 Awhile between posts, however life,as always dear readers, has been interesting. Had not wanted to spend another winter in Victoria, but... As things turned out that is exactly what has happened lol. Decided to do a Victorian Road Trip this time round and set off with Loretta, Beau Dog and Zoz the cat to explore and photograph the western part of Victoria.
We have a real little convoy on this trip, with the Toyota Coaster, the Jeep and the Bike in the trailer. We left Melbourne on the 17th of May and headed for Colac where we stayed a Lake Colac for a couple of nights. Great free camp spot. We christened the camp oven over the fire but made the mistake of putting it directly on the coals. Oops we won't be doing that again. We explored the area and got a few shots... Well more than a few. Leaving Colac we went to Dandos Campground alongside of the Gellibrand river.. Another great free camp spot but busy and noisy on the weekends. The fire pits are awesome. We were only staying a couple of nights but a flat tyre changed those plans. Back to Colac to get that sorted, whilst there we got brave and bought a roast of lamb for the camp oven. Yummy. What a fab way to cook. From Dandos we went south to Joanna's Beach camping ground , it was tad disappointing as a site, but we kicked back there for three nights. Sadly Zoz caught a bird even though he was on a lead. Loretta was very upset as it was a beautiful native thrush. On the way there we stopped off at the Otway Fly, Tree Top Walk. A Temperate Rainforest that is Inspiring restorative and peaceful. We also visited the Lighthouse at Cape Otway. Saw a koala in a gum and managed to get a few shots of it too. The complex at Cape Otway is well worth a visit and the view from the lighthouse is amazing. Got some great shots too. We headed off from Joanna Beach, along the Great Ocean Road stopping off at Port Campbell, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch and a glass or two of wine, before continuing onto our next our next planned destination to camp, that being Warrnambool. whilst there we checked out the Flagstaff Maritime Museum and village. It's hard to believe that the village is not original it is so realistic. Spent the arvo there snapping away. Next stop was Port Fairy, where we stooped to shoot some images and have lunch at the Fish Restaurant on the Jetty.... Fish and chips were sumptuous and very reasonably priced too. Port Fairy is a delightful little town and well worth a stopover. From there we headed off towards Hotspur. This one was unplanned as we didn't like the camp ground we'd chosen. We propped for four days alongside the Crawford River, nice spot, albeit a tad close to the road, with the resultant noise from the transports which rolled through the night. Given it was a back road the traffic surprised us. Nothing out there just a pretty free camping spot. Had great fires to keep us warm. More to the point we made bread in the camp oven for the first time. Loretta stuffed up the recipe but it came out delicious anyway. Found we did not have to worry about putting the milk back into the 12volt fridge, as it was colder outside than in the fridge!! Leaving Hotspur we headed north to Cavendish, a delightful little town, on the Southern end of the Grampians, a very friendly with a great Pub, the Bunyip. Another unplanned stop but the Recreation reserve is very pretty and the showers were great. Some of the sunsets here were alo quite spectacular. All revenue from the camping goes to support local groups and that is a good thing. Blair cleaned up all the fallen wood for fires. We're getting proficient at roasts bread and vegies in the camp ovens. Loretta ad to go back to Melbourne for a week,so I enjoyed some me time with Beau Boy. Nice to have her back though after the week away :) Made some new friends, Jim and Joe, who had pulled in for an overnight stop at the camp ground. Jim rode a Triumph American and his partner Joe rode a Honda 400 cc Shadow. Went on the Meanstreak, with them, for an all day ride through the Grampians... Stopped off at McKenzies Falls, Wartook and the Pinnacles lookout, before heading back to Cavendish via Dunkeld. Now we're at Halls Gap in the heart of the Grampians. Came here via Dunkeld. Sweet little town. If you are ever passing through Dunkeld, c out The Old Bakery for fab bread and a coffee. We're actually paying for camping in Halls Gap, staying at the Grampians Gardens Caravan Park, pbecause it is the only place we can have the animals as everything else is in the National Park. Yesterday we walked for over 7kms over three walks. Visited the Silverband Falls and the Pinnacles Lookout. Not great on my injured knee but the view from the Pinnacles was well worth it. Today we're slacking it doing the washing. Enjoying showers and kicking back by the fire. Beau is rugged up on his bed soaking in the warmth. Zoz is on Loretta' knee and the billy is singing. Aaah life is good!! Till next time dear reader, take care