One of Tasmania’s most scenic regions, the Bay of Fires is located on the north eastern coast extending from Eddystone Point in the north to Binalong Bay in the south. Most of the bay is inaccessible by vehicle; however a 4 day guided walk is available. The Bay of Fires walk is considered one of Australia’s great walks.

I have spent countless hours over many years exploring the Bay of Fires, there are just so many photographic opportunities here, and it’s hard to know where to start.

This resilient tree is one of my favourite locations. The tree is not easy to find, hidden away in a cosy sheltered cove near the southern end of the bay.

After concluding my September 2017 five day Tasmania photography workshop, I spent Friday night in Launceston ready to fly back home the next morning.

I was restless though, I had been watching the weather carefully during the week and snow was forecast at Cradle Mountain that night and right through to mid-afternoon Saturday. Could there be another opportunity for me to capture the dream shot of Cradle Mountain I had been chasing for so long?

I got the all clear from Suzy for one final night in Tasmania, cancelled my morning flight, then organised a hire car - the last 4WD they had available. I then booked accommodation at Cradle Mountain, also securing the last room in the hotel! (School holidays are not a great time to be making last minute travel arrangements.)

Once organised, I started to monitor the temperature and rainfall at Cradle Mountain carefully. I didn’t want to make the 4 hour return drive if there wasn’t going to be enough snow for the shot I have been chasing.

It was looking great early in the day but by lunch-time the snow was melting incredibly quickly. By the time I finished my lunch it was time to make an executive decision – Cradle Mountain or should I spend my highly valued extra night elsewhere? Now that I’m a father, my time has become so much more valuable.

By then I knew that the conditions at Cradle Mountain just weren’t going to cut it. So what should I do instead? I only had 3-4 hours to travel before magic hour would begin and I needed to be setup at my chosen location. As I went through my mental list of stunning locations in Tasmania, I also checked the sky above me. It was looking like we were due for a colourful sunset.

What about the Bay of Fires? Perfect!

I cancelled my hotel room then hit the road and arrived at the tree with only half an hour to spare. The sky was looking very promising indeed.

I setup my Phase ONE and started experimenting with compositions, working with the beautiful scattered clouds in the sky.

The light that followed was truly remarkable; the sky went yellow then slowly transitioned to red. As the light peaked I captured this stunning moment, what an incredible palette of colours!