The observation tower which is free, gives you a very good veiw of  the Rip by the Heads so it was worth the climb up the stairs, well for three of us it was as one of us cheated and used the elevator. Not wanting to name this person it was noted that Ian walked back down with us saying it was easier to walk down than up. From here we walked back through the town up to the lighthouse at the top of the park and then along the road back towards the cars. We noticed that the impenetrable fort had opened its gates for the 3pm tour so we diceided that we would have a closer look at the fort. Ian had to leave so the three remaining paid our money and waited for the tour to start. Fort Queenscliffe is still a working army base so ID in the form of a driving licence and addresses have to be provided to visit and though I thought that photography would be banned it wasn’t and in fact we were allowed to take pictures where we liked. The tour guide almost outnumbered the visitors but the 5 to 1 ratio was very comfortable and her knowledge was exceptional. We heard about the history of the lighthouse, signal tower, fort and the ghosts that reside there as well as being allowed into the keep, the magazines and tunnel complex. The fort also has a very well stocked and informative museum which is part of the very reasonable $10 entry fee.

After the tour we walked back to the cars and took a drive to Point Lonsdale to get a better look at the Rip and the Lighthouse and a short walk along the rocky beach revealed a few more shots. The lighthouse here is very much a working lighthouse and commands a very good view of the Bass Straight and the Heads but having lots of ariels and communication dishes doesn’t make it the most photogenic lighthouse ever.

After this, as it was around 5.30, we bid farewell and returned home after what was a very good day out.

It was a shame that more members didn’t turn up but given the weather on Friday it wasn’t a suprise. I did receive an apology from Wendy who couldn’t make it at the last minute so thanks Wendy for letting us know. Otherwise we’ll see you all at the next outing which is Sunday 6th March to the Blue Lotus Water Gardens. This is a great venue and is not to be missed.

Hi All,

As you should be aware the second Sunday outing of the year is on this coming Sunday.

The location this time around is sunny seaside Queenscliff. Roughly ninety minutes from the CBD Queenscliff offers many photographic opportunities.

What I suggest is that you all meet at 10:30am at the carpark at the end of Hesse St:

Directions:

Next door is Fort Queenscliff which is probably a good place to start. Check http://www.fortqueenscliff.com.au/ for further things to see and do.
As always, partners are very welcome, as are prospective members.

Cheers,
Pete

For those of us who were able to go to the Rodeo at Cranbourne I hope you all had a great time – as great a time as I had at least, I was like a child in a lolly shop.

Dave Sumner, Dave Burton and I were there, together for the most part, so too it seems was Kaye Harding and John Mallet who wrote to me that night to tell me so.  It was a wonderful day.  Sure it was a little hotter than it has been, but it is summer after all – isn’t it?  There was a lot of dust around, bull, horse and the real stuff and for those of you reluctant to expose yourselves due to your health you were justified.  Dave dared me to go up to the St Johns Ambulance folk and squeeze in between their carrying thingy and the fence.  The ladies were too nice about it and before long Dave came up too and brought along his bazooka like 400mm lens, tripod, bag, change of clothes and all the other paraphernalia.  I didn’t bother with a change of clothes.  In hindsight, and indeed that was all we got sometimes, we could have found a better place but once in a good spot we were not too happy to go fossicking for a better spot so we stayed put.  The result of which was that we missed Mr Mallet.  Anyway I had not been to a Rodeo since we took Jamie to Mareeba in North Queensland; in 1979 I think it was, he must have been 4 or 5 years old.  Boy that does put the age on me.  Anyway it all was the same but this time I was able to take a few shots and if I can clean them up I might even include them in this little note.

Technically I needed a long lens; 400mm at least, it would have provided a means of isolating the action from the distr-action. It would also have been nice to have a printed programme that would have allowed an opportunity to know where the action was going to take place in the arena before excited horses, angry bulls, concerned wranglers, ropes and crazy clowns all descended in the same place at the same time!  Sometimes all I saw was horse’s legs!  One cow-boy got his foot caught in the stirrup and he was dragged about like a rag-doll in front of us but neither Dave nor I had a thought for taking his picture – multiple pictures in our case.  Come to think of it the bull riders, wild horse breakers and the cow ropers were all rag-dolls being tossed about by the huge animals they were expected to do duel with.  The golden evening light was wonderful but all too quickly what there was insufficient to make images of the very fast moving action in front of us.  One horses hoof, real one, came through the fence rails and smashed the glass on the face of my watch – don’t ask!!  There was roping, wrestling, riding and a hell of a lot of getting dumped on your bum on the hard baked earth. Huge fun for those of us that were watching.

We missed you there – so we’ll hopefully see you next Sunday 6th February at Queenscliff!

