Australian Landscape Photography | What's New in April 2026 | Landscape Photos | Nature Photos

Photographer's Blog: Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Queensland & Northern NSW

< Previous Entry

During the summer of 2026 I had an opportunity for a relatively long landscape photography trip over two or three weeks. Being on a tight budget air travel was out of the question, so I opted for an extended drive from our home in Victoria, up into the northern New South Wales, and over the border into the southern region of Queensland. The weather, ever of keen interest to photographers, was predictably hot and sunny, so a lot of my efforts were focused on waterfalls which often do not require the sky to be in frame. That said I did still shoot every sunrise and sunset with plenty of hiking and scouting in between. It would be fair to say I pushed myself to make every last moment count, even when the conditions did not look promising. As a result I was completely exhausted by the end of the trip, but genuinely pleased with the images I had managed to capture.

The photographs can be broken into two groups. I will briefly describe those from NSW first, before we move onto to Queensland. After a massive drive the first shoot was at Red Cedar Falls which resides in Dorrigo National Park. I completed most the walk in the dark before the dawn to avoid direct light and make use of a picturesque lingering fog. Trudging along by head torch, at one point I looked down at my legs to see at least 20 leeches attached. I spent a good while removing them, dancing around like a loon trying to observe every inch of myself.

After that I was flicking the devils off every five minutes or so. Fortunately the base of the falls is in an open area that seemed to attract less of the little creatures. The shoot itself went well, happy with the image. Back at the car I stripped down to jocks and did a more comprehensive de-leeching of myself, my clothes and pack, finding bloody bites all over. Finally, as I sat in the car relaxed and confident the situation was dealt with, there on the dashboard appeared yet another one, inching towards me like a tiny zombie. How it got there I have no idea.

Driving north I visited several more waterfalls over the next few days, including Killeen Falls near Byron Bay which looks great from in front and from behind the cave. It was very popular with swimmers but I managed to out wait them, capturing my shots just before darkness set in. Another fun waterfall near Byron Bay was Minyon Falls inside Nightcap National Park. On my visit the carpark filled up quickly and there were lots of people on the trail, despite getting there very early in the morning.

Having selected a composition from well below the falls, I left the camera set up and reshot the image many times over about six hours. This might seem excessive, but it gave me plenty of options. The sun position and direction of light plays a big role in this scene heavily dictating contrast and colour. The force of the wind impacts water flow. Lastly there was the issue of people, and having to wait for them to move out of frame. Given this location is 1600km from home I wanted to make the most of it.

Eventually I made my way across the border into Queensland. It had been several years since my last visit, but I could remember how hot and humid it could become. I used the opportunity to do a number of hikes, the most exciting of which resulted in an image of Lake Moogerah from Mount Greville in the golden light of dawn. Looking at various maps I could see that sunrise would offer the greatest photographic potential if the goal was to capture the lake from on top of the mountain. I had limited time on this trip, and so I naively decided to just wing it. With all my heavy camera gear packed, and enough water to survive a full day in the heat, I headed up in the dark several hours ahead of dawn.

My first mistake was choosing to ascend via the Waterfall Gorge track, which is not so much a trail but more a suggestion of one. On the map this appears to be the fastest route to the side of the peak overlooking Lake Moogerah, whilst the other options meandered around more. A few hours in, having clambered up the steep dry river bed, hauling myself over rocks and tree roots, I was feeling pretty tired but could see by the GPS that I was close to topping out. Then I reached a spot where, had there been any rain, a small waterfall may have existed. I looked at it from every angle and despite, or perhaps because I have many years of rock climbing experience I decided that it would be too dangerous to scramble up. (Note for others, keep left, the track does exist). With no other options I descended back to the car without a photograph.

The next evening, having rested up, I felt ready to try again. This time I chose the longer South East Ridge track, which proved to be much more trail-like, at least until it neared the top, then it became a question of hunting for the occasional cairn and checking the GPS repeatedly. Eventually, tired and flustered, I found the summit, and almost immediately abandoned it hurrying down to Slab Rock, slithering through the narrow, overgrown path that deposited me on the most amazing viewpoint with about 20 minutes to spare before sunrise. Fortunately the best place to photograph from seemed fairly obvious. Scaling an outcrop of rock I had an uninterrupted view, marred only by the precarious nature of the position given the sheer cliffs on almost all sides.

