From Coast to Coast

Today's journey.

I take my sweet time with waking up and having breakfast and packing stuff, and it's almost midday by the time I take off and head out towards Perth. Well, astronomical midday, anyway: the clock only says “half past ten”. I already mentioned the weird Western Aussie time, didn't I?

A friend of mine contacts me in the meantime, and it turns out that they forgot a pair of shoes at the car rental; now that I'm near Perth anyway, perhaps I'll be able to grab those and take them back to Sydney? Sure thing. Now that I think of it, I didn't get to see much of Perth last time I was there; I could certainly use the opportunity to walk around and take a closer look.

Once I reach the city, I retrieve the shoes with no problems at all, and after that I spend a couple of hours at the CBD, walking rather aimlessly and getting out of my comfort zone by doing street photography for a change. It turns out to be quite fun, actually! It's very interesting to look for compositions not amidst the grass and sand and sea, but rather within the tight confines of city streets and straight lines. The city itself doesn't strike any chords within me – to me, it looks a bit like a cross between Adelaide and Melbourne, neither of which I particularly enjoy – but it's still a nice change of scenery along the way.

Hello, Perth!

Christmas decor.

The old and the new.

Make sure you take the correct turn!

Reflections.

The old remains, the new grows.

The girl is shredding it!

Unexpected colours.

Some more of “old and new”.

There's always room for a tree or two.

A big red plus for a jacaranda!

With flying colours.

And speaking of scenery: it's time to go north and visit the famous Pinnacles again. I have been planning to do some sunset shooting there for quite some time, and this is a perfect opportunity. Sure enough, two hours later I'm there, and I use the remaining hour of sunlight to walk around the countless rocky pillars in search for a good composition. The place looks so different in this light, but still as unique and wonderful as it did two years ago. And it's also big enough for me to be away from all the other photographers (no shortage in those) and find a little secluded scenic spot of my own.

The Pinnacles Desert.

The sun is setting quickly.

So many different shapes and sizes.

Can you see the ants?

Nature's own Stonehenge.

Or just a playground.

Shadows are getting longer.

Light is getting softer.

Peekaboo!

Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for a sunset.

Here it comes!

Again... all kinds of shapes and sizes.

The sun is setting fast.

Time to say goodbye.

Very happy with the shots I end up having, I retreat back south a little and camp at some kind of a gravel excavation site, which is as good a location as any. It's still quite windy, but at least I don't have sand flying around and getting in my face. Not when I'm lying under the blanket inside the car with my laptop, anyway!