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Rob Sykes

A grumpy old man who does not much like other people. Enjoys single-handed dingy sailing in summer and photography (especially in winter). I have been somewhat seriously playing with a camera for the last 15 years or so. My first camera was a plastic Rolleiflex knock off (Splendidflex) which used 127 film, which still lives (Dad gave it to me, aged about 10). My first action was to open the camera in broad daylight to see what film looked like. Not my best decision.

Straddie (North Stradbroke Island, Queensland) is my go-to place. I have walked countless kilometres here and enjoyed every step. The two Point Lookout gorges are one of the best areas to visit, where Humpback Whales pass by twice a year, big waves crash into the coastline and there is a sighing blow hole to create atmosphere. Point Lookout and the gorges is also one of the most visited areas of the island and countless photographs abound. Unfortunately, most are predictably similar. The opening of the gorges reveal open sea and not much else. Negative space if you will. Unfortunately, this space does not add to any photo unless there is some spectacular event such as a whale breaching close in. This has occupied my mind for some time, until I realised that there is approximately a two-week window where the Milky Way rises in the opening of the gorges. A series of four photos slowly entered my mind.

Achieving this required some planning.

There must be:-

1. No moon
2. No cloud
3. An offshore Westerly breeze to blow the sea mist off shore
4. Recent rains to remove dust from the air (Westerlies in Queensland are dry and dusty, having crossed a great deal of Australia)
5. Not during planned burns or bushfires
6. No swell and hence minimal wave action
7. No other people with torches destroying the scene (They have rights too!)
8. The local surf club shut down early to prevent localised light pollution
9. A Wife happy to get me out of the house for the night (no night ferries to and from Straddie)

I scouted the area a number of times using PhotoPills Night AR to see when and where the Milky Way would rise. Mother Nature also came to play – the recent Cyclone Alfred removed a few trees that opened new photo opportunities.

The numbers came together this winter. The four photos are of North and South Gorge during the early night of 24/05/2025. Some of the imagined photos did not work, some did and an unexpected view was gratefully accepted.

Perhaps the attached photos are not of world-shattering quality and originality, but they brought me extreme pleasure while visiting one of my favourite places.