We were there last weekend for the annual “Toast to the Coast” Festival and the weather was gorgeous, though sadly a little to hot for some judging by the turnout. There were plenty of people just not the crazy numbers that turned up for the Chilli Festival held here a few weeks before.

That was fine by us, smaller queues and crowds, two things that we are definitely not fond of

Toast to the Coast, Mindarie Marina, Perth

We are lucky enough to have lived in Mindarie for over 20 years and it would be so easy to take views like this for granted, and it’s probably fair to say we may have done just that in the past. But no more, we live in a paradise that many people can only dream of and we make every effort to fully appreciate what we have and how lucky we are to live in a place like Perth.

We’re also very appreciative of the fact we can walk to our local brewery (the Indi) in less than 5 mins

The Jerky Co, Mindarie Marina, Perth

Lucky for us the Jerky Co had a stall here which not only gave us some tasty & chewy treats but allowed us to purchase a bag of Hot Chill Jerky to reward our son for picking us up and saving us having to walk home in the heat with the amazing Mash beer we acquired later on.

Toast to the Coast, Mindarie Marina, Perth

Ol-ive Half we’re also there with a variety of gourmet marinated olives. I must admit I was a bit confused by their name until I sat down to write this and suddenly it struck me, It must be a play on Jacko’s catchphrase in that old classic British TV show “Love Thy Neighbour”. Jacko’s catchphrase was “I’ll have half” indicating he wants a half pint of beer

After reading their web site’s about page it turns out I was right about the words but they have a slightly different meaning … Always good to see interesting business names

Toast to the Coast, Mindarie Marina, Perth

There were plenty of food stalls available, shame it was too hot for some!

Pinchos, Mindarie Marina, Perth

Now those are some seriously big wok’s that the guy from Pinchos is using  …

Indian Ocean Brewing Company, Mindarie Marina, Perth

The Indi food stall had some tasty looking pizzas …

Indian Ocean Brewing Company, Mindarie Marina, Perth

… and freshly shucked oysters. Looks like they were having a good time too

Martin – Toast to the Coast 2008, Mindarie, Perth

Whilst at the Indi food stall we bumped into Martin (the GM of the Marina complex) and sadly learned that after 17 years he is leaving to start his own business. We’ll certainly miss you Martin, best wishes for your new business and we and hope you’ll get to spend more time with your family

Toast to the Coast, Mindarie Marina, Perth

Toast to the Coast, Mindarie Marina, Perth

There were plenty more food stalls but we were starting to feel a little thirsty with all this heat and the free food tastings were disappearing so we kinda’ skipped a few and headed for the beer & wine tastings!

Pepperilly Estate Wines, Mindarie Marina, Perth

These guys from Pepperilly Estate Wines were awesome, we had a great chat about their winery which is fairly new and wish them all the best. Their wine was great too and when they open a cellar door and restaurant we’ll be there. I love it when you can connect with decent friendly people trying to get their product out there

Toast to the Coast, Mindarie Marina, Perth

We worked our way through the rest of the wineries and moved on to the beer …

Indian Ocean Brewing Company, Mindarie Marina, Perth

The Indi’s assistant brewer was our first call where we got to taste their new Street Beer Bai Hoi & their American Pale Ale.

We really liked the the Street Beer, it’s made from a combination of malt, sushi rice & a french hop to produce a lighter fragrant flavoured mid strength beer. As for the Pale Ale. it just feels like an old friend

Toast to the Coast, Mindarie Marina, Perth

Looks like Maggie’s moved on to Colonial & Nail for more tastings already!

Colonial Brewing Co, Mindarie Marina, Perth

Next up was the Colonial Brewing Co where we tasted their Wheat Beer (Witbier), Porter, Small Ale & Draught (Kolsch Ale).

Nail Brewing, Mindarie Marina, Perth

With a name like Nail Brewing grungy photo’s were a must

Nail Brewing, Mindarie Marina, Perth

The Dunn Brown & Nail Stout were yummy but watch out for that Brown, at 8% it’ll hit you hard  …

Gage Roads, Mindarie Marina, Perth

The Gage Roads guys were a laugh and …

Gage Roads, Mindarie Marina, Perth

… we got o try their Narrow Neck (Session Ale), Single Fin (Summer Ale), Atomic (US Pale Ale) and Sleeping Giant (IPA), all very enjoyable

Scott – Mash Brewing, Mindarie Marina, Perth

Then we met Scott from Mash Brewing!

Scott was a wealth of information & very passionate about his beers. He was also a great subject for an ultra grungy hdr portrait, which is now his Facebook profile image

One thing we love about Mash is their “Gorilla on a Bike” logo, symbolising their natural brewing approach with no preservatives or additives. Fits in really well with our healthy(ish) lifestyle!

Mash Brewing, Mindarie Marina, Perth

Oh, and his beers were pretty awesome too, we got to try the Freo Doctor (Pale Larger), Pale (Pale Ale), Grasscutter (Summer Ale), Copy Cat (AIPA).

Maggies favourite was the Freo Doctor & I loved the Grasscutter

The Indi, Mindarie Marina, Perth

Time for lunch so we headed to the Indy and shared one of their yummy pizzas No beer sharing though, I know what Maggie’s like!!!

When we arrived the car parks, overflow car parks, unused ovals and road verges we’re getting near to full indicating that this event was already a big success.

Normally we avoid crowds and head for the peace and calm of the middle of nowhere but sometimes you just have to get out there and be social.

Vintage Firebird, Yanchep National Park, Perth

I couldn’t help snap a shot of this gorgeous red Firebird as we walked through one of the car parks looking for somewhere relatively peaceful to have our late lunch.

Lunch by the Pool, Yanchep National Park, Perth

What better spot to have lunch than relaxing by the pool!

OK, so the pool is full of dirt & grass and a little run down but it is the first ever public swimming pool in WA. That has to count for something!

I forgot to take a photo of our lunch so just imagine us sat with our feet dangling in the cool blue water munching on a chicken salad role and sipping home made iced tea

Carnaby’s Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth

The Carnaby’s Cockatoos were out in force for the event, noisy as ever but the music from the live bands still got through. A perfect blend of nature and live music, I’m sure the local inhabitants will forgive us this once

Yanchep Inn, Yanchep National Park, Perth

Yanchep Inn was busy being the other place people went for lunch (of course there’s no swimming pool there) …

Beer Garden, Yanchep National Park, Perth

Free cider tastings in the beer garden were more popular than this image makes it look, honest!