The sun did its thing, bathing the scene in glorious golden light. With the image in the bag I was feeling quite elated and decided to risk taking Waterfall Gorge as my descent. When I neared the section that had foiled my attempts the previous morning I could now see the path clearly hugging one side of the deep ravine. I would therefore say to anyone else doing this walk, a clockwise loop using Waterfall Gorge as the descent is preferable in terms of navigation. Finishing my descent I found it actually quite enjoyable, being mostly in the shade of the cliffs, with lots of interesting palm trees for company.

Another memorable moment was capturing sunset over Mount Barney. Hiking up via the South East Ridge and down via Peasants Ridge takes 10 hours of very strenuous effort. On this particular trip I had limited time and so chose to photograph the peak from one of the more accessible neighbouring viewpoints, rather than take on the full journey in the height of summer. It was a hot cloudless day, but the evening did offer photographic opportunities, allowing me to capture an image facing directly into the setting sun.

Mount Ngungun in the Glass House Mountains also delivered the goods. In the two images from this location we are looking inland, where the peaks of Mount Beerwah and Mount Coonowrin (Crookneck) appear lined up. Shooting straight into the setting sun from at top an exposed ridgeline, with a storm approaching did present some challenges. Fast shutter speeds can only achieve so much. Nature, on this day, gave me some amazing light, but also blustery conditions. Normally I do everything possible to ensure perfect detail right across the frame, but in this case the wind was unavoidable. Fortunately its impact is isolated and the implied sense of movement in those few trees creates a sense of drama, reminding the viewer that nature is both beautiful and powerful.

There are several more images here worth mentioning, like the Surfers Paradise Twilight view that I only just managed to capture after rouge water-skiers finally decided to call it a night and depart. Back in the Glass House Mountains I found One Tree Hill to be in good form. On this occasion I spent an hour or so here at sunset, using a long lens from the roadside. This perspective really brings the mountains forward giving them presence whilst also isolating the tree. The disadvantage, of course, is limited depth of field. Focus here is on the tree, which is tack sharp, whilst the background is somewhat outside the focal plane. The alternative would be trespassing to move closer to the tree, which I would not recommend unless you obtain permission.

Queensland of course, also has some impressive waterfalls. I managed to visit several of them in both Springbrook National Park, Lamington National Park and beyond. Some I had already shot, but wanted to capture again using the medium format camera which has a 4 x 3 aspect ratio that can be quite pleasing in vertical orientation, perfect for waterfalls. Hiking out of Lamington in the dark, after a very long day, I swear a large dog-like creature bounded across the track in front of me. I am usually not at all fussed about walking in the dark in remote areas, often preferring the quiet cool of night, but on this occasion the shadowy demon shape made me jump.

When there was promise of colour I spent a few attempts at Fingal Head Causeway and the lighthouse there. After a few goes I did managed to come away with a nice image of each subject. I am particularly pleased with the lighthouse photo, because it has the moon in it. A small detail, but it does kind of make the image in my opinion. The causeway of course, is spectacular as well, with its volcanic columns rising above the tide, though it can be a challenge to photograph. Too much wave action causes the foreground channel to become overly white, not to mention potentially drenching the photographer. Conversely too little and it can look somewhat underwhelming.

Eventually I ran out of time and had to start driving back south. Wanting to prolong the journey I decided to return via the east coast and in doing so had a great sunrise shoot at Glasshouse Rocks near Narooma. It was the perfect way to end the trip and before long I was back in central Victoria, happy to be home among family again, with lots of stories to tell.

So that is it for this blog. The next adventure will see our young lad and I head back out along the same east coast of NSW, all the way to the Blue Mountains. So until then I bid you farewell. Thanks for reading, and may life also grant you some peace and tranquillity in nature.

