High country trip, 09/01/2010

[reptilerob]

My mate from down Melbourne way came to stay for a couple of nights and yesterday we went up into the high country because he does a lot of landscape photography, and had a few thing in mind.
Before we left, we went for a drive yesterday morning before the heat set in to my favourite local area, which was very quiet apart from one lace monitor we found.

 

[reptilerob]

Then we came home and sat in front of the air con for a while before heading for the hills. Firstly we went for a long drive, just because we can!!! lol the beauty of having mates with company cars..... And ended up at my favourite herping spot where me and my wife rett82 love to go, and find jacky dragons and cunninghams skinks, among other things!!

 

[reptilerob]

From there, we took the drive right up into the high country, to the falls creek area, and walked the 500 meters or so into Wallaces hut.
Nothing really herpy about these photos, just a bit of landscape (panorama) photography and a bit of fun with photoshop with the dead trees and the track!!LOL

 

[reptilerob]

While up in the high country, on such a hot day, it was an absolute skinkfest!!! There were skinks everywhere. I reckon i saw probably 4 or 5 different kinds of skinks, and i had an absolute ball watching them go about there business.
Because it was a hotter day than usual, many of these skinks were out late in the afternoon, and even after the sun had set clinging to the warm granite boulders.. So the lighting for these photos was absolutely perfect for some, and terrible for others depending on which way i was facing, and when they were taken. The ones taken after sunset might be a bit blurry.
Unfortunately though, i didnt see a single highland copperhead. Believe me, i was looking!!!

 

[Allies_snakes]

great pics. I miss the high plains and love staying up at the huts when Im back down that way. Im an ex wang girl miss it and all my rellies and always love to come 'home'.

 

[reptilerob]

These skinks are in no particular order from the afternoon.

 

[reptilerob]

I really enjoyed watching the small brown trout feeding in the high alpine streams too.

 

[reptilerob]

Thanks Allies snakes. Yeah, i love it down here and cant see myself leaving any time soon!!!

 

[deebo]

was the pic of the shack taken with a really wide angle lense or a photomerge?? good pics.....

 

[reptilerob]

Thanks David. It was 3 photos merged together. I was using my old canon 300D for most of the trip yesterday, but i also carry a compact fuji camera with me which is awesome for taking panoramas. It has an inbuilt panorama feature which automaticly stitches the photos together.
Here is another one from behind the hut, this is two photos merged together. I could never ever merge photos together this well myself with photoshop!!! I have always hated panoramas until i bought this cheap camera!!LOL

 

[shlanger]

Good shots Rob, pitty the fish wasn't a Trout Cod!

 

[reptilerob]

Thanks mate, im pretty sure trout cod never ventured that far upstream into the system anyway. Mountain galaxids maybe!!!
That trout photograph was taken at about 1700 metres above sea level at top of the tree line!!LOL
Here is a trout cod though!! My wife caught it a few weeks ago, and it was released straight after this photo was taken!!

And by the way.....thats not my wifes hairy arm and dirty finger nails holding the fish!!LOLOL She took the photo.....