Beer Garden, Yanchep National Park, Perth

Table 56 is still waiting!

Just kidding, it must have been crazy in the Inn keeping all those people fed & watered.

Live Music, Yanchep National Park, Perth

The live music was awesome …

Live Music, Yanchep National Park, Perth

and the shade was the place to be.

Open Air Games, Yanchep National Park, Perth

Chess anyone?

The Vintage Collective Markets, Yanchep National Park, Perth

There was also a collection of market stalls selling stuff.

Handtooll Preservation Society of WA, Yanchep National Park, Perth

We found an interesting market stall with lots of old tools …

Handtooll Preservation Society of WA, Yanchep National Park, Perth

and this interesting display case of … old tools in the shape of women’s legs …

Definitely got my interest

Desmond Miller, Yanchep National Park, Perth

Then we met Desmond, people like Desmond are why we love market stalls.

Desmond loves what he does, it’s a hobby about which he is amazingly knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

Desmond collects tools in the shape of women’s legs (among other things), some of which were made up to several hundred years ago.

We chatted to Desmond for quite a while about his hobby, his life & his passions. He wants to help young people learn about history and the way things used to be done.

The stall was full of all sorts of old tools and just felt awesome. Keep it up Desmond!

The Vintage Collective Markets, Yanchep National Park, Perth

There were several interesting stalls in the market, I always love anything to do with cars

YNP Volunteers, Yanchep National Park, Perth

The YNP Volunteer Association had a stall along with a mock cave for the kids to go exploring in, I saw several explorers in the making.

Watching the Action, Yanchep National Park, Perth

What better way to experience the event than to sit back and watch from a distance!

Boys & Kangaroos, Yanchep National Park, Perth

The Roo’s were out early and a couple of young boys were making the most of the experience down by the old boat launching jetty’s.

Quiet Moment, Yanchep National Park, Perth

Amongst all the fun and frolics some people still seem to find the time and space to relax with nature

Peaceful Gardens, Yanchep National Park, Perth

Talking of nature, we love to find our own spot to relax away from the hustle & bustle.

Birds & Wildlife, Yanchep National Park, Perth

Great wildlife photo opportunities are always available if you know where to look.

Birds & Wildlife, Yanchep National Park, Perth

I love a great silhouette

Sleepy Koala, Yanchep National Park, Perth

We had to stop by the Koala enclosure and guess what, despite all the music & fun they were fast asleep. This guy actually moved, not a lot but he did move!

Magpie Stare, Yanchep National Park, Perth

I love Magpies and I was trying to get this guy to look at me for an eye to eye shot.

Needless to say he always looked away just as I got the camera ready so I got Maggie to walk behind me and he gave her the evil eye!

Still looks like he’s looking at me though so don’t tell anyone.

Kangaroo Time, Yanchep National Park, Perth

Final shot of the day as we sat in the car relaxing and listening to the “Color of Magic” audio book together.

We had to wait until our son finished work at Chocolate Drops to give him a lift home (his car is being repaired after someone reversed into him )

You can’t end a day better than sitting in nature and doing nothing.

Water Ribbon, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

First, A Little History

Forest Path, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

John Forrest National Park was the first area to be given National Park status in Western Australia in 1900 though it was originally named Greenmount National Park until it was renamed in later years to honor Lord John Forrest, the first Premier of Western Australia.

During the Great Depression sustenance worker’s built gardens, picnic shelters & even swimming areas which can still be seen around the visitor area. Sadly most of the bridges built across Jane Brook are in need of repair and not currently usable.

There also used to be a railway line to the Park which was part of the original route of the Eastern Railway that now runs from Freo to Northam. In the early 1900’s visitors regularly traveled out to the Park from Perth by rail for a day out in the forest. Sadly this is no longer possible as the rail link was rebuilt through the Avon Valley but you can now walk much of the abandoned railway line by following the 59km Railway Reserves Heritage Trail which passes through the Park.

Before heading out on any of the trails it’s worth having a look around the picnic area and seeing the landscaping that was done, it is a unique piece of history and an interesting place to explore with some amazing photo opportunities.

The Trails

If you walk 800m to the east, along the banks of Jane Brook you will come to Hovea Falls where you can see the water cascading over a large granite sheet similar to the Cascades at Lesmurdie National Park. There are also several cute little picnic huts along the path providing a great spot for lunch.

After having our packed lunch under the trees beside Jane Brook we set out on the National Park Falls Trail, which is clearly signposted (as are all the trails) with a waterfall trail marker. As you can see from the images above and below the trails are well maintained and surrounded by lush green forest.

Forest Path, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

There are plenty of opportunities for great photos as you walk through the forest, spring flowers are starting to bloom and the colours are amazing with the sun filtering through the trees. Plus, you never know when a furry little creature might hop out in front of you, sadly we had no such experiences on this walk!

I always have trouble deciding what lens to use in these forest scenarios so I generally have my wide angle out for half the walk and my 70-200 for the other half but I still end up doing a few extra lens swaps as various photo opportunities arise.

Local Flora, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Red Tipped Leaves, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Grass & Rocks, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

As we approached the top of the Darling Scarp we started to see some white water as the river becomes more rocky, a great place to try out some long exposure shots

Start of the Rapids, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Start of the Rapids, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Shortly after the rapids begin the trail crosses over the river and on to the old railway track which forms part of the 59km Railway Reserves Heritage Trail that I mentioned earlier.

Heritage Railway Trail, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Shortly after joining the Railway Trail we were directed to a small trail on the right where the top of the National Falls can be viewed along with the amazing vista’s that the Darling Scarp always offers. It is also possible to get some nice views of the top of the Falls by continuing along the Railway trail for a few mins and looking back.

Although the river seemed to be running fairly well there was not an abundance of water flowing over the top of the Falls but the views were spectacular none the less.

Top of the Falls, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

View from the Top, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

View from the Top, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

From the top of the falls we saw that there is a viewing platform at the foot of the falls and there was a fair bit more movement in the water down the bottom.

