Autumn in Armidale 2021
A trip to Armidale, NSW, has been on the to-do list for a few years now. With the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions in April, I decided, mostly as a spur of the moment thing, to take drive 380+km to Armidale for an overnight trip, hoping to catch some of the autumn colours the area is known for.
Days before…
In the days before the trip I booked accommodation at one of the local motels, located and charged camera batteries, cleaned and organised filters, sorted out what lenses I was taking, and started packing the camera gear.
I decided to take some freeze-dried food and bottled water with me (and a canister camp stove to boil the water), just ‘cause, you never know if you get stuck somewhere and need a feed (doomsday prepares would be pleased), or in case you want a hot meal by the side of the road somewhere picturesque.
Day 1, journey there and arrival
Aside from the amount of roadworks encountered on the way to the Queensland/New South Wales border, there was little of note, except the weather, which started to look more like rain.
There was some entertainment on the way down, when people who had overtaken me on the highway were seen having a discussion with the police a little while later.
Upon arrival, and eventually finding the motel (praise to the GPS), I began to find out what I had actually left at home (spare camera batteries anyone?). I also found out the motel’s restaurant was closed for renovations - no easy walk to get dinner that night, or breakfast in the morning. Packing some food for myself turned out to be a good thing.
The weather was overcast and raining on and off, but I was there for one night only, and having only that afternoon, and the following morning, to take some photo’s, I went for a drive, around the area, and found a couple of nice shots.
I also found a lookout which might provide a vantage point the following morning.
Day 2, the morning
I woke sufficiently early to greet the early morning. Had breakfast, packed up, checked out, and drove to the lookout.
It was overcast, and raining a bit, and I looked out upon a rather grey, and at times, wet (see below) scene.
Good thing the Canon gear I have has some weather resistance designed in.
The images I took on this trip are in the Autumn Colours portfolio. Two (the red leaf and the tree lined road) are from Armidale. I am still working through a few of the images, and may add a couple more if I am happy with any of the final results.
The journey home
On the way home I passed through Guyra, and the other image in the Autumn Colours portfolio were taken there. I also called in to the Queen Mary Falls area, and the Waterfall picture was taken there.
Final thoughts
I will need to head back to Armidale at some point and spend a few days exploring the area. I am also planning on heading back to Queen Mary Falls at some point for a day or two.
There were also some lessons to learn from all this.
Lessons to learn
Keeping gear organised at home will make organising and packing for a trip much simpler than running around the house trying to find things.
Call the accommodation provider ahead of time to confirm expected facilities are operating.
Checking weather reports would be helpful.
More time researching the local area, including the immediate vicinity to the accommodation might be a good idea. Turned out what I thought was parkland was actually the local cemetery.
I don’t need to baby my gear.