Photographic Print Only		US Dollars
8" x 12"	20cm x 31cm	$20 US
10" x 15"	25cm x 38cm	$25 US
12" x 18"	31cm x 46cm	$35 US
16" x 24"	41cm x 61cm	$55 US
20" x 30"	51cm x 76cm	$65 US
24" x 36"	61cm x 91cm	$85 US
30" x 40"	76cm x 102cm	$100 US
Panoramic Prints		US Dollars
8" x 24"	20cm x 61cm	$35 US
10" x 30"	25cm x 76cm	$50 US
12" x 36"	31cm x 91cm	$60 US
16" x 48"	41cm x 122cm	$100 US
20" x 60"	51cm x 152cm	$160 US
30" x 90"	76cm x 228cm	$185 US
Canvas Prints (Standard)		US Dollars
8" x 12"	20cm x 31cm	$75 US
12" x 18"	31cm x 46cm	$95 US
16" x 24"	41cm x 61cm	$100 US
20" x 30"	51cm x 76cm	$125 US
24" x 36"	61cm x 91cm	$175 US
30" x 40"	76cm x 102cm	$200 US
Canvas Prints (Panoramic)		US Dollars
10" x 30"	25cm x 76cm	$150 US
12" x 36"	31cm x 91cm	$180 US
20" x 60"	51cm x 152cm	$310 US
Metal/Aluminum Prints		US Dollars
8" x 12"	20cm x 31cm	$150 US
12" x 18"	31cm x 46cm	$200 US
16" x 24"	41cm x 61cm	$250 US
20" x 30"	51cm x 76cm	$300 US
24" x 36"	61cm x 91cm	$350 US
30" x 40"	76cm x 102cm	$400 US
Metal/Aluminum Prints (Panoramic)		US Dollars
6" x 18"	15cm x 46cm	$125 US
8" x 24"	20cm x 61cm	$150 US
10" x 30"	25cm x 76cm	$200 US
12" x 36"	31cm x 91cm	$250 US
16" x 48"	41cm x 122cm	$400 US
20" x 60"	51cm x 152cm	$550 US
30" x 90"	76cm x 228cm	$1000 US

Timber Framed Prints		Australian
8" x 12"	20cm x 31cm	$172 AUD
12" x 18"	31cm x 46cm	$245 AUD
16" x 24"	41cm x 61cm	$300 AUD
Photographic Print Only		Australian
8" x 12"	20cm x 31cm	$27 AUD
12" x 18"	31cm x 46cm	$33 AUD
16" x 24"	41cm x 61cm	$70 AUD
20" x 30"	51cm x 76cm	$92 AUD
Panoramic Prints		Australian
4" x 12"	10cm x 31cm	$27 AUD
6" x 18"	15cm x 46cm	$33 AUD
8" x 24"	20cm x 61cm	$70 AUD
10" x 30"	25cm x 76cm	$92 AUD
16" x 48"	41cm x 122cm	Please use US Printer
20" x 60"	51cm x 152cm
30" x 90"	76cm x 228cm
33" x 100"	84cm x 254cm	Available On Request (Email)
40" x 120"	102cm x 305cm	Available On Request (Email)
Canvas Prints (Standard)		Australian
8" x 12"	20cm x 31cm	$132 AUD
12" x 18"	31cm x 46cm	$172 AUD
16" x 24"	41cm x 61cm	$224 AUD
20" x 30"	51cm x 76cm	$285 AUD
Canvas Prints (Panoramic)		Australian
4" x 12"	10cm x 31cm	$132 AUD
6" x 18"	15cm x 46cm	$172 AUD
8" x 24"	20cm x 61cm	$224 AUD
10" x 30"	25cm x 76cm	$285 AUD
20" x 60"	51cm x 152cm	Please use US Printer
33" x 100"	84cm x 254cm	Available On Request (Email)
40" x 120"	102cm x 305cm	Available On Request (Email)
Poster		Australian
15" x 23"	39cm x 59cm	$25 AUD
22" x 33"	56cm x 84cm	$40 AUD
31" x 47"	79cm x 119cm	$70 AUD
Postcard		Australian
4" x 6"	10cm x 15cm	$3 AUD
Greeting Card with Envelope		Australian
4" x 6"	10cm x 15cm	$4.50 AUD
5" x 7.5"	13cm x 19cm	$7.00 AUD

Australian Landscape & Nature Photography by Michael Boniwell

What's New in April 2026

LARGE Panoramas - Suitable for enormous prints metres wide.

MEDIUM Format - Latest technology. Easily suitable for prints 60 inches and beyond.

Queensland & Northern NSW

Landscape Photography Print Prices

Commercial Stock & Commissioned Photography