We couldn’t see any signs that indicated the path to the foot of the Falls but it looked pretty clear that if we followed the Eagle’s View Trail signs that we should end up where we wanted to be. The trail was a bit narrow through the bushes at times and there were a few rocks to clamber over but that just adds to the fun and adventure

At the bottom I the scenery is just as amazing and I spotted this amazing shadow of a tree silhouetted on a large granite slab which made for a very interesting shot.

Tree Shadow, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

We were also greeted by a very inquisitive Magpie who seemed to want to hang around us for most of our time at the foot of the Falls, see if you can spot him in the photo below.

Spot the Magpie, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

I think he liked Maggie …

Maggie Made a Friend, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

There was definitely a lot more action at the foot of the Falls though they were far from being at their most exciting I suspect we missed their best performance by a few weeks.

Unlike my last waterfall trip I actually remembered to bring my tripod with me this time and not leave it in the boot of the car, so this was a great opportunity to play around with some longer shutter speeds.

Armed with my Tripod plus ND8 & Polarising filters I was able to get some nice long exposures of up to 3 secs, even though it was early afternoon with very little cloud cover.

Bottom of the Falls, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Bottom of the Falls, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Bottom of the Falls, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Bottom of the Falls, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Having got some nice wide angle long exposure shots I decided to switch to my 70-200 lens and try to get some higher speed close-ups of the water crashing over the rocks.

Water Rapids, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Water Rapids, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Water Rapids, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Water Splashes, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Water Splashes, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Water Ribbon, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Shortly beyond the foot of the Falls the river transforms back into a quiet, peaceful vision of beauty. Such a stark contrast to the chaos occurring just a few feet away, nature is always so full of surprises.

Serenity after the Falls, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Having got some great photos and made a new Magpie friend we decided to head back to the car so we climbed back up to the top of the Falls and retraced our steps back to the car park.

On the way back I spotted the ruins of one of the old railway buildings which looked ideal for a grungy & moody image.

Ruins of a Railway Building, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Just as we got back to the visitor area a friendly hiker mentioned to us that there was a Roo with her baby just up ahead. Awesome, I can never resist the chance to get some wildlife shots and apart from our friendly Magpie the wildlife had been a bit reticent to show itself.

Mum & Baby Roo, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Mum and baby proved to be very accommodating and I managed to get some gorgeous shots of both.

These sorts of shots may look easy to just snap away but can actually be quite technical to get the depth of field and shutter speeds just right.

It’s always important to make sure you focus on the animals eyes, of course this can be tricky when there are two sets of eyes of equal importance! Getting just the right depth of field to keep both animals in focus but blur out the background is crucial.

To complicate matters the light was starting to drop of making it harder to get the shutter speeds I needed to freeze any motion so I had to up my ISO to 800 to allow for the already reduced depth of field from a 200mm lens and give me shutter speeds of at least 1/200th sec, which was still pushing my luck.

Mum & Baby Roo, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Mum & Baby Roo, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

We’d had a great day out and got some great shots so to top it off we decided to sit under the trees, relax and have a quiet beer with nature. What I love about just sitting in the outdoors is that you start to notice all the things that you’d normally miss. The birds ignore you and just do their thing, kangaroos wander past, even the insect life seems to have more purpose.

At one point two kangaroos suddenly hopped out of the bush with the back one barking very loudly and the front one seemingly running away, I don’t think I’ve heard a Kangaroo make a noise before. We guessed that it might have been some kind of mating activity, but who knows

As the light started to fade and the temperature cooled more kangaroos appeared leaping through the bush at high speed. Not one to miss an opportunity up came my camera with my 70-200mm lens and I started snapping away just in case I was lucky enough to get an interesting shot. The light was too low to stand a chance of freezing any motion and it all happened to fast to change my ISO so the shots all came out a bit blurry.

Not to be put off I picked the best one and added a bit more motion to the background and turned it into and action shot with a bit of a surreal look to it. Best part of the shot is that you can just make out a baby joey in the pouch of the roo at the back, probably my favourite shot of the day

Speedy Roos, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Abstract Red Tipped Leaf, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Useful Information

Location: John Forrest National Park is located in Hovea in the Shire of Mundaring, Western Australia. Like Lesmurdie Falls it is also situated on the Darling Scarp, one of Australia’s largest geological fault lines and the iconic entrance to the region knwn as Perth Hills. To get into the Park take one of the 3 junctions off Great Eastern Highway onto Park Road. The first turning onto Park Road will take you on a longer scenic drive through the beautiful forest, whilst the second turning onto Park Road is the fastest way to get to the visitor area and car park. There is a fee for entering the visitor area which usually works on a trust system and costs $12 per car unless you have an Annual All Park Pass (as we do) which costs $55.

Parking & Facilities: There is a very large amount of parking around the visitor area as well as a many barbecue & picnic areas, toilets information boards and a Tavern. This is also the starting point for all of the walk trails in the area.

Walk Trails:

There are numerous walk trails that you can follow from the visitor area including the popular Eagle View Walk Trail:

• Eagle’s View Walk Trail. 15km return, Class 4, allow 5hrs
• John Forrest Heritage Trail. 10.5km return, Class 3, allow 3hrs
• Wildflower Walk Trail. 4km return, Class 2, allow 1.5hrs
• Glen Brook Trail. 2.2km return, Class 2, allow 45mins
• National Park Falls Trail. 2km return, Class 2, allow 1hr
• Jane Brook Promenande. 1km return, Class 1, allow 30mins

Check out the links below for more information about John Forrest National Park and it’s walk trails,

If you’re looking for more interesting walk trails around Perth then make sure to check out “The Life of Py” Hiking, Photography & Travel Blog he’s done a great job of documenting a lot of our local walk trails which we will be working our way through.

Useful Links:

• Perth Hills Visitor Centre
• Eagle’s View Trail at Trails WA
• Department of Parks & Wildlife
• Eagle’s View Trail at The Life of Py Hiking Blog
• Experience Perth Top Walking Trails
• Atlas of Living Australia

Lesmurdie Falls, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

Strangely Maggie & I have never visited Lesmurdie Falls, but it’s been on the short list for a while now and definitely qualifies as our tallest waterfall in the Perth area (correct me if I’m wrong).

