Category Archives: Flinders Ranges

Another Roll of Hills

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Peter MacDonald

Experience says that summer is the best time to be photographing in the Flinders Ranges and and Outback.

The colour are supposed to be brighter, more vivid.

All you have to be able to do is put up with a bit of heat, a few flies and a couple of other small inconveniences…..easy!

This photograph, taken from Depot Springs station in the northern Flinders Ranges, looking down across Maynards Well to the central ranges in the far distance puts paid to that argument.

I think there’s 6 or 7 ranges of hills in the picture.

What it is not indicating is that the temperature was around 13 degrees Celcius and there was a 40-45 kilometre an hour wind blowing. It blew right through you and it seemed even colder.

A tripod was no help, so the picture was taken leaning on the side of the car and trying to shoot between the gusts. The technical details tell it all.

f8 at 1/320 sec, ISO 200 hand held. Not a recommended technique, but the colours are nice.

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A Roll of Hills

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Peter MacDonald

The rolling hills of Worumba Station in the central Flinders Ranges and a change from the dust storms, lighting and thunders of recent times.

Almost at the top of Mt Plantagenet…one of the higher peaks of the Flinders Ranges and one that commands 360 degree views.

Well worth the effort of making the climb.

f22, 1/5th sec, ISO 100.

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Summer Storms…..Lightning and Thunder

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Peter MacDonald

The same windmill from the previous post. A different day however but more wild weather, which in this case translates into a very dramatic sky.

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Summer Storms…….Dust Storms

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Peter MacDonald

Thunderstorms, rain, dust storms and temperatures in the 40 plus Celsius…..a typical summer around my part of the world.

Despite that, it is my view that any of the above is going to produce a dramatic photo, so it is wise to be out in the thick of it for the best shots.

The western Flinders Ranges with acres of air-bourne top soil and sand rolling in from the plains.

This was shot at f14 to get good depth of field, ISO 200, hand held at 250th of a second to counter the buffeting wind.

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Down the Line

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

This is an interesting rock formation or should I say a ridge of hills.

It is an exposed section of ancient seabed where sedimentary layers from eroding mountains have laid down layers of silt that have turned to rock.

The layers can bee seen quite clearly and it’s a common occurrence in the Flinders Ranges.

This ridge is on the edge of the Wilochra Plain, south of Hawker and it’s near the ruins of an old town called Simmonston.

Shot at f8. 1/200th sec, ISO 100

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Golden Ridges

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

Crawling out of bed long before sun up with only a half-formed idea for a sunrise photograph isn’t a good recipe for success.

But sometimes you get a way with it.

This morning wasn’t a spectacular sunrise but it did light up the ridges of the seemingly endless mountains of the northern Flinders Ranges.

There might be more spectacular places in the world, but few are as old as this country.

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Moralana Moon

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

Tomorrow night is the full Moon (December 11) and full moons are a great opportunity for a good landscape.

It is usually best to start working out where the best place is for the photograph a couple of days before the event.

The moon moves further north or south depending on the time of year, so a great location last month might not be the best this month.

I like shooting the night before the full moon. There’s still light from the setting sun to illuminate the scene when the moon is climbing into the sky.

This is the south-west corner of Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges.

It is also good insurance to shoot the night before. The next night there was cloud cover and no moon visible at all.

f22, exposure 1.6 second. ISO 100

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Force of Nature

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

You have to wonder how a tree like this could survive when outback creeks are in full flow.

When nature turns on the waterworks this would be a raging torrent fed by all the mountains nearby.

These river red gums are hundreds of years old, but the one with the hollowed out water catcher facing the oncoming water, would be battling even stronger forces than the rest.

Yet despite its enormous deformity, it has stood the test of time.

The photograph is showing about half the width of the Parachilna Creek, south of Parachilna as it begins to run across the plains to Lake Torrens.

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The Hills of Arkaba

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

Until a few years ago Arkaba Station was a working sheep station with a long history in the pastoral industry.

It’s now a luxury tourist destination.

The stunning Elder range makes a very spectacular backdrop to the rolling hills of the 60,000 acre station.

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Hills of Arkaba

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

Morning light, Arkaba Station, central Flinders Ranges.

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