Cheers Andy

Photo by Andy Armitage

Hi all, here is some more information on Saturday’s club outing. Judging from the facts below, it’s a ‘must see’ event. The event opens at 4:30pm with the Rodeo starting around 6:30pm.

Location:
1450 Ballarto Rd, Clyde.

Date:
29 Jan 2011, Open from 4.30pm to 1am

Admission:
Family $60
Adult $25
5 – 16 years old $15
Under 5 – Free

The Facts:
– It’s the biggest Victorian rodeo of the year with 10-15,000 people.
– Full line up of rodeo events as well as live music, amusement rides and dirt bike riding.
– Any excuse to wear a cowboy outfit!
– Rodeos are great fun and rarely so close to Melbourne

Map:

View Larger Map

Ladies and Gentlemen the Cranbourne Rodeo 2011 is happening on the 29th of January and Waverley Camera Club has scheduled “A Day Out at the Rodeo” unfortunately Rosie is asthmatic and the dust, horses, cows, bulls, sheep goats and other, sometimes 2 legged critters even, make her very sick.  We were out at the Mareeba Rodeo in Queensland one year and she was very ill and her sisters from the surrounding aboriginal communities came to her aid. So Rosie and I will not be going. Embarrass!! But what’s even more embarrassing is that I can not find any details about the current rodeo on the web, all references to the Cranbourne Rodeo are from previous years and relate also to the Newspaper that reports the rodeo.  So please watch this space for a little longer, tomorrow I will call the newspapers in Cranbourne and have something up here for your information.

Cheers

Andy

Hi folks, one camera club outing has hardly been concluded and the next is being advertised on an e-mail close to U.

The Tooradin Tractor and Truck Show happens on Saturday the 15th of January, at Tooradin funnily enough.  The Family Day held at the Rutter Reserve in Tooradin begins at 10am and ends at 10pm, so a full day’s entertainment is offered.  The cost of this extravaganza is $25 if you arrive after 12 noon and $15 if you arrive before 12noon.  Part of the entertainment includes a Truck Show and Hellicopter Rides – I cant guarantee real hellicopters folks but there you go.

This show has been run very successfully every year since 1998.  The tractor pull is judged by class and includes classes for engine modifications, fuel modifications, weight modifications and size modifications.  I have heard that some of these monsters have a 1000 horsepower engine tucked away under the bonnet and some even have several 1000 horsepower engines tucked away under the bonnet.  As if that much horsepower is not enough some have centurion tanks hidden under there while others have ww11 jet aeroplane engines – dare I say it “…tucked away under there”.  “And what do they pull  Andy?  And well you might ask, “a weight transfer machine” I’d reply;  I have read that a weight transfer machine becomes heavier and digs further into the ground as it is pulled along.

So there you have it folks a fun family day at the Rutter Reserve in Tooradin, Saturday the 15th January 2011.  $25 if you arrive after 12 noon $15 if you arrive before 12 noon and you may stay till 10pm what ever time you arrive.

Cheers Andy

Hi Folks,

I do apologise for the lateness of this, but I must say that the new year has snuck up on me way too fast for my liking.

BBQ at Jells Park this Tuesday from 6PM.

The forecast isn’t great but for those brave enough to venture out into the elements we will meet at the electric BBQ in the Stringybark Picnic Area which is the same bbq hut as we did two years ago.

Enter Jells Park from the Waverley Road entrance and look out for us on the left, if you reach the Visitor Center/ Madelines you have gone too far.

View Larger Map

Cheers,
Pete

Sunrise shoots are meant to be exciting and leave a lot to the imagination.  This one was no different.  Rosie and I with Pete Davies, Ray Anderson, Albert Hutchins and Jenny Boyle arrived at the prescinct of the Monash Gallery of Art at 5.00am in time to get in tune with all the 1,000,000 other inhabitants of the area – the mosquitoes.  The frogs not to be out-done took on their own cacophany, the birds were not even awake yet.  After our last foray into the bush for a Sunday shoot, following the lead of all the other seasoned participants, Rosie and I have now actually put a tube of Bushmans into my camera bag, but, although I pocketted the little red torch, I left the Bushmans in the car. Got cleaned up ! Anyway thanks Jenny for the Aeroguard.

We looked around for something to take a picture of, but it was still dark, and the mosquitoes would not leave us alone, Rosie and I opted for the library building; awash in the glow of its own security lighting the library was the most prominent of the ‘things’ we could see.  At one stage there was a mouse scuttling around and its enormours shadow was something to behold but not to take a picture of.  The others wondered away elsewhere.  The light was soft and clean but disappointingly there was no real sunrise.  The pond in the gardens looked great in the rising light and so did the library building – i’m not so sure whether I was able to do it justice.

Andy Armitage