and stay safe. Blair.,  APR 10 2013 The preparations are almost complete for the Next Adventure Well dear reader, these are indeed interesting times. Some strange things going on in this world of ours, particularly in the good old USA... very strange things indeed! The political scene in Australia is pumping at the moment, with the groundswell of dislike for our pathetic excuse for a Prime Minister JuLIAR Gillard growing daily. People are waking up to the antics of our useless and corrupt Politicians and the failure of the Two Party Political structure that exists in this country. Hopefully this new awareness will translate into the destruction of the Feral Labor Government, the Labor Party itself and their partners in crime the Fringe Dwelling Lunatics of the the Green Party and the two "sell out" Independants. Mind you the bloody Liberals aren't all that good an option as a Federal Government, better to have a Parliament of Independants working in the best interests of the Australian people than a Federal Government that just works in the interests of the what the Party doctrine is! Still if the current Federal Government is crushed as a result of the forthcoming Election, perhaps the incoming Government will be more wary of the Power of the people! Have become a bit of an Activist over the last few months and this has been reflected in a lot of my Facebook posts. On the subject of Facebook I did revamp and relaunch my Stuart Media Fan page... I have tried to keep it away from Politics as much as I can... however I do need to readjust its focus even more and return it to what it was initially designed for and that being to promote my work and the work of my fellow Artists. The address of the revamped site is as follows; https://www.facebook.com/StuartMediaPhotography drop on by, check it out and please feel free to "Like" the page ;) Enough of Politics....lol It has been a very busy period over the last couple of months, getting the Bus and Trailer ready for the next adventure. Many things to be organised as we gear up to head of for a five month photoshoot that will take Loretta and I across Victoria and into South Australia then up to Eastern New South Wales and Broken Hill via Adelaide, before returning to the Northeastern Victorian High Country to capture the run off of the water from the Snowfields.. we should have some fantastic shots of Waterfalls and rivers in their peak flow. Taking the Bus, Jeep Bike and trailer on this trip, so it will be a bit of a logistic nightmare in getting it all ready. Upon our return we will be in Melbourne for about four weeks before we head off for another Photoshoot Road Trip. The next one being a three month excursion down to the wilds of Tasmania... should return with some great shots from the Apple Isle. Beau Dog will of course be coming with us on both trips... though the Bus will be left behind on the Tassie trip, just taking the Jeep, trailer and the Bike. Asides from being focussed on prepping for the next trip, I have been slowly rebuilding my Photographic kit with three new Telephoto Lenses, a teleconverter, various accessories plus a new hard case and backpack for all the additional equipment. Now running a Pentax K20D, and Pentax KM DSLRs plus the Olympus Digital. Still have a number of items to purchase, but at least I have the majority of bits and pieces that I need to do the jobs that I have in mind. The downside to all this activity in preparing for the trip, is the fact that I have not uploaded a lot of new work to mny Websites. Some new images but nowhere near as many as I would like. In fact I have nearly 8,000 images from our recent High Country trip still to be worked on and processed. A huge task in front of me to try and keep on top of the work lol. As far as my Websites go, the only one to really recieve any "love" is the Stuart Media Services one http://www.stuartmediaservices.com This site has really been hitting its straps over recent months and has for want of a better word, beeen "discovered". Currently it is averaging 225 hits per day and has actually exceeded the average over the last four days, with a new record being set on Sataurday 6th April of 780 hits on the site. This trend has pretty much continued since then, with the average being over the 500 visitors per day mark. It has taken over three years to get it to this level but it has been well worth the time and the effort put into building it. I have endeavoured throughout this period to keep it fresh, interesting and innovative. Have also started to build Promotional Section within Stuart Media.com and currently have Seven Visual Artists, a Musician and a Citizens Media outfit that I am promoting. It is hoped that with the success of these people and the exposure of their material to the world, that word will spread and bring more Artists / Photographers / Musicians and Aussie Small businesses into the fold and generate not only an increased revenue flow but more exposure for the