As you can see from the above image the falls are in full flow this time of year and a very spectacular sight!

There are 4 signs at the entrance to the picnic area at the Falls Road car park which I highly recommend reading as they provide some very interesting information on the local flora and fauna, the nearby walk trails and the geological history of the region.

Mundy Regional Park

Walk Trails

The Darling Scarp

The Darling Fault

From the picnic area we first headed east along the “Cascade Trail” and immediately noticed the sound of rushing water along Lesmurdie Brook although it was not yet visible at this point being hidden among the reeds. This part of the trail is quite narrow, rocky and a bit damp underfoot but nothing that couldn’t be handled with an average pair of walking shoes. The rocks can be slippery though so watch out for kids doing what kids do or they’ll be doing it on their backsides

The Cascades at Lesmurdie Brook, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

There are two main areas where we saw plenty of water cascading over the flat rocks so make sure you keep going if you want to see it all.

The Cascades at Lesmurdie Brook, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

Beyond the cascades you can follow the brook for a way to where there is some rehabilitation work being carried out, nothing much to see here so we headed back the way we came to the Falls Trail.

Lesmurdie Brook, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

After returning from the “Cascades Trail” we headed out west following the “Foot of the Falls Trail” which also takes us past the top of the falls. After a very short distance our son rings us from Queensland and while Maggie is talking to him we spot a Southern Brown Bandicoot, or Quenda, on the path right in front of us.

Southern Brown Bandicoot, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

So Maggie has the camera bag on her back and is intently talking to our son (as mum’s do), I’m trying to get the bag off Maggie’s back so I can swap my wide angle lens for the telephoto and someone else appears on the path, walking straight past the Bandicoot. At this point I’m thinking that’s the last we’ll see of him but no, to our amazement, he just sits there as the hiker walks past.

Of course I’m still getting my lens swapped and for no apparent reason the Bandicoot suddenly runs into the bush, I’m pretty sure I could hear him chuckling as I finally got the lens changed and inspected the dense undergrowth he’d entered.

Had I been a little quicker changing lenses this is the shot I probably would have got, which, coincidentally is what I told Maggie my brain felt like just now when she did an information dump on me of all the things she wants me to do today

Perth City View, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

We carried on along the path which was well maintained and completely different to the route to the Cascades. Suddenly we emerged from enclosed bushland to the top of the Darling Scarp with amazing views over Lesmurdie Falls National Park and the coastal plains all the way to Perth City.

Maggie with her new rainforest scarf at Lesmurdie Falls, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

As you can see from these two photos Maggie was wearing one of our new Queensland Rainforest Scarves while walking the trails, the perfect look for nature lovers

Our Redbubble Store is still in it’s early stages but we already have a selection of items (including Maggie’s beautiful scarf) that you can order from there and many more to come soon.

Maggie with her new rainforest scarf heading to the bottom of Lesmurdie Falls, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

There are two lookouts at the top of the Falls as you can see in the image below and the paths to these lookouts are very safe and have a rail along the edge. The views from these lookouts are outstanding but if, like me, you want to avoid man made objects in your waterfall images then you’ll have to head on down the trail.

Lesmurdie Falls, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Kalamunda

From the lookouts it was just under 1km to the foot of the Falls, which is where the real action is. The walk was relatively steep as you descend down the scarp (of more concern coming back up) but nothing that required mountain goat reflexes The path down was well maintained however there are no more rails once you pass the lookouts so I suggest you refrain from walking and taking photos at the same time

Lesmurdie Falls, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Kalamunda

Lesmurdie Brook, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

Once at the foot of the scarp the trails open up to be more like 4WD tracks and this was the one area where the trail signs were a bit lacking. From memory & looking at the map the first trail to the right was a dead end and at the next fork in the trail to the right is just a bit of a short cut (that’s the way we went) or to the left you can continue on and get to the Palm Terrace car park that way. You’re not likely to get lost but it is a bit confusing.

Once you get to the Palm Terrace car park you’ll see the signs telling you how to get to the foot of the Falls by following the path along Lesmurdie Brook.

As you approach the foot of Lesmurdie Falls you’ll start to hear the sound of the waterfall again and feel the humidity in the air start to rise, on a hot day I would imagine this area nicely air-conditioned

When you first get to the Falls a quick look up will show you where you came from and the visible lookout shows how high the falls are. You’ll also notice that you can’t see the very top of the Falls from down here at the bottom.

Lesmurdie Falls, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

The foot of the Falls is very rocky and a bit of climbing over the rocks is required to get to a good spot but well worth the effort and no need to get your feet wet. Below is the amazing view of the Falls that you will see by going a little bit further in than the average tourist.

Lesmurdie Falls, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

Did I mention this is Perth’s most amazing waterfall!

Of course having your trusty tripod with you will allow for some alternative long exposure shots but don’t be afraid to experiment with a variety of shutter speeds. Needless to say my trusty tripod was in the boot of the car (doh!) back up at the top of the waterfall but I managed to get this shot with a bit of motion in the water by resting the camera on a rock. It always pays to be a bit creative with tripod alternatives if the need arises 

There’s also plenty of opportunity for a bit of abstract imagery …

Black Rocks, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

Lesmurdie Falls, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

or a close-up with a faster shutter speed capturing a frozen snapshot of the water as it cascades over the rocks  …

Lesmurdie Falls, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

Lesmurdie Falls, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

Lesmurdie Falls, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

The flora is also starting to get colourful this time of year

Lesmurdie Falls Flora, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

Lesmurdie Falls Flora, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

Lesmurdie Falls Flora, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

So we decided to head back up to the car and Maggie noticed a narrow trail heading up past a small lookout. Thinking this might be a shortcut back to the top of the waterfall we started climbing up. After a few minuets we realised that this was less of a walking trail and more of a trail created by rain water cascading down the side of the scarp!

None the less the going looked fairly easy so we kept climbing and as we progressed the track got steeper and steeper and steeper. By now we were so far up we were committed but some of the rocks we were climbing over were getting more and more vertical, not an easy job considering I still had my DSLR in my hand …. Luckily we made it safely to the top and clambered up onto the “official” trail looking back down and the “shortcut” we had taken with amazement!

