I have always loved Shelley’s poem ‘Ozymandias’ which showcases the futility of Pharaoh Rameses’ efforts to secure his immortality. Many people these days are obsessed with mankind’s (supposed) destruction of nature, an observation which I do not wholly disagree with, but nature has a way of coming roaring back, all but obliterating mankind’s works. For […]
Some folks are just downright suicidal, and sometimes I am one of them! In 2009 I had conceived a plan to be the first person (I think) to canoe the mighty remote Seaforth River in Fiordland NZ (14 years ago today!). I had a brand-new Alpacka ‘Fjord Explorer’ packraft (https://alpackarafts.com/product/fjord-explorer/) courtesy of Kevin Rudd’s bushfire
You can spend a lovely two days walking from Mt Oberon Car park to Wilsons Prom Lighthouse and back staying in pretty plush accommodation at the lighthouse. The distances are considerable, but this way you only need to carry a daypack with emergency supplies, a bottle of wine to drink on the verandah at night
Venery is one of my passions. This is one of my all-time favourite photos. This was Eddie Herrick circa 1934 in his eponymous creek in Wet Jacket Arm, Dusky Sound, Fiordland NZ with his bull moose. In a moose hunting career in Fiordland which involved Eddie hunting there for nearly three months a year for
Two years ago today: Walking the Everest Base Camp Trail: I creep into Kathmandu in the small hours when only giant mountain dogs and stray donkeys roam the streets. After two nights at the wondrous Himalayan Traveller’s Inn, Thamel (now the Hotel Sapana Gardens), I creep out again in the dawn to fly to Lukla.
I followed my footsteps: Everest Base Camp Trek #4 Read More »
After you have completed the wonderful journey on the South Coast Track from the Rarakau Car Park to the magical Westies Hut it is possible to continue the journey all the way to Puysegur Point Lighthouse, the Te Oneroa shelter and the ruins of the old mining town of Cromarty way out at Preservation Inlet
NZ’s South Coast Track: Westies Hut to Cromarty: Read More »
People carry too much gear. We are planning a trip to Scotland this year so we are working on how to fit everything we need into a couple of sub 500 gram backpacks such as these . For about a month away we will want to be carrying sub 20 lb (<10 kg) on our backs
How to Travel Around the World With Just a 20lb Backpack: Read More »
I am really keen to return to my beloved Gippsland mountains for some hiking, fishing, hunting but I still have so many jobs to do around the farm. We have been ‘fixing’ two dams damaged by last year’s floods (hopefully they will hold now); we have a new boundary fence with two neighbours to construct
Well $1999 if you want a better view, but really not bad for the visual feast of a lifetime. I know it’s a lot of money to spend for a 12 hour flight where you end up right back in Melbourne where you began, but ‘you can’t take it with you’, and it is unlikely
My favourite airline operates out of Te Anau Fiordland, New Zealand: http://www.wingsandwater.co.nz/ I have flown in to or back from Supper Cove a number of times, so I have a collection of snaps which will maybe whet your appetite to the visual delights in store. It is almost impossible to take really good photos through
