Landscape
A Glimpse of the World that was
Topic Images
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There are currently 23 photographs in this section.
Rewilding the wilderness
Civilisation was only a few kilometres away, although you would never know it
Magdala creek, Blue Mountains National Park [Oct-2019 688KB]
Tracks through the past
COVID lockdowns encouraged the rediscovery of our neighbourhoods
Tramway track at Darks Common, Lapstone [Aug-2021 794KB]
Past escarpment
It was easy to forget how dramatic the terrain could be
The view south from Thelma Head, Royal National Park NSW [Jul-2019 401KB]
Zigzag environments
Our infrastructure was forever being torched or overgrown
Zigzag Railway upper and lower viaducts, Clarence [Jul-2019 640KB]
Go tell the Spartans
Philip Oldfield, who reviewed Quay Quarter Tower for Architecture Australia, argued that the building is one of the most important of the 21st century, as a demonstration of how office towers of more than 100 metres could be adapted instead of demolished and replaced
Quay Quarter Tower courtyard, Circular Quay [Dec-2022 364KB]
Unlimited potential
Entire hillsides were covered with these things, just standing there and not doing anything
The lower portion of the Wodi Wodi track, near Coalcliff NSW [Oct-2020 827KB]
A crown of ashes
Every Christmas we would gaze up at the pyrocumulus sky, exchange Bushfire Survival Plans and kiss anxiously beneath the epicormic shoots
Woodford bushfire aftermath, Blue Mountains [Dec-2019 705KB]
Remarks
Precipitous descent
Decades of wandering through a hostile terrain, only to flounder in the sea
Ocean cliffs south of Little Marley, Royal National Park NSW [Aug-2020 458KB]
Remarks
Wolo world
Most of the snow melted in the middle of January. Luckily a few weeks later there was huge dump at the beginning of March
Zermatt township & Matterhorn CH [Feb-2024 484KB]
Golden mean
The rise and fall of the west glowed with unfulfilled promise
Garawarra Ridge, Royal National Park NSW [Oct-2019 601KB]
Temporary respite
Spend all morning crawling over room–sized boulders, before having a break and doing it all over again on the way back
Glenbrook Gorge, Lapstone [Aug-2021 611KB]
Remarks
Public Private Partnerships
Local governments were prepared to go to any lengths to protect the value and amenity of beach–side mansions (The Guardian, 2021)
Collaroy Beach anti-erosion seawall. Revisited the site in Mar 2024 and by then sand had been piled almost to the top of the wall [Apr-2022 484KB]
Across the rill and into the trees
The way out was much easier than Papa feared
Fern Dell, near Springwood NSW [Oct-2019 707KB]
The way out was not easy
The unprecedented was discreetly normalised
Florabella pass track, Blue Mountains National Park [Nov-2019 716KB]
Retro refurb
Tranquilly through adverse possession
Whitely Gardens on reclaimed NSW Railway land, Lavender bay in Sydney [Oct-2020 736KB]
Home before the leaves fall
The mist was smoke and haze, the leaves fallen due to drought and fire
Woodford bushfire aftermath, Blue Mountains [Dec-2019 706KB]
Pac–Man rock
Eventually the environment will reward us for our diligence
Florabella pass track, Blue Mountains National Park [Aug-2021 727KB]
Abrupt about face
The first explorers received a nasty surprise when they tried to follow the rivers inland
Glenbrook Creek boulders, Lapstone [Aug-2021 520KB]
Beneath the steps
The smallest details were often overlooked
Sassafras Gully Track, near Springwood [Aug-2021 625KB]
Cruise to live
We were global citizens who liked to move whenever the fancy grabbed us
Majestic Princess cruise–ship at the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal [Dec-2022 372KB]
Leave No Trace
There will come a time when it will be hard to believe we were ever here
Fern Dell, Springwood Blue Mountains National Park [Oct-2019 773KB]
Features of heritage redevelopment
Mate, if you want to make an omelette then you gotta break a few eggs
1920s heritage shops at Lawson in the Blue Mountains NSW, prior to demolition in Dec 2010.
This linear panorama — divided into three strips for easier viewing — was composited by hand from 62 source images. The master image is a continuous panorama 52000 × 3300 pixels [Oct-2006 304KB]
Peak oil
Rapid obsolescence was just around the corner
Motorcycle parking at the top of Hill Street, North Sydney [Oct-2020 378KB]
Remarks
Notes
These images are multi-shot panoramas, typically showing a view 120° wide and 38° vertical.
They were assembled from 6−10 rectilinear images, shot in portrait-format and using an entrance-pupil aligned camera mount. The individual shots were then “stitched” to create partial-panoramas @ 110 MPixel in size.