Crazy Shortcut, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Kalamunda

Beware of shortcuts, they often aren’t … Nothing like a bit of added adventure though, especially when it’s exhilarating and works out fine

On returning to the enclosed bush we started wondering about our friendly but elusive little Bandicoot that scooted off into the undergrowth just as I got my lens changed. Seconds later we nearly leaped out of our skins as the very same Bandicoot was startled by our approach and launched himself across the track in front of us and made us leap out of our skins! Ironically he then proceeded to sniff around the path and tease us with his complete lack of concern for our proximity.

Thanks for the shock, and thanks for the piccy, love our wildlife

Southern Brown Bandicoot, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

We had a great day out at Lesmurdie Falls and can heartily recommend it to everyone. There are some amazing scenes to be photographed here or to simply enjoy in the moment and access is as easy as you need it to be.

Lesmurdie Falls, Lesmurdie Falls National Park, Western Australia

Useful Information

Location: Lesmurdie Falls is located in Lesmurdie Falls National Park, which is located in Mundy Regional Park in Kalamunda. Ironically Lesmurdie Falls is not actually in the Suburb of Lesmurdie but in Forrestfield!

To start with I got a bit confused as to whether “Lesmurdie Falls National Park” officially existed as there is no mention of it on the Parks & Wildlife web site, simply a reference to Lesmurdie Falls Picnic Area, even though their own sign at the entrance references it on the map. So I asked the question on the Explore Parks WA Facebook Page and got the following answer:

“Hi Dave Catley – I understand your confusion! Lesmurdie Falls National Park does exist and it is part of Mundy Regional Park. Regional Parks are a designation that can cover a range of different land tenures including national park, conservation park and local government managed reserves (and some other land tenures). In this instance we have grouped Lesmurdie Falls site under Mundy Regional Park on our explore parks website. We will update the info on that page to make it all a bit clearer. Thanks for your enquiry and let me know if you have more questions smile emoticon“

I’m pretty sure I understand all that and I’m very impressed how helpful they were.

Parking: There are two car parks with access to the falls, one near the end of Falls Road & one at the end of Palm Terrace. Falls Road has the best access to the top of the falls, the picnic area and all the walk trails whilst Palm Terrace is nearer the foot of the falls. I recommend parking at Falls Road unless you specifically want to get to the foot of the falls with the minimum of walking.

Walk Trails:

There are 5 walk trails around Lesmurdie Falls, though in reality there is one big loop called The Valley Loop Trail, 3 other shorter return trails along the southern section of the The Valley Loop Trail and The Shoulder Trail which cuts straight up to The Shoulder lookout and back again. There is a slight detour from The Valley Loop Trail at the Lewis Road car park that takes you to the foot of the falls.

• The Falls Trail. 640m return, Class 2, allow 30 min
• The Shoulder Trail. 1.5km return, Class 3, allow 1hr
• The Cascade Trail. 300m return, Class 3, allow 30 min
• The Foot of the Falls Trail. 2km return, Class 3, allow 1hr
• The Valley Loop Trail. 3km return, Class 3, allow 2hrs

Check out the links below for more information about Lesmurdie Falls National Park and it’s walk trails,

If you’re looking for more interesting walk trails around Perth then make sure to check out “The Life of Py” Hiking, Photography & Travel Blog he’s done a great job of documenting a lot of our local walk trails which we will be working our way through.

Useful Links:

• Perth Hills Visitor Centre
• Lesmurdie Falls at Trails WA
• Department of Parks & Wildlife
• Lesmurdie Falls at “The Life of Py” Hiking Blog
• Experience Perth Top Walking Trails
• Atlas of Living Australia

Rotto Paradise, Little Parakeet Bay, Rottnest Island

When we first came to Perth one of the things we did was visit Rottnest Island and, as fairly young & fit couple we hired bikes to ride around the Island. On one of our short breaks to eat a bag of twisties a Quokka jumped out of the bushes and rather boldly approached me, he appeared to want my twisties! Not wanting to hurt the creature and not sure of his motivations we jumped on our bikes and rode off, at this point we did not know the nature of Quokkas or their larrikin nature.

Nosey Quokka

Years later, older and wiser, we returned to Rottnest and, walking towards the lighthouse, we saw a Quokka in the road. We had no food this time but Dave was armed with his camera and wanted a great shot of the Quokka. Being the nature lovers that we are taking a picture of a Quokka on a man-made surface would not do, so being the MAD person that I am I walked towards the bushes and bent down to talk to the Quokka (because he was going to understand exactly what I was saying!).

Anyway much to my surprise this lovely Quokka slowly hopped over to me and put his paws on my knee, how adorable!! After enjoying a few minutes admiring my new friend I carefully stood up and walked away, which gave Dave his chance of a natural shot of this gorgeous marsupial.

Cute Quokka

and there he was, gone …

Speedy Quokka

Quokka Mug Shot

We love Quokkas so much we have now immortalised another cute pair on our new range of gift ware, here is the mug shot we took of them

This is my favourite mug for my coffee each morning and you can own one too, simply click here and you can order your very own cute Quokka mug.

Not only can you have your own Quokka mug, you can have these cute little creatures on the a range of products featuring our new “MAD About Western Australia” (more to come on this soon) brand:

• iPhone Case (without MAD About WA branding)
• Galaxy Phone Case (without MAD About WA branding)
• T-Shirt (without MAD About WA branding)
• Mug
• Travel Mug

NOTE: Quokkas are a vulnerable species meaning they are a high priority for conservation management. It is a privilege to be able to interact with them in any way on Rottnest Island. They have very few predators there, hence are very friendly and unafraid and are happy to approach you. Please do not abuse them or feed them, remember they are wild animals. I for one hope to be able to enjoy this interaction for many years to come and that is only possible if we all respect the Quokkas and help to preserve them.

