Easter fun

With Easter and Anzac day being so close together this year there was the opportunity to take an extended break and I was able to get away with friends and family to see some of New South Wales prettiest parts.

For the first part of the trip a group of us ventured to New England National Park. Its a 7 hour drive from Sydney and sits on the Waterfall Way between Armidale and Coffs Harbour. We stayed in a couple of cabins high up in the rainforest at nearly 1500m altitude. A beautiful place but we did spend most of our stay living in the clouds. However that lent itself to some beautiful rainforest scenery and atmosphere.

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And outside of our little cloudy cottages the scenery was also stunning and it made the trip so worthwhile. All along Waterfall Way there are national parks and waterfalls and vistas galore, its well worth the visit.

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For the second part of the trip Truc and I took Alfie for a few nights camping at Chapman Valley near Putty. This vast piece of farmland is home to a horse riding centre and is also used for cattle. The real pleasure here though is that they allow camping on very remote parts of the farm. This means that we were able to camp miles away from anybody else and enjoy nature at its very best. There are many hiking and riding options on the property itself and we were a short drive away from the wineries in Broke and the beautiful Cold River.

From photography point of view we were blessed with clear skies and an opportunity to watch the millions of stars. We also were spoiled with gorgeous countryside and panoramas.

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The remote campsite

The remote campsite

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All Images on this trip were taken on the Fuji XT-2 its a great little mirrrorless DSLR which is great for travelling. Its packed full of features too and extremely versatile in all conditions. As ever all images here are available as limited edition wall prints. Available in a range of sizes and finishes.

Farm Life

With a yearning to escape the rat race of Sydney for the weekend, Truc, Alfie and I ventured to the Capertee Valley last week for a magnificent Farmstay weekend.

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Yarraglen Homestead is a fully sustainable farm that is situated just outside of Glen Alice, about a 3 hour drive from Sydney. Its less than a hour from Mudgee, Rylstone and Lithgow.

The fresh air, the isolation, the beautiful views of the Capertee Valley and curious animals made it a perfect getaway. The owners Sandy and Bill live up in the main house which they have been building for the past few years. We rented their cottage, a delightful self-sufficient accomodation with a large fully fenced yard that Alfie could roam freely in and chat to the neighbouring cows, goats, and chickens. 

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Bill has a wide and varied collection of old vehicles on the farm which made for some great photos at all times of the day and night.

It certainly wasn't easy leaving the cosy fireplace in the cottage to photograph the stars but when I saw that old truck I just had to give it a  go.

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The animals on the farm were more than happy to pose for photographs and some were even friendlier than that an, Alfie made friends with a  baby goat that Sandy named 'Saturday' after the day on which he was born a few weeks earlier.

Sunrise is a favourite time of the day for me although I admit it's hard to get out of bed at times, especially on a chilly morning. To be honest this particular sunrise was not the most spectacular but walking across the fields with my four legged friend by my side made this one that I will remember for a long time.

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Man, dog, sunrise

Alfie

Alfie

It was a such a beautiful place to relax and rejuvenate and I'm sure that we will go back there one day soon. The kids will love it and I'm sure Alfie is keen to play with Saturday again.

You can check out the Yarragelen Homestead website here. Their homemade breads, jams, milk and fresh produce were all fantastic too and Sandy even does cookery classes.

All images here are available to purchase as limited edition fine art prints - please get in touch for more details.


 

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Pets Win Prizes.

Sometimes when you go away to small country towns for the weekend you can struggle to find fun things to do. Not so Dungog in NSW and in particular the tiny town of Wallarobba who put on an awesome Oktoberfest afternoon.

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Not only were there the fabulous local beers, Oompah band and awesome german sausages but they also had a somewhat bizarre but utterly cute Daschund Dash race.I turned up as a visitor and ended up volunteering to photograph the festivities.

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It was so much fun, and getting paid in beer made it all worthwhile. Many thanks to all the organisers at Wallarobba Hall for putting on such a great day

 


I'd also like to introduce you to the newest member of the team here at Tony Newby Photography. Her name is Macie and she is a 12 week old Bichoodle (Bichon Frise x Poodle)... and she's awesome.

Dogs and photography are both huge passions of mine and nothing gives me more pleasure than when I can combine the two. 

If you have a furry family member that you would like photographed please get in touch, I'd love to chat to you about how I can help you capture those cherished memories.

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As well as the Sausage Dog race there was a best dressed competition and an obstacle course that was a challenge for both dogs and handlers alike.

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