Website. Lots of work ahead, and I believe that at some point there is going to have to be a rationalsation of my websites... currently I am running and maintaining 21 sites..... way too many methinks. You can check out some of the new images on my sites at; http://www.blair-stuart.artistwebsites.com andhttp://www.artwanted.com/stuartmedia Have also created a whole lot of New Products on my Zazzle website so drop by there too and check out a wide variety of Gift ideas http://www.zazzle.com/stuartmediaservices Well that is enough of my ramblings for today... off out to give Beau Dog a run on the Beach whilst I shoot some images of what hopefully will be a glorious Sunset over Phillip Island. Until next time, dear reader, take care, stay safe and enjoy all that you do. Remember that your family, friends and loved ones are the most important people in your life... tell them always that you love them and treat them gently. Cheers, Blair
High Country Road Trip  Been awhile since I have posted, so thought it time for an update..... Went on a Month long road trip / photoshoot with Loretta up into the Victorian and Southern New South Wales Alpine regions and Ned Kelly Country around Beechworth in Victoria. We left on the 9th of February returning on the 9th of March. Took a few thousand photos, so much work to be done to sort through them, catergerise them and reduce the number. The real job then begins to work on the ones worthy of uploading to my websites, I have uploaded a map of our travels, to http://www.stuartmediaservices.com/about-stuart-media-services.html if you would like to check out where we travelled to. Some of the latest images have also been uploaded and can be viewed at http://www.stuartmediaservices.com/index.html We took the Jeep, tent, Beau Dog and camped out at some spectacular camping spots both in the Alpine area and along the Murray and Ovens rivers. Our favourite was the Big River Camping ground just north of Omeo. The camping ground is a free one, and largely undiscovered by the masses, nestled on the banks of the Mita Mita river... Beautiful and so peaceful, we ended up staying there for 6 days, just checking out the surrounding countryside, shooting photographs, relaxing, fishing and 4WD exploring. It was a R&R trip as much as it was a Photoshoot. It was a great trip and we were reluctant to return to civilisation lol. I was going to take the bike, however she needed some work done on her ~ new struts, bushes and front seals, so she was off the road for 6 weeks. Did not get her back till last Monday, which meant of course that I was inable to attend the Annual CCC Rally, this year held in Angaston South Australia. Most dissappointed that I coul not attend, have not made it to any of the rallies, always seems to be something that goes "Pear Shape" just before the event, which prevents me from going. With just a tad of luck I will make the 2014 rally in the Blue Mountains of NSW. Planning is already underway for the next Road Trip, this time we will be heading off to the Central part of Victoria, Bendigo and districts, before heading back to the Alpine area to shoot pics of the Rivers and Waterfalls around Mt Buffalo. If you get the chance check out Stuart Media http://www.stuartmediaservices.com and also have a look some of the images on my Artwanted The untappedsource and Fine Art America websites.... just click on the following links http://www.artwanted.com/artist.cfm?ArtID=74541&IRV=36 http://www.theuntappedsource.com/blairstuart and http://blair-stuart.artistwebsites.com/. If you happen to be looking for unique and individual gifts then feel free to visit my other Retail sites at Zazzlehttp://www.zazzle.com/stuartmediaservices and Lulu http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/StuartMedia.... A Facebook page of a close friend of mine is well worth checking out {and liking it would also be nice :) } https://www.facebook.com/AralBereux She is an up and coming Aussie Author and a truly gifted photographer. Take care, stay safe and well and thanks for checking out my Blog. Blair   Another weekend bites the dust. that fact notwithstanding, it was a very good and busy weekend. Saturday I rode out to Enoggera to meet up with Jack Russel and the AussieBeachTV Crew to shoot some photos whilst they made a Commercial for the "Only Australian Groceries Store" at 168 South Pine Road Enoggera. Shot off in excess of 1500 images as well as some video footage.. The lovely Joelle Cope was the ABTV Bikini beauty doing the Interviews along with Markus, Dave, Douglas, Doug and Matthew. It was a great day and the Interview given by the Owner of Only Australian Groceries, Katie Hooker, was outstanding. Their Store Stocks ONLY Australian made quality prducts and merchandise. It was setup initially as an On-Line store but has now moved to the next level with the opening of their first "Walk In" Store at Enoggera. The rang of products lining the shelves is very impressive and everything you need