What a fantastic escape it was to Hattah-Kulkyne National Park last winter! After a hectic end to 2022, and a busy new year, I’ve finally found time to sit down and process the last of my photos.
The park is situated in the Mallee country of Victoria, about 450 km north-west of Melbourne, and 75 km south of Mildura, and is centred on the Hattah Lakes system of freshwater wetlands.
Joining me for the trip in June 2022 was my photographer brother Scott (Instagram @aussiebirdphotography). Our original plans to visit Mungo National Park in New South Wales had been stymied after heavy rain in the lead-up; so a visit to Hattah-Kulkyne National Park was a quickly devised but excellent plan B.
Our base was the superbly peaceful camping area at Lake Mournpall. This proved to be the perfect location to explore from, both for my landscapes and Scott’s bird photography.
Exploring this part of Victoria for the first time, my eyes were wide open. Scott, however was well familiar with the park and surrounds from previous birding trips. It was handy to have a personal guide at my disposal, with intel on the best camping and photography spots, not to mention the hot tips on where to find the region’s best vanilla slice!
Being a snap decision to visit here I hadn’t done my usual research, and came with no preconception of the type of photographs I wanted to take. With that came more of a blank canvas approach to my photography which was quite liberating.
I quickly figured out that the park wasn’t the place to go for grand vista landscape photos; but it was certainly a superb location to capture more intimate and abstract shots of the vegetation, especially the majestic stands of river red gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) lining the water courses.
While Scott was focussed on the large variety of birdlife, I was drawn to the towering eucalypts, with their stunning & colourful bark patterns.
I made the most of the opportunity for some bird photography practice too, picking up on Scott’s expertise. The highlight of the trip was observing the endangered Mallee Emu-wren in the spinifex; and seeing many other new species for me, including the Striated Grasswren.
None of my bird shots made the grade to share here, but Scott kindly provided this beautiful pic of the Mallee Emu-wren:
This was my first outing with the super-sharp new Sony 24-70 F2.8 GM II lens, which arrived conveniently on the afternoon before I left home. It was a real pleasure to have this lens in my hands, and although I rate the Sony 24-105 G lens highly, I found an appreciable difference in sharpness and weight. Very happy indeed!
Now for the pics:
Lake Tyrrell
On the way to Hattah-Kulkyne National Park we made an overnight stopover at the town of Sea Lake, to visit nearby Lake Tyrrell, Victoria’s largest salt lake.
Unfortunately the skies were not ideal at the lake, and we hit some flat lighting conditions. There was no astrophotography to be had, but the quick orientation was enough to get me hooked for a future visit. There was just enough time to browse some beautiful Lake Tyrrell photography and enjoy a great coffee at Sea Lake’s Skymirror Gallery; well worth the visit if you’re ever in town.
Images featured in this story were captured in June 2022. Equipment: Sony a7R III + Sony FE 24-70 GM II.
I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country featured in this story; pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging; and recognise their continuing connection to the land and waters that I was fortunate to photograph.
