In the true nature of road trips and epic adventures…

Settle in, this one might take a post or two, and you’ll enjoy it more with a cuppa…

Late last year I hit up my epic adventures co-conspirator Liz and said, Hey I’m going to go fly and shoot Shark Bay again sometime early-ish next  year… wanna come?

Being the most epic co-conspirator she replied ‘Hell yes’!

I knew where I wanted to fly, but as she hadn’t flown anywhere there yet, I made sure to give her some options. I should have known 🙂 she was right in for going off track 🙌 I made sure to keep one or two of the usual treasures on the flight map though; there are a couple of stunning natural features in Shark Bay that everyone should have the opportunity to see and shoot, regardless of where else you might fly up there.

So the plan was laid; the flight booked and accomodation along the way secured, then it was time to go! Perth to Shark Bay is a bit of a drive by anyone’s standards but oh so worth it!

Breaking up the trip is a good call so it was a short four and a half hour drive to our first planned stop for the night.

I always choose to go up Indian Ocean Drive joining up with Brand Highway further up. While it can get really windy and sometimes pretty crazy when it’s raining and storming, it’s by far the most beautiful route to take when heading north. The winding roads through the Shire of Irwin section remind me of New Zealand roads, with many windy curvy corners.

Driving along with coastal scrub on both sides of the road, then suddenly the ocean is right in front of you, and right beside you, then it’s hidden again by coastal scrub. The scrub has been brutally thinned out over the last several years, where fire has swept through and cleared the sand dunes… it’s all sand dunes up here.

Beautiful soft rolling dunes shaped by the winds that come howling off the ocean and hit the land, twisting and bellowing through the fine soft sands, blowing the sands across the road and creating huge sand dunes that tower over the scrub… some are reminiscent of slowly melting ice-cream scoops, other towering sharply, edged with sheer cliffs that stop and drop dramatically to the surface below.

As the sun began to set in the west…

…dropping down to the horizon line, into the vast Indian Ocean. The sunset colours played alongside us, ever changing till I just had to pull in, I had to stop. Just one photo, ok maybe two, or was it three…

As the sun disappeared and the dark of night grew, Jack’s headlights illuminated our way as we continued north. It’s rare that I have company on long drives like this so with soft  background music, conversation flowed.

We’d done our planning, right down to every feature we wanted to shoot, and at what height. We knew what the tide was doing, and the weather forecast was still sounding perfect. This is what photography dreams are made of 🤞🏻.

After a good sleep overnight we were back on the road in the morning, joining a convoy of vehicles also heading north. It was the start of the fuel crisis and fuel supply everywhere was a little sketchy so we - and everyone else - had a couple of jerry cans on board.

It was incredible to see how many people were on the road. It was Easter and there was a fuel crisis and the cost had gone through the roof very quickly. l’d heard many people had cancelled their travel plans. Exmouth and Coral Bay had just been hit by Cyclone Narelle, so access to those areas was completely cut off and a lot of bookings unable to be utilised.

The small towns were absolutely supported by tourists from the big city coming to visit and play in their regions. I’ve never seen the town of Denham so filled with 4x4’s, boats, caravans, big rigs, you name it, they were all there , more so than usually :)

Saturday morning was the most perfect morning we could have wished for. Minimal wind, a low tide - stunningly pristine light playing across the entire bay.

Its such a momentous feeling, sitting in a plane with the door off, staring out at the ocean, leaning closer trying to spot sharks and turtles, dugongs and stingrays, I always look, my eyes peeled for them, but very rarely see them. It’s such a privilege to experience our world this way.

Raw, natural and unfiltered. The entirety of the area spread out below us. It was like being a kid in a lolly shop, or for me like being in a camera store with an unlimited budget.

What to shoot, where to look, what was coming up, no, lets circle back to that little gem of scrumptiousness over there.

From the moment we take off, to the moment we land, there;’s opportunity everywhere. Something new to see, something I didn’t spot before, something that’s revealed more clearly by the low tide. When the light, the conditions, the landscape, and the company all align — there are no words for it. Only the feeling.

When we landed, I asked Liz how it was. She looked at me with a grin. That was enough.