for around the home and to feed your family is available there. if you can't get there in person use their on-line ordering system... they will deliver ANYWHERE in Australia or around the World for that matter. the web address is http://www.onlyoz.com.au It was an entertaining day with lots of laughs and fun... if you have not already checked out AussieBeach TV I highly recommend that you do so. they even have a page on my website at http://www.stuartmediaservices.com/aussie-beach-tv.html Also been busy setting up promotional pages for my Artist friends too, they can all be seen by visiting my website http://www.stuartmediaservices.com. After such a hectic Saturday, I had planned for Sunday to be a day in which I would spend tied to the Laptop, sorting and working on the images from the shoot. However the day was much to beautiful to let just slip away, so I joined trumpy and Jules on a ride down to Murwullimbah in New South Wales. It was a great ride with good friends.... we met up with another two mates whilst down there, Clay and John, both Harley Riders, but we did not hold that against them lol.. Stopped of for a quiet drink at the local Pub and enjoyed the friendly banter while indulging in the Aussie sport of "Taking the Piss" out of each other. Arrived back home around three after a mostly pleasant run back through the mountains and along the freeway. Once home it was a case of starting the long process of reviewing the pics from Saturday and working on those that made the cut. A few of which have already made there way onto both facebook and the AussieBeachTV page on my site. Have a great week my friends, stay safe and enjoy all that you do!. Posted 17th December 2012 by Blair Stuart 
  Backup in Queensland, well at least for a few weeks. Took my time on the trip North, stopped off in Sydney at Double bay, to catch up with an old friend from the Innalloo Cinema days in Perth. Been a long time since I caught up with Freddy, but like all true friendships, it was as if we had not seen each other for a matter of weeks not, as the case really is... years. Fred is fighting a serious Health battle and my thoughts are with him during this time.. Prior to catching up with fred, I spent a few pleasant hours down at the Double bay foreshore and managed to capture a few images as well. beau had a great time with all the different smells around and of course tried to socialise as much as possible. Always a winner with the Ladies, he is a Natuarl tart of a Dog... he likes the Ladies and I like puppies, but that is another story lol. Whilst there i did spot a young man who had come down to try his hand at fishing. Well to cut a long story short, he had a really strong profile so I approached him and asked if I could shoot a few images. he agreed and i happily worked away as he fished. His name is Romeo and he was a "natural" in front of the camera. The weather was magnificent and it was good to just spend time with my dog and shoot some images, all without the pressure of having to be somewhere at a specific time... yes indeed I do like being back on the Road again!
 After a late dinner, Fred suggested that I stay for a couple of days at his house in Pindimar, up on the Central New South Wales Coast near Tea Garden, Although the hour was late... being close to 11pm, I took up his offer and set out on the 5 hour drive. Arriving at his place at 4am in the morning. As it turned out the timing was perfect as I was able to witness and photograph the most beautiful Sunrise that i have ever seen. the setting was spectacular and the display by mother nature was just awesome and simply inspiring. I shot of countless images both prior, during and immediately after the sunrise.... it was pure magic and even Beau Dog managed, as he always does, to get into the act.
 After two very pleasant days it was time to go, so with mixed feelings and a tinge of sadness at having to leave thislittle piece of Paradise, I packed up the Jeep and Trailer, gathered up the Beau Dog and set of North to the Gold Coast. After another eight hours of driving, we arrived on the Wednesday evening just before Dusk. A long day behind the wheel i was quite glad to make it to Julie's place. Still wired from the trip, i talked Julie into helping me unload the Bike and after a bit of stuffing around we got her off and then headed out for a night ride up to Yatla for a quick bite and a chat. Certainly was good to be on the Bike again... it is my therapy and stress release. get a tad tichy if I don't get a ride in at least every couple of days.
My Stuart Media website, is going from strength to strength. Couple of Visitor records smashed over the last few days with an All Time record of 251 unique visitors visiting on the 11th November. As an aside, the fit out of the trailer is complete, so I wil be back on the road and resuming my travels in the next couple of weeks. Looking forward to the Adventure. :)  |
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