Interesting Facts
Rottnest was named ‘Rattennest’, literally rats’ nest in the late 1600’s as an explorer observed the Quokkas and described them as “a kind of rat as big as a cat” (Willem de Vlamingh).
The Aboriginals called them a range of names such as ‘Ban-gup’, ‘Bungeup’, ‘Quak –a’ (Gould 1863, Shortridge 1909), ‘kwoka’ and ‘bangop’ (Abbott 2001).
Their species name is Setonix barchyurus. ‘Setonix’ is derived from the Latin ‘seta’ meaning bristle and the Greek ‘onyx’ meaning claw. Barchyurus is derived from the Greek ‘brachys’ for short and ‘oura’ for tail.
Can you believe these adorable creatures were declared to be vermin in 1933!!

Quokka Fine Art Prints

Maggie Catley

New Photo Products from Dave Catley’s Fine Art Photography

We have just received our first set of samples for a new range of products we will be selling so I thought I’d take a quick snap with my iPhone and share it with everyone.

The possibilities are endless but to start with we’ll be selling:

• T-Shirts
• Scarves
• Mugs
• iPhone Cases
• Galaxy Phone Cases
• Metallic Prints

The samples we’ve seen look amazing, especially the 140cm square scarf (Maggies favourite) showing a rainforest scene from our recent trip to Queensland.

We’ve selected Redbubble for our initial set of products due to their reputation for great quality & service but we will be continuously searching for new suppliers & products as we go.

All products are currently available for sale from our Redbubble Store at a reduced price while we get up and running, plus if you’re quick you can use the Redbubble coupon code “CHEERS2U” to get a further 25% discount.

The images shown in the products above show a sunset over Quinns Beach & a rainforest scene from Mount Tamborine in the Gold Coast.

Please note that although these are our images they are sold directly by Redbubble & any issues with these products will be dealt with by Redbubble’s amazing support team.

Custom Photoshop 2015 Panel

It’s not a particularly complicated panel but it has links to a few commands / actions that I use regularly & I hate not having them available. You never know, one day I may even get around to extending it’s functionality.

Luckily this time it’s not as serious as having to convert all of the scripts from ActionScript to HTML5 (don’t even get me started on that!).

in fact it was simply a matter of updating the target versions in the  tag of the manifest.xml file, re-compiling the code and adding it back in with Adobe Extension Manager CC.

Here’s what the old Tag looked like:

<HostList>
<Host Name=”PHSP” Version=”[15.0,15.9]” />
<Host Name=”PHXS” Version=”[15.0,15.9]” />
</HostList>

and here’s how it looks now

<HostList>
<Host Name=”PHSP” Version=”[15.0,16.9]” />
<Host Name=”PHXS” Version=”[15.0,16.9]” />
</HostList>

So by simply updating the upper range of the versions from 15.9 to 16.9 I was able to reinstall my custom panel by running Adobe’s Extension Manager from the “Manage Extensions” option in the “Help” menu.

Now, if only ON1 would get their Perfect Photo Suite 9.5 panel working in Photoshop CC 2015 everything would be back to normal

Update 23/06/2015:

As Lee Haneman mentioned below, another alternative is to remove the upper version restriction in the <HostList> and it should remain valid for all future versions (not allowing for any further changes made to Photoshop by Adobe of course ).

Your tag would now look like this:

<HostList>
<Host Name=”PHSP” Version=”[14.0]” />
<Host Name=”PHXS” Version=”[14.0]” />
</HostList>

Update 22/06/2015:

• Apparently Adobe have announced that Adobe Extension Manager CC will no longer be updated or maintained but it does still work in Photoshop 2015 and is still available for download.  Download Page for Adobe Extension Manager CC (Windows & Mac).
• You can also manage extensions from the command line so I assume, at least in the short-term, it will still be possible for developers (such as ON1) to automatically install add-on panels, in fact a command line only version is also available for Windows & Mac.
• If you are interested in ON1’s progress on this front the check out their blog post Adobe® CC 2015 & ON1 – What You Need to Know.

If this all sounds like a load of geek talk then totally ignore the above and focus on the beautiful sunset from Quinns Rocks below …

Golden Wave, Quinns Rocks, Western Australia

Bell’s Rapids Park is situated in Brigadoon in the northern reaches of the Swan Valley. As the name suggests the water here is rocky, shallow & very fast in the winter causing the white water rapids for which the park is well known.

Classic shot of Bell’s Rapids with its White Foamy Water

Park by the River

Like many similar rivers around the world you will often see large amounts of white foam on the surface of the river. As far as I can tell this foam is naturally occurring and not due to pollution as some believe, if you want a more technical answer then check out this link from the Aquatic Restoration & Research Institute.

Bell’s Rapids is a great spot for a picnic or just a relaxing stroll by the Swan River. There are toilet facilities here and ample parking by the river accessible to all vehicles.

We often go there and sit and listen to an audio book or just enjoy the scenery & wildlife. Of course you have to take a comfortable chair so we just park the MR2 under a tree right by the river, wind down the windows, take the roof off and relax in luxury

Relaxing in Comfort

You’ll also get amazing views of the Avon Descent if you turn up there on Saturday 1st or Sunday 2nd August 2015, but be warned, the natural experience may be diminished by the hundreds of spectators milling around frightening off the birds! We’ve yet to make it to the Avon Descent so no pictures to show yet, maybe this year we’ll get around to it and grab some action shots

For the quieter days Bell’s Rapids has our favourite walk trails in the Swan Valley, you can choose between the shorter & easier River Walk (2.5km) or the longer & harder (with a bit of a hill climb) Goat Walk(5.5km) which incorporates the River Walk as the return route. Click here to see the Swan Valley’s pdf guide to the walk trails.

Goat Walk, Bell’s Rapids, Brigadoon

The views from the Goat Walk are simply breathtaking, and a must see for any one visiting the area with an average level of fitness. The image above was taken with my iPhone from the ridge looking north up towards Jumbuck Hill Park, in fact that image is a stitch of 3 images taken with my iPhone.

The image below shows an iPhone panoramic view from the top of the incline up to the ridge you will walk along overlooking Bell’s Rapids. I must say that I’m very impressed with the ability of the iPhone camera to get some great shots, all it takes is a little care & a bit of basic photographic knowledge and you can get some amazing images from it. Of course it’s ability is limited and the quality will only get you so far but in the right circumstances it can be a very useful tool, especially if it is the only camera you have available.

Goat Walk Panorama from My iPhone

Finally a few artistic images from the shots I took with my 70-200 of the rocks and the water flowing through them Both shots were taken at around 1/20th sec without a tripod so I’m very happy with how they turned out.

