Monday 29 December 2014

Reimagining the what? I'm amused.

I'm reading the Tasmanian tourism industry's paper on major projects. Page 22, entitled "Reimagining the visitor experience: Cradle Mountain" is accompanied by this photo of a young lady sitting outside a rustic hut, enjoying a cuppa, and at peace with the world. Nothing wrong with that?

No, not as long as you understand that the hut is Du Cane Hut, roughly 4 days or so's walk south for most people, and the photo has been flipped 180 deg to improve the artistic layout. So, we're representing Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake with a photo of a hut you can't see there, and even if you could, it doesn't look like that because we've taken artistic licence with it. It becomes just a generic rustic hut in the wilderness, rather than the well-known historic structure encountered as you walk the Overland Track. Reimagined indeed.

It's perhaps not as bad as the business directory a good many years ago which tried to compete with the Yellow Pages. They put Cradle Mountain on the cover, but they'd flipped it 180 degrees. Obvious to most who'd been there, but, at that time, less so to many other people. I think these days, everyone would notice. Amusingly, I think the same was done by one of the GPS manufacturers in an ad which appeared in outdoor magazines. At least on this page, the graphic of Cradle Mountain itself is the right way around.

Few will notice this, or care, but I think it indicates the thinking we see too often - it's about making money from it, not remaining true to anything. The people doing the selling of our wilderness have too often never been there, wouldn't want to go, and have little idea why anyone else would want to. After all that, they do present some good ideas in the paper. The implementation will be interesting.

Monday 22 December 2014

Lake Helios Panorama - North to Mount Ossa

Lots more to come, including some Labyrinth photos, but here's a big panorama looking north from Lake Helios to Mount Ossa. I think this view is superb. The valley drops away precipitously below you, and the Mount Ossa massif rises beyond. This was a little while before sunset after rainy weather boycotted my mountain climbing plans.

From the left, we can see Barn Bluff in the far distance behind the Thetis/Paddys Nut saddle, Paddys Nut, Mount Ossa and all its "bits", Mount Pelion East (pointy), and Mount Pillinger with what I think is probably Western Bluff behind it, although I'm going to have to get a map out and will stand corrected. On the right is Mount Massif, part of the Du Cane Range. Very privileged to be able to sit and look at this.

My previous trip there in 2002 provided great sunrise photos, on film, some of which are here.

View north from Lake Helios, Cradle Mt - Lake St Clair NP - 17th December 2014

Sunday 14 December 2014

Du Cane Range Panorama

Off to the Labyrinth tomorrow. Meanwhile here's the Du Cane Range panorama taken from The Acropolis early the other morning. This is a very spectacular place.

The Du Cane Range from The Acropolis - 7th December 2014
Five-shot stitched panorama.