Waterfalls of the Blue Mountains

[quietaustralian]

Stunning pics!!

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

No, not yet Dot.

You should, they are indeed stunning.

Yes, record heat waves hitting Australia at the moment. Last Monday was the hottest day recorded across Australia. There was an average temperature of 40.3oC. I can't sort of get my head around that figure. The average of 700-800 weather stations right across Australia was greater than 40oC. Well that record will only last one day as yesterday was even hotter and will certainly beat it.

Another record was broken - 6 consecutive days where the average temperature across Australia was greater than 39oC. The previous record was 4. This record will certainly increase to 7, possibly 8. Another very hot week ahead is predicted.

The effect of climate change on Australia is pretty frightening. Australia is already a very hot and dry country. Climate change will tip it over the edge. A lot of it will become uninhabitable.

Agreed. Regardless of what you have to say about GW, things are heating up in ways that put all of us in danger. Japan had its hottest year on record back in 2010 - locally that year we had the hottest summer recorded (a 120 year record) with August coming in at an average of 30.3 C, which is similar to parts of Equatorial Africa. What saves us from higher temps is all the water that surrounds Japan.

Continental climates are going to get hit the hardest. It looks like Africa and Australia will be the first to really get whacked. Dunno where "safe" is anymore - New Zealand? Patagonia? Hawaii? Antarctica...

 

[Leo Schordje]

Beautiful photos David. Thanks for posting.

For those US members who don't think in C, 40.3 C is roughly 105 F, hot by any measure.

The US has logged 2012 as the hottest year on record for the USA too. If it gets much warmer I'm thinking it won't be long and I can have an outdoor palm tree nursery, right here at the Wisconsin border.

Our winter has been so far, quite mild. Chicago-Milwaukee area is having a winter more like a moderate winter in Memphis. January 9 and we haven' had any temperatures below 10 F, nothing below - 12 C. This is quite warm for us. No snow cover either, and way behind on precipitation. Very mild indeed.
I don't mind not having to cope with the snow, but this is so unusual it is a little scary.

 

[The Orchid Boy]

Just viewed the thread now, sad I didn't do it sooner. GREAT photography!

 

[SlipperFan]

I agree with Leo, although we've had a little snow. But most of it will be gone by the weekend. I don't mind the "warmer than normal" but I don't like that the country has also been much drier than normal.

I'm feeling sad for the Aussies and their heat wave and fires.

 

[Ozpaph]

David, masterful photos and thanks for sharing those great tips!

 

[Brabantia]

Fantastic photos, thank you for sharing these. No orchids in this country?

 

[emydura]

Continental climates are going to get hit the hardest. It looks like Africa and Australia will be the first to really get whacked.

I recently saw some predictions of what the temperatures in various places in Australia will be ib the future. Darwin currently has on average 11 days a year over 35oC. That is predicted to increase to 308 days a year.

Another intersting statistic I read today was that of the hottest 20 days (average temp) in the last 100 years in Australia, 8 have occurred this year. This year is only 11 days old.

Beautiful photos David. Thanks for posting.

For those US members who don't think in C, 40.3 C is roughly 105 F, hot by any measure.
.

Particularly when you consider that is just an average over 800 weather stations. Assuming a normal distribution, roughly half the country was hotter with many places way hotter. Australia is a big country with many different climates, so it is incredible that you can average 105F. No end to it either. Today is an absolute scorcher.

Fantastic photos, thank you for sharing these. No orchids in this country?

There are plenty of orchids in the Blue Mountains. They include Dendrobium speciosum, two species of Cymbidium, Sarchochilus, Liparis and lots of different terrestrial orchids. These are cool temperate orchids. The winters can get quite cool in this area.

 

[Clark]

Great images David.
You are very fortunate to have a place like this, where one can have the time to set up and shoot, without somebody walking into the view.

 

[biothanasis]

Wonderful pictures!!!!! Bravo David :clap:

 

[emydura]

Great images David.
You are very fortunate to have a place like this, where one can have the time to set up and shoot, without somebody walking into the view.

Thanks Clark. Most people were still in bed when I took these photos. I got up there at about 6 am. I like to photograph in good even shaded light, so a early start is best which also means you can photograph without lots of people getting in the way.

 

[Clark]

Wife and I do what you do.
In car many times at 4 am., to get to a spot at sunrise.
So many times, at arrival, we look at each other and say- omg, look how many people are here already.
It is what it is.

 

[emydura]

Wife and I do what you do.
In car many times at 4 am., to get to a spot at sunrise.
So many times, at arrival, we look at each other and say- omg, look how many people are here already.
It is what it is.

Not many places in Australia where that would happen. The Twelve Apostles would be one. I'm generally on my own when I photograph which I like. In these last lot of photos a couple of photographers turned up as I was finishing.

 

[ericst11]

Wow amazing

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Hey Clark and David, try photography in Japan! Man, you ain't never alone near any scenic attraction, not even in the pouring rain. That's what happens when you have 130 million people living in an area the size of California I guess.