Last night I headed up to Mt Cootha for the fireworks as my mother had a meeting at the gardens. Before I decided to go up I rang the cafe on the summit to ask what the fireworks were like from the summit, she assured me that they were great.
Myself and another photographer friend headed up to see what we could get. In short I was pretty disappointed. I guess though now I know where not to go for the fireworks next year. Next year I want to take photos from 10 different spots for the 10 days of the Ekka 🙂
Last night I headed to the parking lot on the cnr of Herston and Bowen Bridge Rd to take Ekka fireworks from the classic position. I have taken Ekka fireworks here for the last three years and each time just love the beauty of the fireworks exploding over Sideshow Alley. This year I took a slightly different perspective than I have before. There was not as much wind this year which meant that the smoke lingered round for a bit longer. I met up with two other guys off POTN and we had fun chatting and taking photos of course.
It is that time of year again. Ekka time. This year I am going to take Ekka fireworks photos for 5 nights of the Ekka, that is providing that nothing happens between now and Sunday. I currently have another 3 spots planned for taking fireworks photos and might spend the day at the Ekka on Sunday to take some more photos from inside the ekka. Last night I headed up to Eildon Hill Reservoir to take photos.
When I left the Troubadour early last Monday morning, we had made plans to catch Parents on Tuesday night and maybe go to the beach on Tuesday. Monday Arvo, I was awakened by a phone call from Svavar, asking me if I wanted to go to Noosa with them for the night. As I had just bought my BIFF tickets for that night minutes before I said no. Then a phone call to Mum to hash it over I decided to skip BIFF for the night and to hit the road to Noosa. I rang Svavar back and then an hour so later I was at Thor’s house ready to pile into Ronnie’s land cruiser for an escape from Brisbane.
Once we were up the highway we made a toilet stop and supplies stop. For most journeys that is nothing out of the ordinary. Ronnie’s car often takes a little bit of fiddling to get going again. This of course proved a perfect time for some photos.
We made it Noosa and found the YHA, after a walk round town we headed back to the hostel for dinner as well everything else was just slightly out of our price range. Had a very nice veggie lasagne from the hostel kitchen. Then it was time to socialise, play with cameras and watch the International Ping Pong tournament between Pete and Svavar, I believe Pete may have won this round.
From a photography perspective, I love this shot as I took it just as the flash went off on Svavar’s camera.
After some shenanigans, it was down to the beach for some ‘walking after midnight (though it wasn’t midnight yet), chasing the waves, doing cartwheels/handstands and having fun with some shadow plays.
The next morning we woke up and made pancakes for breakfast, Ronnie headed off to do a mornings work with some guys who came to the hostel the night before.
We headed off into the wilderness, well Noosa National Park. Where 3/4 of our party went swimming twice. Do the maths and look at the photos, I was not a crazy nutter. I didn’t go swimming.
Svavar, he relished the chance to swim in the Pacific Ocean and he ended up swimming at all three beaches we stopped at during the day. Pete was also in the water, but he is a Melbourne boy. Thor well she is 50% Icelandic compared to my 25%. I well I am a Brisbane girl, we don’t go swimming at the beach in Winter, the water is just too cold!
After a while it was wisely decided to head round to a more sheltered beach where the distance from trees to water was less. We walked up to Hells Gate which provided a great chance to whip out the 12-24mm and take some portraits.
Shooting straight into the Sun gave me some sweet as sugar flare with this photo.
We then started walking again to the next beach where, Pete, Svavar and Thor frolicked in the ocean like Puff the Magic Dragon.
Before it was time to retreat to the towels for some relaxing and some music.
As well as checking out the local wildlife.
Once we had all baked like chickens in an oven we headed back to the entry of the National Park where we were met by Ronnie and we cooked up a pretty wicked BBQ lunch made all the more special by Svavar’s made on the spot Guacamole. Then we headed off to Noosa’s main beach where we spread out under some Pandanus , chatted and enjoyed some more music with Pete and Svavar providing a perfect soundtrack for an arvo at the beach.
All good things to come to an end and before too long we were back in Ronnie’s land cruiser heading home to catch Parents with Thor’s parents, my dad and Tom the other member of this travelling trio of Troubadours.
A totally random trip and quite possibly the most spur of the moment thing I have done with people that I didn’t really know and it turned out to be the most fantastic experience.
