Love thy Walrus

Images and photos from my Instagram account @LovethyWalrus

[lovethywalrus]

Welcome to Antartica! Yesterday my mum @kathflem turned her dreams into reality and took a scenic flight over the great southern continent. What an incredible experience! I wish I was with her on the trip, but alas I am enjoying her adventure through her pictures too! @qantas has conducted over 110 of these @antarcticaflights from Australia - including the popular New Years Eve flights - since 1994, though other airlines have run them for decades more. With a common interest and destination, mum says that the atmosphere on board is unlike any commercial flight - strangers warmly chat, willingly share windows and the crew have a blast. It's an excited community 10,000ft above the ice. This flight departed Melbourne early in the morning, and gave passengers about four hours of sightseeing over Antarctica. Total flying time was just over 13 hours. Although, she did fail to bring me back a penguin... I guess I'll just have to try and get down there myself one day ❄️🐧 (at McMurdo Sound)

[lovethywalrus]

Sunday mornings are designed for sleeping in, but when you're starved for colour-splashed light the call of a sunrise is too strong to ignore. With @flameoffirephotography and @daxon we tested out a location new to us at this time of day. And it didn't disappoint. A slowing of the shutter speed softened the waters enough to let the hero craggy shoreline stand out in the dawn glow. (at Dodges Ferry (TAS))

[lovethywalrus]

I'm not suggesting Mother Nature takes drugs, but when she created the Bay of Fires she was definitely having a fabulously good time! The lichen-speckled granite boulders have to be seen to be believed - the region really is a painters palette of gorgeousness just waiting to tease your eyeballs and enliven your soul. This shot is all about perspective - the large swathe of colourful granite is only a metre or so in front of me. @itsworthashot is clearly further away than that 😂 (at Bay of Fires)

[lovethywalrus]

When @daxon offers to wade into the sea to do handstands on a wet and jagged rock, it would be rude not to take a photo 😂. Next time I'll get him to swim out to the islands in the background to maximise the 'tiny human' effect 😝

[lovethywalrus]

I'm just gonna leave this bundle of #wombat cuteness right here. This little lass is being cared for by one of the wonderful staff at @bonorongwildlifesanctuary, and is so tiny! While the wildlife may come in under awful circumstances (hit by cars, orphans from parents being hit etc) it is so heartening that there are people willing to nurse these helpless critters around the clock to at least give them another chance at life. #bonorongwildlifesanctuary do incredible work in this respect, and in education and awareness. They're easily one of my favourite places to visit around southern #Tasmania. (at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary)

[lovethywalrus]

Some mornings are so beautiful you don't quickly forget them. In early December I set out on a ten day adventure right around @Tasmania - and this was how day one started. kunanyi / Mt Wellington is easily the best place for sunrise in Hobart - or for the views at any time of day. Have you checked out my blog post on #Tasmania's Top Ten most Instagrammed attractions yet (link in my bio)? There's some photo eye-candy in there to help with your own Tassie road trip plans 😜 (at Mount Wellington)

[lovethywalrus]

"How's my fur? Does it look ok? Is this light flattering?" Geez, when did wombats get so vain 😂. Young Jaz at @bonorongwildlifesanctuary seems to have the sweetest wombat face - which is a big call considering all wombats are supernaturally adorable. One of the biggest reasons I love returning to #bonorongwildlifesanctuary is that it is not a zoo - it's a wildlife sanctuary, specialising in the care of injured and orphaned native Tassie critters - no matter if furry or feathered. (at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary)

[lovethywalrus]

A moment of gentle flowing beauty just below Horseshoe Falls after some much needed recent rains. If you haven't seen it yet, I've done some sleuthing and put together a blog post of even more stunning Tassie scenery 'The ten Most Instagrammed Attractions in Tasmania'. Did Horseshoe Falls make the cut? You'll have to follow the link in my bio to find out 😜 (at Horseshoe Falls)

[lovethywalrus]

This morning I joined @lifecatchme for a sunrise wander around the docks of Hobart. The only clouds were the soft cap resting on the mountain, an even from so far away we could see the smooth way it rolled over the summit, as if the mountain was chilly and pulling up a blanket. We certainly do live in one of the most picturesque of Australia's cities 😊 (at Constitution Dock)

[lovethywalrus]

Part of the joy of sunrise from kunanyi / Mt Wellington is that at 1,270m high there's always new perspectives to find. Although, there are locations and vantage points - and boulders - worth returning to that I know will give a nice view. The city of Hobart below always feels so small and distant from up here, but in reality you're only a half hour drive from the urban hum. (at Mount Wellington)

[lovethywalrus]

Playing in sea caves isn't highly recommended, but with some careful planning and local knowledge it is sometimes possible. I've posted this location before - Remarkable Cave on the Tasman Peninsula - but haven't included both exits (entries?) in a shot before. The land-side entry is behind me - it's a three-way cave. The left opening leads through to a narrow gulch, while the right leads to a small beach. Local surfers use this one as their access to the waves. I'm just content to explore with my camera and stay out of the water 👍🏻 (at Remarkable Caves)

[lovethywalrus]

Happy Fri-YAY! I thought fireworks were a fitting way to round out the week. It's had ups and downs, but the week is done and dusted now. Time to relax! Are you heading out on any photography adventures this weekend? It's looking like a wet one here - finally, we desperately need rain. Might be worth checking out some waterfalls though 😜👍🏻 (at Hobart Cenotaph)

[lovethywalrus]

With smoke haze lingering in our skies from fires still burning across north western Tassie, the skies have been nothing short of dramatic lately. I'd like to say thank you to all the women and men out their fighting the fires, in awful conditions, to protect lives and our wilderness areas as best they can. Time will tell what's left after the smoke clears, but so far there has been no loss of human life. Not so sure about many of our native animal friends though, they wouldn't be as fortunate I'm afraid. Photo taken last week from Howrah Beach looking towards Hobart and kunanyi / Mt Wellington. (at Howrah Beach)

[lovethywalrus]

I love the way the beaches of black pebbles curve their way between the lush green pasture and the blues of the bay on Tasmania's Tarkine coast. From the air you feel as if you're part of one of mother natures landscape paintings.

[lovethywalrus]

Even in driving rain, howling winds and a pounding surf, Tasmania's stunning colours still shine through. While the Bay of Fires on the east coast is known for its sun-kissed white sands and sparkling clear turquoise waters, I rather enjoy seeing it when the weather is whipped up into a fury. (at Bay of Fires, East Coast, Tasmania)

[lovethywalrus]

I love including people in my photos - tiny people - as it helps to illustrate the magnificent scale of our landscapes. Peering out of Remarkable Cave, I was amazed to see a guy swimming in the crashing waves - though he seemed to know what he was doing. I'm not sure I'd go swimming there, however! (at Remarkable Caves)

[lovethywalrus]

Tasmania is alarmingly dry right now, with close to 100 fires burning across the island, many not contained and out of control. Most are in remote places - including our World Heritage Areas, which is simply depressing. While we can't do much about the smoke haze, it does however mean we're getting some colourful sunrises and sets. Last night the sky over Hobart was thick with smoke (that wide band is smoke, not clouds), almost completely smothering Mt Wellington. (at Howrah Beach)