A road trip in and around Australia promises to be much more than a simple journey. It is an experience. The wide open spaces, the magnificent nature and the people you meet along the way – all contribute to a tremendous spirit of adventure.
To whet the appetite for adventure, veteran photojournalist and author Don Fuch’s book, Road Trips Australia: Backroads and By Ways is a must read.
Don is a master of capturing the essence of Australia.
‘No matter where you venture, there is no better way to shake off the hectic lifestyle of our cities and everyday life in suburbia than on an adventurous trip down the roads less travelled’. Woodslane
His images are breathtaking.
The 280 page book is well laid out, covers essential information and maps, plus history, fauna flora, events – (have you heard about the Murchison Polocrosse tournament?) to name just a few of the insights.
The Murchison Polocrosse Tournament:
Through Don’s lens, the heart and spirit and beauty of Australia is captured in addition to Don’s photography varied fabric that makes up the country.
Why does Don love his work?, will he ever retire?, favourite road trips of his?, tips for taking photographs?
Read on:
Do photographers ever retire?
Some do. I’m not. I’m having too much fun and there is still too much to discover. Photography is not only a profession. It is also a lifestyle. Why stop?
What draws you to photograph the Australian outdoors?
The diversity of landscape, fauna and flora, the vivid colours. Australia has it all: Snow covered mountains, vast deserts, amazing coastal landscapes, islands, forests, wildflowers, the list is endless…
What’s your favourite Australian road trip/s?
That is a difficult one as I’m struggling to name just one. I have two passions: forests and volcanoes, so if you allow me to name two favourite road trips, it would be one through the Central Highlands of Victoria with it’s amazing and precious Mountain Ash forests and the one through the worlds second or third largest (experts are divided on that one) volcanic field, starting in suburban Melbourne and ending up in Mt. Gambier in South Australia. In between travellers can find almost every volcanic feature known: lava caves, tumuli, crater lakes, lava flows, scoria cones, basalt columns, maar volcanoes…
What is one Australian road trip ‘everyone’ should do?
That would have to be a road trip that combines all the wonders of the tropical north of QLD: The Daintree rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, the Bloomfiled track, the dusty Savannah country of the Cape York peninsula, so rich in Aboriginal art sites around the town of Leura, the Atherton Tablelands with it’s quaint villages and animal experiences and the tropical coast between Mission Beach and Cairns.
Your suggestions for people thinking of doing a big road trip?
Think of a topic to follow and focus on that. That could be geology for a road trip along the NSW South Coast, it could be history along the Wool Wagon Pathway in Western Australia or the wildflower season, combining some of the biodiversity hot spots. I find that if I have a topic to follow, I discover more things that I might have missed if I just would travel distance.
What are some tips for taking great Australian outdoor photos?
*With photography it is all about the light so make sure that you are at the best spots during late afternoon or early morning.
*For forest or plant photography, overcast days are best.
*I always monitor the weather forecast and get most excited during times of change, when thunderstorms roll in or fog drifts through forests, when the surf is up or when clouds create awesome skies.
*I tend to avoid photographing during most daylight hours on sunny hot days.
Any memorable stories from one of your trips?
Some of the most memorable experiences along my trips would have to do with unexpected animal encounters: a casuari suddenly strolling out of the rainforest, blond wombats in broad daylight on Maria Island/Tasmania, spotting a rock wallaby in the Flinders Ranges, watching a pod of dolphins surfing in Myall Lakes NP, having close encounters with tree kangaroos at the Atherton Tablelands…
Any challenges from one of your trips?
Rain in the Outback is always a challenge when you travel along dirt roads. I once got stuck in Innamincka for several days after rain as every road leading into and out of this Outback town became impassable. In the end I had I had to abandon my road trip, but came back home with memorable stories.
Road Trips Australia: Backroads and By Ways is published by Woods Lane.
Don’s book is available from all good bookstores and online here
Jill Weeks is the author of 21 Ways To Retire and co-author of Where To
Retire In Australia and Retire Bizzi. Information Provider For Great Retirement Lifestyles.
She is a regular contributor to radio.