[Frogfish]

I have no idea where to put this thread since to my surprise there is no Aussie club (unlike those very social Kiwis it seems) !

We have a shortish trip to Australia coming up (November), 10 days covering Cairns and Sydney. I'll be with my wife and 6 of her friends (we are all in our 40s and 50s) so I'd like to take a couple of days off to go shooting by myself (got to get that one cleared first !) though most of my time will be with the group.

Can you guys recommend in the vicinity of those two places a) fun group activities (no dirty minds thank you) which would present nice photographic opportunities as well as maybe b) somewhere rather more for the dedicated photographer if I can get away ?

BTW - I am an experienced scuba diver but will not be taking the gear with me on this trip more's the pity so UW not really an option. Though I'll have a small Sanyo video and housing with me I doubt the others have the sailors legs or inclination to go out all day to the better GBR sites (an island, or whales/dolphins, might go down well though if there is lots to see).

I doubt I will be traveling light as far as cameras and lenses go (you can see most of what I have in my signature and I'll be picking up a Kr as back up to the K5 before I go) but any specific advice and reasons for it will be appreciated !

Thanks in advance !

[IanS]

Hi there,
Because Oz is fairly large each state or capital city has a club, try looking for Sydney or South East Queensland in the Groups section. Sorry I can't help with recommendations as I live on the other side.
Have a great trip (I'm sure you will)
Ian

[cupic]

Try this site its free and valuable
Free Photo Guides Australia - NSW

and have a good trip

cheers

[Bob from Aus]

Depends what you like to shoot.

There is plenty to shoot up around Cairns provided you get out of the town and the resorts. An itchy camera finger will go nuts with lack of subject material. in any of the built up areas. There are great habitats and landscapes up behind cairns in the Atherton table land. I believe some of the Island resorts are still closed after the cyclone, but some of these islands have excellent fringing reef even using a snorkel.

Sydney and the landscapes nearby take up a large area and your challenge might be to get to locations of interest. A lot of good places will require a car and a little walking. However many places can be accessed by ferry.

Best of luck

PS we are mostly a friendly bunch

[JohanLothman]

I visited a friend in Sydney in January and there's quite a few great places you might wanna visit!
Of course there's the obvious; the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and all..
I personally reaaaally liked the Botanic Gardens (just by the Opera House) where I spent many hours just walking around and taking photos of wonderful nature and funny animals

Another place to go (which also is a great group-activity) is Taronga Zoo on the north side of the bridge. Just take the ferry over (presuming you're on the south side), enormous zoo with a great variety of animals and a fantastic view over Sydney Harbour! And of course the Syndey Tower on Pitt St. with a incredible view over Sydney!

Darling Harbour is also a nice place to go, with the Maritime Museum (I think..?) and the Aquarium (WARNING: You will probably be asked to take your picture at the entrance for you to buy at the exit.. with a Nikon.. ).
Street photography is suitable almost anywhere on the streets of Sydney. Two interesting parts to visit (IMHO) is the chineese quarters (around the Haymarket) and the bohemian-ish Newtown, with interesting people and architecture.
While you're in the Haymarket area, it's not far to the Powerhouse Museum, which is a great museum for all ages!

And IF you guys have the time to go to Melbourne (skip Canberra... really..!) you should visit Michaels at the cnr Elizabeth and Lonsdale! Good camera shop, and with over 3000 (I believe) different cameras and lenses on display at their up-stairs camera museum! A must!

Well, there are a thousand million billion trillion (you get the point) other places to see around the Sydney-area, like the Blue Mountains and the beaches, but I hope some of my thoughts are helping!

Have a nice trip!

/Johan

[hcc]

You already received some good suggestions for Sydney.

For Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef and the tropical rainforest are some star attractions. These will interest all your group.

If you have time, rent a car and drive away from Cairns to the country side: eg Atherton tableland, the national parks around Cairns (CAIRNS NATIONAL PARKS - TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND - AUSTRALIA!), ... Are you interested in heritage places? There are some local heritage trails and places worth to consider. Further inland, Normanton and its Gulflander train.

Hope that the suggestion will assist...

[Arpe]

Just watch out for Australians, there's quite a few of them there.

[Bob from Aus]

Watch out in Australia for people form New Zealand like Arpe. Most of them live in Aus

[Arpe]

[Pixley]

Not sure about Cairns but lots of photo ops in Sydney from the very much photographed harbour, Opera House, Harbour Bridge(particularly at night), beaches and coastline and out to the Blue Mountains. Would need a car for some of it though.

Have a great trip.