Red Rocks & Foaming Rapids

Red Rocks & Foaming Rapids

How to get to Bell’s Rapids Park

The Bell’s Rapids is 39km north-east from Perth CBD, it takes about 41 minutes by car.

For directions to Bell’s Raids from your location click on “View larger map” on the Google Map and select “Directions” from the top left of the map.

Location: Cathedral Avenue, Brigadoon, WA

Website: swanvalley.com.au

Glen Brook Damn, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

Obviously the answer has to be “A Camera”, right?

Sure, a camera is pretty useful (for obvious reasons) but it’s certainly not the most important ingredient. I believe we first have to answer another question.

“Why are we photographing the Natural World?”

Twenty-Eight Parrot, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia

If you want a piccy of what everyone else sees then charge on out there with your camera, grab your snaps of what you see on the way and head back home before the rush hour.

But that’s not really how you experience nature or, for that matter, get the most out of life.

If you really want to experience and photograph nature then the most important thing to have available is “Time”.

Without spending Time you’re simply experiencing an unreal snapshot of the Natural World as you rush through and scatter all living creatures to the four winds, that’s not exactly natural now is it?

Soldier Ant, John Forrest National Park, WA

Stop by that brook that you have walked past dozens of times or under your favourite tree or off the beaten track of a popular bush walk though a National Park. Sit on the grass or set up a chair then grab a book or just sit and meditate, but make sure you take Time and use lots of it.

You’ll be amazed at what happens around you when you just sit quietly and relax.

The birds get used to you being there and stop by for a visit, you start to notice their behaviour and patterns, you even get to predict when they will give you a great photo opportunity.

You’ll also start to notice things around you that never stood out before, the patterns in the branches above you, the subtle textures of the leaves and how the light shines through them, or maybe just that enormous Soldier Ant that is out scouting the forest floor for some sinister reason!

This is a good time to grab your camera and start experimenting, some of your best photos will come at a time you least expect it.

Everyone has their own answer to my second question “Why Photograph the Natural World?”, my answer is “Because of how it makes me feel”. I want to share those amazing moments in time when we are surrounded by nature and observe some of the most wondrous events that we never expected.

I would love to hear why you “Photograph the Natural World?”

And don’t forget that spending Time in nature is a great way to de-stress from the hectic world man has made.

Curtis Falls Tranquility, Tamborine Mountain, Gold Coast

Tamborine Mountain in Queensland is now officially one of our favourite places to visit on the Gold Coast. There is so much to do here, you could come back over and over again and still find new things to do. If you want to know more about what you can do there then visit the Discover Tamborine Mountain web site or take a look at their online brochure. Here are some images from Curtis Falls and the surrounding rainforests.

Curtis Falls Splash, Tamborine Mountain, Gold Coast

Rainforest Parrots, Tamborine Mountain, Gold Coast

Rainforest, Tamborine Mountain, Gold Coast

Rainforest, Tamborine Mountain, Gold Coast

Rainforest, Tamborine Mountain, Gold Coast

Rotary Lookout Vista 1, Tamborine Mountain, Queensland

We stayed at the Quay West Suites in Brisbane for 3 nights and then headed down to the Gold Coast where we stayed at the Sheraton Mirage Resort for another 10 days and I must say we were very impressed with both hotels & the natural attractions on offer around the Gold Coast.

We avoided the commercial venues and marveled in the scenery, beaches & mountains surrounding us, and we were very well rewarded with views such as the one above from Tamborine Mountain

More from Queensland to come soon …

Honey Garden, House of Honey, Swan Valley (SWI1-3-V1)

Maggie & I couldn’t survive without our regular trips to the House of Honey in the Swan Valley to restock our supplies of Jarah Honey, Cinnamon Honey & Apple Cider Vinegar.

We love the attention to detail & sense of humour that these guys have put into the place, the first thing you notice when you pull into the driveway is that it’s called “Bee Keeper Dr” and they even have a polite but firm parking notice (see pic below).

Bee Keeper Parking, House of Honey, Swan Valley

Inside the House of Honey you’ll find an enormous range of Honeys including several that are laboratory tested for their ability to heal such as Jarrah, Blackbutt and Red gum. These tested Honeys are given a TA (Total Activity) rating to indicate their antimicrobial activity, anything that sounds that scientific has to be good for you!

All Honeys are available for a free tasting and there is even a “Live Bee Display” showing the bees working away in an actual bee hive, don’t worry they’re much too busy to escape and chase the customers!

In fact all of the Honey sold here is extracted by the Bee Keeper (& owner) Rupert Phillips & his team from various bee hives which are moved around at night to provide different flavours based on the specific local flora of each location.

Honey Browsing, House of Honey, Swan Valley

Also in the House of Honey are a wide range of products based around Honey & Bees including Bee Pollen, Apple Cider Vinegar with Jarrah Honey, Royal Jelly & even Handmade Beeswax Candles to name but a few.

Also inside you’ll find “The Sticky Spoon Café” which, true to it’s name sells lots of yummy sticky food, Devonshire teas, Herbal Teas & Darkstar Coffee.

Hannah’s View, Kings Park, Perth (PCP1.4-V1-PH1)

What really grabbed me about this image is just how well it sums up life in Perth. Starting with the iconic Eucalyptus (or Gum) trees on the slopes of Mount Eliza showing the natural beauty that is all around Perth and the stunning blue skies with puffy white clouds that we can get all year round (this was taken in the middle of winter).

Down below you can see the historic Old Swan Brewery, fully restored and containing some of Perth’s best restaurants such as Zafferano with its unrivaled views over the Swan River.

Then there’s the Swan River majestically flowing around the South Perth Peninsula and the Narrows Bridge spanning the river to providing one the few routes between the warring factions (in a friendly way, naturally ) of Perth’s Northern & Southern suburbs.

Of course there’s the unique skyline of Perth City representing our busy but laid back life style here in Western Australia and finally in the far distance you can see the Perth Hills that represent the country lifestyle that we have available to us within an hours drive from the city.

