Australian Landscape Photography | What's New in August 2025 | Landscape Photos | Nature Photos

Photographer's Blog: Monday, August 25, 2025

Winter Wanderings

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This latest collection of images is the result of two winter trips this year. The first of these occurred on the last weekend before the official start to the snow season here in Victoria. With only a few days spare I was keen for a reasonably local trip and eagerly headed into the mountains where I experienced an unexpectedly large dump of snow, one that I would later hear had left many people stranded for days in their cars.

Hiking in from West Kiewa Logging Road out of Mount Beauty township, it was not long before a little elevation gain required donning snowshoes. With a bit more effort I crested a ridge and there was Dibbins Hut looking like something out of a fairy tale. I had the place all to myself for the day, managing to capture a photo during a light snowfall. I love the wintry feel of this image combined with the morning light, just magic.

I had already attempted to shoot Dibbins Hut several times before over the years, but each time there were too many people and tents for a clean image. This time I left, feeling quite appreciative to have had the day to myself and come away with such a nice photograph. If this hut is too overcrowded, you will find Blairs Hut not that much further on which also has a nice little stream. I was able to capture it as well before trudging back to the car. With Blairs the damp conditions created a lovely misty atmosphere that deepened the natural colours and tones.

Back at the car I was exhausted and figured I would need sleep first and move on once rested. I woke in the middle of the night to find a foot of snow outside, the car covered and more falling every second. Given the remote and rough track I was on, I decided to put on the chains by head torch and get going while the going was still good. The drive out was sketchy, but not outside the ability of my little Forrester, which has proven itself quite adept within the confines of its limited clearance. No tire spinning even on the deep holes and steep sections, but we did scrape its tummy once. I was almost down to Mt Beauty and back on a sealed road before the snow stopped enough for chain removal. The radio informed me of many drivers on Hotham which were not so lucky and spent some unplanned nights adrift in their cars.

The next trip was during school holidays and saw our young lad and I head north into New South Wales for ten days or so. The weather unfortunately never delivered those spectacular conditions us landscape photographers live for, but we put in the effort, attempting every sunset and most of the dawns as well as scouting constantly for new ideas. I will steer clear of boring you with the plans that did not work and stick to those that did. These roughly came from three locations.

The first area that delivered the goods was the fun little Ironbark Falls. Already well north of Sydney we found the week had become quite wet which really suited waterfalls, but many of the popular ones had access issues. Ironbark had not even been on my radar. Being quite hidden away, it is not easy to find. There is very little information online or in person but find it we did and incredibly it was looking gorgeous giving us a much-needed morale boost. We spent most of the day there, capturing it from many angles as the sun came and went. My two favourites made it into this collection.

The next spot was down on the coast where we ended up spending a few days in the Gosford region, coming away with a decent image from both Pearl Beach and the nearby cute little Patonga Jetty, where at one point we were hit with a mega storm. Seeing it coming we braved the consequences and tried to shoot lightening strikes over the little bay. I did manage to capture something, but in a world full of amazing lightening images it was not going to stand out. Never-the-less we had fun trying, with umbrellas up and rain pelting down until it became too dark and wet to shoot. Hurriedly transporting gear into the car, tripods still extended, everything damp, we sat watching the spectacle of thunder, lightning and pouring rain whilst trying to dry out, pack things away and regain a little composure, grinning all the while. It is shared moments like these that stick with you, long after a trip is over.

Our final location granted us even more adventure, and some interesting photographs. Heading south and running out of days, we made for Kosciuszko. Our boy had a new pair of high-end MSR snowshoes we had managed to obtain at a bargain price and was keen to try them out. The weather forecast was for snow and wind. I figured Thredbo might be a little too much, so opted for Guthega where I knew the snowy river walk offered a somewhat more sheltered experience.

We grabbed a Parks Pass in Jindabyne as soon as they opened and headed up the mountain, reaching Guthega only to nab the very last car park. Lucky indeed as there was nothing else down the hill that was not already occupied and snowed in. Gearing up our little man certainly looked the part, and it was in good spirits that we set off, despite the overcast conditions. The track to Charlottes Pass is normally an absolute delight, but with waist deep snow it was nowhere to be found. Instead, we made our own path, keeping fairly close to the river as a guide. This proved less than ideal, causing a couple of retreats and steep ascents before we found a better line.

A few hours of slogging later, with the windblown snow hitting our faces, we finally came to Illawong Lodge. It appeared out of the white, beckoning us forward. For non-club members it is generally closed, though on this occasion our lad and I were invited in for a cuppa by the nice family who had booked it. Possibly they took pity on our bedraggled state.

With the restorative powers of a hot beverage and a sit down, I felt able to face the weather again, and managed to capture an image of the hut in the late afternoon. The snow was attacking from right side of this scene, threatening to overwhelm the light as it tried to seep though, but having dragged the heavy tripod up there I was at least able to capture a sharp image coming away with something quite appealing in a blustery wintery sort of way.

Afterwards we explored the river and famous swinging bridge where a scene overlooking the snowy river under what tends to be called Blue Hour light had me stopping again. Risking the big medium format camera, we had a bit of luck with the wind and snow letting up long enough for me to capture this chilly scene.

