11th April, An Anniversary …
Yes, and a memory that I am very fond of from 2021. It all started a few days before the 11th, I had spent some time in northern Victoria and was about to move on to my next destination but I had a few days to kill.
True to form I didn’t think much about the few days to kill till they arrived, so it was time for some very quick ‘Googling’ .. it was now the 10th April. For some reason my mind skipped to snow gums, I have no idea why, but I had always wanted to photograph snow gums but have never really had the opportunity. My search prompts went to nearby snow gums and mountains … you know how I love mountains.
I decided to head to a small town at the foot of the Victorian high country, I had never been to this side if the Great Divide in Victoria so I was keen to do some exploring, my destination was Omeo. Picture in your mind a beautiful small country town at the foot of the mountains and you’ll see Omeo, I loved the place, so iconic in so many ways. I found my accommodation which was conveniently located next to a pub so dinner and bed was all organised, I got an early night to get up early and hit the road looking for snow gums. Now here’s a tip, if you are ever traveling in the North East of Victoria, drop into Omeo and have a look around it’s a great little town in beautiful surroundings.
The 11th of April 2021, morning came, I stuck my head out the window and quickly pulled it back inside, it was bloody cold, I mean it was freezing. A shower, cup of tea and pack up the car and I was off down the street to a cafe for a toasted sandwich and coffee. The cafe was warm, I sat by a window, drinking coffee and looking out on what was obviously a very cold and bleak day, thinking to myself .. yes, I love this. I had no idea where I would go, I just wanted to drive and look for snow gums and anything else that caught my eye, I was in my element, a cold day in the mountains with nothing to do but take photos, I was happy.
Lost in my happiness I sat sipping on coffee and munching on a ham and cheese toasted sandwich when I noticed two cars pull up at the front of the cafe, they both had some snow on them. The people came inside and announced to the owner of the cafe, “it’s coming down at Dinner Plains”. Now I’m not one to reach for my phone at every opportunity but I pulled it out quickly on this occasion, ‘Google/Dinner Plain’. It was only 40 kilometres along the Great Alpine Rd, going up to the High Country, it was only 7.30, could this day get any better!
A View Of Omeo From A Nearby Hill ..
I hit the road, heading westward and upward, such fun, and the closer I got to Dinner Plain the more snow there was along the side of the road. When I got the village of Dinner Plain it was a blanket of white. This was the first snow of the season early and unexpected, talk about being in the right place at the right time, I had no idea where to start so I grabbed a jacket and a camera and started walking, I was in photography Disneyland.
Well, I didn’t want this to stop, there were beautiful landscapes, historic huts and snow gums, oh my goodness so many snow gums, I just walked and took photos for over an hour. I started feeling my feet getting cold, I had on elastic sided leather boots, not really right for walking around in the snow so the heater in the car was starting to sound good. I had taken around 150 photos in two hours, I had a smile on my face that would take the next week to go away, nothing else in this world mattered, the 11th April 2021 was the best day with a camera I had ever had, I still remember it like it was yesterday.
Into The Bush at Dinner Plain ..
One Of The Huts at Dinner Plain ..
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