This image tells a wonderful story about Perth and I’ll never forget that I took it while watching my son and his girlfriend, who was visiting from Queensland for the first time, getting to know each other better

Green and Gold, John Forrest National Park, Mundaring (YPW2.19-V1-TH1)

The photo was taken outside the John Forrest Tavern where a group of roos we’re lazing about under the cover of the trees & bushes.

This guy obviously got a bit nosy about me taking so many photos so he stuck his head around the blanket of golden leaves hanging down from one of the trees and gave me a perfect view with those gorgeous gold & green colours from the late afternoon sun

Nikon DF

I’ve owned Canon DSLR’s since 2003 when the DSLR became an acceptable replacement for the old 35mm SLR and Nikon were simply not in the picture then.

OK, so I did sell my old Nikon SLR + lenses when I switched to digital (& became a professional photog) so there is some history there between myself & Nikon. Plus I will admin that Nikon are arguably slightly ahead of Canon right now, but don’t tell anyone I said that

All that aside I was very slightly amazed at the announcement of Nikon to make a retro styled DLSR complete with knobs, dials & angular styling in the form of the Nikon DF, lets face it even my old F-601 looks modern in comparison

Anyway, the real reason for this post is not to start up a Canon v Nikon argument but to share with you a very amusing video review I came across from Lee Morris at fstoppers.com.

Lee originally posted an article titled “The Nikon Df Represents Everything Wrong With Photography” which received over 300 comments, many of which were slightly angry at his opinion and this video was his response.

Enjoy …

Bakers Garden, Bread in Common, Fremantle (FCV1.4-V1-TV1)

We were walking along Pakenham Street when I saw what looked like a mini garden area on the side of the road. Mostly surrounded by commercial buildings this scene looked surreal with benches, lots of beautiful greenery and quaint bike stands at either end.

As we had a very hot and mostly patient teenager in tow I barely had time to grab a few shots as we walked past and it was only after a bit of searching on Google maps that I worked out exactly what this place was.

“Bread in Common” is a kitchen bakery which has only been in operation for the last year or so, in fact Google Street View still shows this building up for sale and looking very different. There was no red brick, no garden, just a boring old rendered workshop. Now this place looks amazing, they’ve done a great job renovating the building and turning it into a very successful cafe / bakery and they’re getting some great write-ups n Urban Spoon too. Urban Walkabout have a nice article about them here if you’re interested in reading more about them.

From what I’ve read & seen we will certainly be going back to “Bread in Common” with a bit more time on our hands to try out their menu

For this image, as with all the images in this series, I have used a HDR style with some selective colour masking & local contrast adjustments to create a really punchy image with a bit of character, let me know what you think

If you’re looking for “Bread in Common” you’ll find them at this Google Map location, just bear in mind that the building looks completely different from the Street View.

“Brick & Stone”, Fremantle Railway Station, Fremantle (FCV1.3-V1-TH1)

This building really is a beautiful example of early 1900’s architecture, though it’s very sad that the original gardens outside the front entrance have disappeared in favour of a parking & road system, but I suppose that’s progress for you.

The Fremantle Railway Station was originally constructed in 1881 on a different site and was rebuilt in it’s current location in 1907 to provide better access to Fremantle Port. Constructed from Donnybrook Stone (as used in Parliament House) & red brick the station is a fine example of Federation Free Classical architecture in Australia. The station building is currently undergoing restoration by Colgan Industries Stonemasons.

The building has a very contrasting look between the bright red brick and subdued limestone colours which I have accentuated slightly to give the image a real pop, especially when combined with the blue sky above. I have continued my use of HDR techniques that my other “A Walk Around Fremantle” images used.

I ‘ve had so much fun with this “A Walk Around Fremantle” series that I will be looking for another cool spot to stroll around soon

I must say I have always loved Fremantle but haven’t spent much time taking photos there and I’m just loving what I got out of 1 afternoons stroll around the town. Freo is just full of history, culture & quirkyness and the later is what this image is all about.

We had lunch at Little Creatures and I just couldn’t walk past this ATM snugly squeezed into an old fridge sat right next to the fire hose without taking a few snaps.

The amount of bright red paint in one area was just so striking and the whole scene was as quirky as you can get.

Again I used the HDR technique to add a bit of a grungy feel and get the image to pop a little and then droped a 75% B&W filter over the top to de-emphasise everything but the reds.

The images I’ve been getting from this Freo trip are not my usual style of natural landscapes & wildlife but I’m really enjoying doing something a bit different.

Let me know what you think …

The Whalers’ Tunnel was built by the  Fremantle Whaling Company in 1837 to transport goods between the original port at Bathers Beach & the town at Arthur’s Head. It was the first tunnel built in Western Australia and runs directly below the Roundhouse (which is the oldest remaining building in Western Australia). Whalers’ Tunnel is the only remaining structure of the whaling station.

I again used an HDR approach to editing this image as it really brought out the detail in the brick work & wrought iron

If you look really closely you can just make out the light shining off the old piano towards the other end of the tunnel!

If you want to know where Whalers’ Tunnnel is in Fremantle then check out this Google Map

We started of with lunch at Little Creatures where we took a look at Sandra Herd’s amazing exhibition from her recent trip around the world, if you find yourself in Freo then make sure you check it out.

We didn’t cover all of Freo by any means, the 39 degree weather didn’t make walking too far such a great idea but I did get a few interesting images which I’ll share over the next few days.

The first image that grabbed my eye was this one:

This shot was taken walking along Fleet Street from the ocean towards the Port Authority Building (which you can just see in the background), this view struck me because of the repeating geometrical patterns and the grungy industrial feel of the sheds. I also used to work in the Port Authority Building so getting that in the shot added a bit of a personal touch

For those of you interested below is the original unprocessed raw image, not that bad a starting point but it was very flat and colourless.

Here’s a quick rundown on how I processed the image:

• Import into Lightroom and run my basic preset to liven up the image
• Apply Lens Corrections
• Export to Photoshop & run the image through the HDR filter
• Add a bit of Local Contrast Enhancement to give it a bit of punch
• Add a texture overlay to add to that grungy feel
• and that’s about it, hope you like it and feel free to let me know what you think

If you want to know where Fleet Street in Freamntle is check out this Google Map

More Freo images coming soon …

Oh, and Happy New Year everyone.