After dark - Barron Gorge
26th December 2020
Sunset after burn in the Gorge 6th March 2020
I had been in the Gorge hundreds of times before I got this photo. That late in the day also means a lot of walking in the dark on the way out. It is not until recently that I have started to enjoy hanging around after sunset and taking video and the odd photograph in the dark.
One of my favourite spots. Water will soon flow where my bag is.
Sometimes it is well after dark before I can get out because below the bridge in the Gorge is subject to a big rise and fall in the water level depending on how much is released from the power plant. Unless you are aware of this you may find yourself stuck on a rock formation in the middle of the Gorge.
Silt covered rocks in the main river.
As water flows over those rocks and wets the silt covered surface they become as slippery as ice. When I head out into the middle of the river onto a large rock formation I know it will be a while before the path back will be above water.
The same spot now under water.
With that section now under water two things happen. I settle in for the sunset and the kayakers start to come down the river.
Many of the kayakers will come down the river as soon as there is enough water and then go back up to the bridge and ride the river again as the water flow increases. I have even seen them coming down in near darkness.
Darkness falling on the power station and the rocks
Once the darkness starts to set into the Gorge it has a totally different feel and the nocturnal animals come out to play as you will see later in this post.
October 2020
As I settled in on my rock island that night I got to watch the cars make their way out of the Gorge and the near full moon and stars begin to reveal themselves.
When the moon is full it illuminates the Gorge to create a state between night and day. With long exposures it also allows you to photograph the Gorge at night without any artificial light
The Gorge at 8:30pm that night during the full moon. 30 second exposure.
I never cease to be amazed at how a photo like this can be possible. You will notice in the photo that the water has now receded. The water flow gets turned off/reduced at the power station and that rocky path that I used to enter the middle of the river reveals itself again to allow me return home.
After dark it is very rare that I bump into anyone in the Gorge. These young men were settling in for the night on top of Gorilla Rock back in November 2019. I see old campfires more often further into the Gorge at Devils Pool.
In the dark I am more likely to bump into a frog, mouse, rat or snake than I am humans. Shining a light in the water is fun to watch the fish as well.
November saw the green frogs become very vocal at night. I originally expected to see them in or near the water but found them high up on the rocks calling to each other. My headlamp strobes in the video sorry. Will have to figure out how to stop that. That will be another thing on the todo list for 2021.
July 2020
Speaking of the 2021 todo list, another thing on it is to improve my astro photography. I find this type of photography extremely difficult. I got lucky this night as a worker from the power plant illuminated the bridge with his car as he left.