Trudging back through the snow we just managed to reach the car in the last of the light. The road was icy coming down the mountain, but not dangerous. We pulled up in Jindabyne and hobbled our tired bodies into the first establishment that contained an open fire. Sitting there slowly drying out, we talked animatedly about the day and reflected on how enjoyable it had been despite the challenge of terrain and weather.

Driving home the next day I noticed pain radiating along my neck. By the time the long drive was over I was really struggling and over the next few days at home, I had some of the worst pain I had yet experienced. It was later diagnosed as a pinched nerve around C6 or C7. Writing this now a couple of months later I am still not good and probably looking at a few more months away from activities like hiking and prolonged drives. This of course, means that I am unlikely to be presenting any new work for a while. Hopefully I will eventually recover. I have some long multi-day walks planned and even a new Aussie made ultra-light backpack waiting for me to test, so I am not lacking motivation.

As ever, all the best dear readers. I wish you grand adventures big or small. Be safe and may you find peace and beauty in nature.

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10" x 15"	25cm x 38cm	$25 US
12" x 18"	31cm x 46cm	$35 US
16" x 24"	41cm x 61cm	$55 US
20" x 30"	51cm x 76cm	$65 US
24" x 36"	61cm x 91cm	$85 US
30" x 40"	76cm x 102cm	$100 US
Panoramic Prints		US Dollars
8" x 24"	20cm x 61cm	$35 US
10" x 30"	25cm x 76cm	$50 US
12" x 36"	31cm x 91cm	$60 US
16" x 48"	41cm x 122cm	$100 US
20" x 60"	51cm x 152cm	$160 US
30" x 90"	76cm x 228cm	$185 US
Canvas Prints (Standard)		US Dollars
8" x 12"	20cm x 31cm	$75 US
12" x 18"	31cm x 46cm	$95 US
16" x 24"	41cm x 61cm	$100 US
20" x 30"	51cm x 76cm	$125 US
24" x 36"	61cm x 91cm	$175 US
30" x 40"	76cm x 102cm	$200 US
Canvas Prints (Panoramic)		US Dollars
10" x 30"	25cm x 76cm	$150 US
12" x 36"	31cm x 91cm	$180 US
20" x 60"	51cm x 152cm	$310 US
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8" x 12"	20cm x 31cm	$150 US
12" x 18"	31cm x 46cm	$200 US
16" x 24"	41cm x 61cm	$250 US
20" x 30"	51cm x 76cm	$300 US
24" x 36"	61cm x 91cm	$350 US
30" x 40"	76cm x 102cm	$400 US
Metal/Aluminum Prints (Panoramic)		US Dollars
6" x 18"	15cm x 46cm	$125 US
8" x 24"	20cm x 61cm	$150 US
10" x 30"	25cm x 76cm	$200 US
12" x 36"	31cm x 91cm	$250 US
16" x 48"	41cm x 122cm	$400 US
20" x 60"	51cm x 152cm	$550 US
30" x 90"	76cm x 228cm	$1000 US

Timber Framed Prints		Australian
8" x 12"	20cm x 31cm	$172 AUD
12" x 18"	31cm x 46cm	$245 AUD
16" x 24"	41cm x 61cm	$300 AUD
Photographic Print Only		Australian
8" x 12"	20cm x 31cm	$27 AUD
12" x 18"	31cm x 46cm	$33 AUD
16" x 24"	41cm x 61cm	$70 AUD
20" x 30"	51cm x 76cm	$92 AUD
Panoramic Prints		Australian
4" x 12"	10cm x 31cm	$27 AUD
6" x 18"	15cm x 46cm	$33 AUD
8" x 24"	20cm x 61cm	$70 AUD
10" x 30"	25cm x 76cm	$92 AUD
16" x 48"	41cm x 122cm	Please use US Printer
20" x 60"	51cm x 152cm
30" x 90"	76cm x 228cm
33" x 100"	84cm x 254cm	Available On Request (Email)
40" x 120"	102cm x 305cm	Available On Request (Email)
Canvas Prints (Standard)		Australian
8" x 12"	20cm x 31cm	$132 AUD
12" x 18"	31cm x 46cm	$172 AUD
16" x 24"	41cm x 61cm	$224 AUD
20" x 30"	51cm x 76cm	$285 AUD
Canvas Prints (Panoramic)		Australian
4" x 12"	10cm x 31cm	$132 AUD
6" x 18"	15cm x 46cm	$172 AUD
8" x 24"	20cm x 61cm	$224 AUD
10" x 30"	25cm x 76cm	$285 AUD
20" x 60"	51cm x 152cm	Please use US Printer
33" x 100"	84cm x 254cm	Available On Request (Email)
40" x 120"	102cm x 305cm	Available On Request (Email)
Poster		Australian
15" x 23"	39cm x 59cm	$25 AUD
22" x 33"	56cm x 84cm	$40 AUD
31" x 47"	79cm x 119cm	$70 AUD
Postcard		Australian
4" x 6"	10cm x 15cm	$3 AUD
Greeting Card with Envelope		Australian
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5" x 7.5"	13cm x 19cm	$7.00 AUD

Australian Landscape & Nature Photography by Michael Boniwell

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Winter Wanderings

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