available groundwater.

There are also totally irresponsible ideas afloat to dam the Fitzroy and pipe
the water as far as Perth.

The thought of such a prospect fills me with immense sadness, much like the
thought of the loss of the Amazon.

Despite the growing number of tourists that go there, unfortunately as a percentage
of the entire population, my guess is that only a fraction of the Australian
population has had the opportunity to get there and appreciate what an incredible
place it is, very much the equal to better known and iconic destinations
such as the Great Barrier Reef and Kakadu. My only hope is that more Australians
will have the opportunity to visit the Kimberley and see for themselves that
this is a very special place that we should be proud of and preserve. As I mentioned,
I regard it as one of the most amazing places I have ever seen on the planet.

There is no landscape in Australia quite like the Kimberley and the closest I have
seen to anything quite like it is in Africa, which is no coincidence, right down to
the magnificent baobabs.

From a photographers point of view, the light there is certainly absolutely wonderful,
as your own images showcased as well.

Best Regards

Gary

[RB]

Stunning scenery, that's one place I'd really love to visit.

:thumbsup:

[Matty P]

Lovely images Roger, looks like a beautiful place.

I'd love to go there one day.

:thumbsup:

[Ian Robinson]

The Kimberleys are wonderful , we were there in 2000 , did the trip from Hedland to Darwin to Cairns , then back down the inland route to Newcastle.

The scenary is fabulous , so's the fishing , and the skies at night .... WOW !!!! , been trying a snag a permanent job back up that way ever since , if there is anywhere in Australia that every ozzy should visit at least once in their life , it's the Kimberley Region .

The Pilbara Region isn't too bad either , once you get into the mountains.
Hedland was a dump when I was working there and living there (in 1999 - 2000) , it's even worse now , Karratha is much nicer and a better place for families.

[AlexN]

back in the old days the kimberleys were pretty inaccessable to the regular person... the gib river road is not for the faint hearted... however these days its pretty easy up the highway (although I would recommend the gib river road to anyone who's in a 4x4... alot of great things you'll miss out on otherwise)

There just isnt any place like it....

I also highly recommend the helicopter flight over the bungle bungle ranges... you can walk through, but the view from the air is just something else...

[Ian Robinson]

The road to the Bungle Bungles was closed (a Cyclone had been through a few weeks before) and not even 4x4s were being allowed in.
Never saw so many dragon flies !!!

The colours in the rocks and ground and wild flowers was STUNNING.

[AlexN]

it sure is stunning... Nothing else I've seen in australia compares... lived near the 12 apostles, been to alice springs to see the rock, lived in darwin cairns, melbourne etc... Nothing like the kimberley region....

[h0ughy]

WOW great vistas, you must have had a field day - fill the memory card a few times?

[rogerg]

Just once - 4GB CF in the 350D, 500MB spare for it, 2GB in the "happy snap" point & shoot (mostly videos actually). :)

Roger.