Sunday night in short the most touching or moving concert I have ever been to. I have been to concerts where I have loved the music and danced or grooved the show away but to have a concert where the three headliners reach inside and touch you with each song they sing is a rare occurrence. There may not have had any fancy lights or a packed house but the music was soul music. Music about Iceland, about life, about travelling and just music. When I eventually got home, I wept not cried, not sobbed but wept myself to sleep as I was just so moved by the music of Tom, Pete and Svavar. Sunday night also set the stage for two days of fun on Monday and Tuesday with the Icelandic Posse as Clare called it. I was with one of my best mates (Clare) and made a swag of new friends as well. What more can you ask for?
First up was local lass Tara Simmons. I haven’t seen Tara play an entire set before so it was nice to finally catch a set and it was quite nice to start the night off with her.
Next up was Pete or Owls of the Swamp as he is known. Pete, touched something inside a few of us on Sunday night as he talked and sang about his experiences in Iceland. There were times when you would think to yourself, hey I have been there or I know exactly what he means. And as much as you want to get on the next plane to Iceland and see all those familiar sights again and give endless hugs to your nieces and nephews you know that you can’t.
Mr Woodward, Tom Woodward. Mr Tom has a song called Reminding Me Of You(follow link for a listen) which in 20 years time I can see people drunkenly singing it in Pubs along to the covers band in the corner or on the Karaoke machine. I reckon that Reminding Me Of You is the “Sweet Home Alabama” of 2007. Since Sunday night I just can’t get it out of my head. And with a mop of curls like this how could you not just love him.
Svavar. Frankly words don’t describe it from Clemetine to a lullaby to the rip roaring drinking song and everything in between it was pure magic.
Check out the Rave review for more flowing and structured notes on the night, I think you all know by now that I don’t do/can’t do that sort of review. I am very much looking forward to seeing all three of the guys sing again either round Aus or in Iceland.
Oh and Clare, the polaroid is coming. How could I not share that.
We went to the Australian Outback Spectacular at the Gold Coast on Sunday night for Mum’s birthday along with Aunty Susan and Ian who are over for a short holiday from NZ.
It was an interesting night. For the price of your ticket you get a straw hat, three course meal and a showcase of the outback, the history and where we are now. It was nice to have been once but I wouldn’t be rushing back there in a hurry. Well perhaps I would rush back to have more of the salad that we were served as a starter as it was very very yummy. It had lots of endive which I just love as well. Though I wasn’t fussed over the AACo Steak or the Pavlova.
Upon entry you are herded past a series of photo stations and a shop into the bar/holding pen area where they want you to spend money on drinks for 45mins or so until they let you into the arena to your seat where you are then given free beer, wine, lemonade or water. The holding pen is decorated with lots and lots of outback memorabilia such as signs, hats, fence posts, photos etc etc.
This sign in particular was my fav.
The arena is divided into two sections, one half supports Austral Downs, the visiting station with a yellow hat band and the other half supports Wondoola Station with a red hat band. We were in the Wondoola Station section which was good because I thought the yellow hat bands were pretty average.This of course meant that whilst we were in the holding pen it was a sea of hats.
Now a stereotypical outback bar is just not going to be true blue if there is not a country singer with his/her guitar and if the stage does not suit you, what better stage is there than the back of a ute.
There was three acts in the show. The first act introduced you to the outback and the people of the outback as well as some circus style horse riding which was quite good. The second act saw a reciting of The Man from Snowy River as well as “mustering” of sheep, cattle and colts before we see the men breaking in the colts in the stereotypical rough and tough way of literally breaking them and not getting anywhere. Than the daughter comes along and “whispers” to the horse and then proceeds to easily mount it and ride it round the arena. To which the men humbly accept that maybe there are better ways to break in a horse. To show how the outback has adapted to technology they mustered the cattle with a helicopter as well as quad bikes and horses. The helicopter was pretty cool, it is suspended on a rail which runs down the centre of the arena and then uses it own power to move down the rail and turn side to side. Very cool.
The final act was a competition which saw members of the audience pulled out for a kids chicken race, a beer can regatta as well a the typical barrel and flag races.
They also had a camel race round the arena which was a bit of a have really as two camels come in with two riders, they go round the ring once and then out the door again, I would have loved to have seen them go round the ring twice at least so you could actually see the animals and get a feel for them. Whilst points are awarded to the two teams through out the final act it comes down to the audience as to which station wins the show with a hat passing race. On our night the opposing station Austral Downs won the show.
One of the things I did really enjoy were the images that they projected onto the backdrop especially for The Man from Snowy River where they had a series of panoramic scenes which they would pan over as the poem progresses. That was really cool and there were some gorgeous photos on the screen.