[goddo31]

No chance of popping over to the West side? We're more laid back (apparently) and have great beer and beaches

[Frogfish]

Try this site its free and valuable
Free Photo Guides Australia - NSW

Great site ! Thanks for that link !

There are great habitats and landscapes up behind cairns in the Atherton table land. I believe some of the Island resorts are still closed after the cyclone, but some of these islands have excellent fringing reef even using a snorkel.

Thanks Bob - I'll research those places.

Of course there's the obvious; the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and all..
I personally reaaaally liked the Botanic Gardens (just by the Opera House) where I spent many hours just walking around and taking photos of wonderful nature and funny animals

Another place to go (which also is a great group-activity) is Taronga Zoo on the north side of the bridge. Just take the ferry over (presuming you're on the south side), enormous zoo with a great variety of animals and a fantastic view over Sydney Harbour! And of course the Syndey Tower on Pitt St. with a incredible view over Sydney!

Darling Harbour is also a nice place to go, with the Maritime Museum (I think..?) and the Aquarium.
Street photography is suitable almost anywhere on the streets of Sydney. Two interesting parts to visit (IMHO) is the chinese quarters (around the Haymarket) and the bohemian-ish Newtown, with interesting people and architecture.
While you're in the Haymarket area, it's not far to the Powerhouse Museum, which is a great museum for all ages!

Thanks for all those tips Johan - appreciated. Think I'll skip Chinatown though (see my location)

For Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef and the tropical rainforest are some star attractions. These will interest all your group.

If you have time, rent a car and drive away from Cairns to the country side: eg Atherton tableland, the national parks around Cairns (CAIRNS NATIONAL PARKS - TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND - AUSTRALIA!), ... Are you interested in heritage places? There are some local heritage trails and places worth to consider. Further inland, Normanton and its Gulflander train.

Thank you for the information and the link - much appreciated !

Not sure about Cairns but lots of photo ops in Sydney from the very much photographed harbour, Opera House, Harbour Bridge(particularly at night), beaches and coastline and out to the Blue Mountains. Would need a car for some of it though.

I'm guessing hiring a car is pretty easy in Aus. so don't mind driving for a few hours if it's worth it for all the group (or just me if I can get away) !

Thanks to everyone for the ideas - lots of research to do now and hopefully lots of shots to put up after the trip (then off to NZ in January) !

[Wombat]

If you're thinking of a couple of days to yourself you might think about driving /training/busing at least part of the way down to Sydney from Cairns. You'll see a lot more of Oz and have many more opportunities to photograph something other than "just" another big city (with the greatest respect to Sydney, which is magnificent). And remember we drive on the left!
And watch out for wildlife on the road at dusk.
And next time come to Kangaroo Island.
And keep away from VB - it's gut-rot.
And read up on cricket.
And bring a hat.
And always carry water.
And above all ENJOY!

And if you come across any wombats, avoid them - cuddly though they look, they're ankle biters.

[Schraubstock]

Hi
When in Cairns consider the Karunda Skyrail ( Skyrail Rainforest Cableway: Cairns to Kuranda Rainforest Tour - Queensland Tourism ), go up by cable car and come back by the Kuranda Scenic Railway. ( Welcome to the Kuranda Scenic Railway ) It's a bit touristy unfortunately but almost everything in or around Cairns is, unless you go a bit further afield. But for that you probably have not enough time because up north there everything is spread out.

Rainforest walks are something to consider, you'll hear lots of bird calls but they are hard to see. (The Australian rainforest is quite noisy with bird calls compared to European type forests and it echoes a lot.) Unfortunately most of Australia's wildlife is nocturnal so you won't see a lot of them during daylight hours. (Zoo is the only place.) If you want to see Kangaroos in the wild be prepared to get up early when they are most active and you can see them grazing. Good time to shoot them this time of day as you get low shadows and sometimes a bit of mist in the air. During the day they are a bit hidden as they hang around low in the shadows. And then they become active again at dusk.

In Cairns you will find lots of SCUBA tour operators, you can hire gear from them and they will take you out on the reef, I have done it, simply fantastic.

I have also been lots and lots in NZ and I have a few tips for you there at a later stage if you are interested. NZ is simply a super country, the people there are so friendly it is sometimes unbearable, if you know what I mean. And the South Island, wow, it is so beautiful all your photos are going to look like kitsch paintings.

Greetings

[TOUGEFC]

I wont really add to this as the others have done a great job with their tips

Just watch out for crocs, snakes and spiders (sydney funnel web)



Just kidding or am I?

But seriously, have a fun trip mate