Sand Dunes of the Worimi National Park

The sand dunes of Worimi National Park make for an amazing photo safari.

The lovely rolling, meandering shape of the dunes, the designs etched in the sand by both wind and rain, the light and shade cast by the Sun as it slowly set over this amazing panorama presents exciting challenges to be captured.  It is a very minimalist landscape without a specific point of interest so the challenge is to find or create that point of interest amidst the pleasing angles and rounded shapes of the dunes. 

It was a doubly pleasing afternoon safari, because my son Lachlan (a photographer in his own right - visit him at  Lachlan Jordan Photography) was able to join me; it's been a while since we were both free at the same time!  He was pretty excited because he had not been to the dunes before.

When we arrived there was a moment of uncertainty as some light rain started to fall but it turned out to be just a small shower passing over and out to sea.

Walking out on the dunes surprised me.  I was expecting soft sand similar to that of the beach but this was fairly compact and easy to walk on.  There was patches of soft sand but these were mostly found in the gullies amidst the dunes as the sand rolled down off the slope.

It is a very popular place.  Not only are there 4WD tours of the dunes but there are Camel rides and also sand boarding so, there were a few people hanging around.  There is also a 'road' that leads through the dunes to Birubi Beach which is popular with 4WD Clubs and individuals who like their surfing and beach fishing.  There is a Surf Life Saving Club on the beach also.  What does this mean for the photographer?  Trying to get a photo of the sand dunes without human or camel footprints all over it or tyre prints in the sand!  To walk to a remote area would have taken considerable time so I had to plan my photos carefully to avoid any of these distractions.

Most of these photos were shot using a Canon EF 70-300mm zoom.  Because I had that mounted on my Canon 600D (an APSC camera) it gave a 35mm equivalent zoom of 480mm when zoomed right out.  

We waited until the Sun was setting proper but it was a little disappointing.  The earlier light rainfall had cleared but there was still sufficient cloud low on the horizon to block any spectacular light or reflection off the cloud and back onto the sand.  Luckily, because of heavy rains in the weeks prior, there were little oasis of water in the flatter part of the park and these presented some great reflections of the sunset and lovely colour.  Mind you, those clouds hanging around made for a magnificent sky during the afternoon as you will see.

I'd love to be here for a Sunrise but it is about an hours drive from where I live and then about a 20-30 min walk to the top of the dunes so it would be a very very early start and then a walk on the dunes in the darkness so there will have to be some more planning before that occurs!

Click on the photos to view a larger version; looks much better!

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Taken with my Canon 50mm f1.8.  2 photos stitched for the panorama.

This photo is made up of 2 separate photos stitched to make the Parorama.  The person
standing on the dune on the left is my son, Lachlan.  

Sand People.  Using my Canon 70-300mm zoom I was able to get right up to
this group of people as they made their way across the top of the dunes.

The wind uncovers many secrets that have been lying dormant in the sand.

I don't know if this is a marker post or part of an old fence line across the dunes.  It was just there
in the middle of nowhere.

This is one of the photos used to create the panorama above.  Couldn't resist reverting the colour
to B&W.  Note the fantastic cloud formations that were present that afternoon!

Taken just after we arrived.  Camel Trek Adventures.  That light rain we had disappearing
out to sea leaving a rainbow in its departure.

Incredible cloud formations on the horizon!