Callout to Ozzies! - Need info on Point Danger Gannets

[NorthernFocus]

Some of you may have seen my prior posts that my bride and I are in the middle of planning a trip to Australia in November. We're far enough along in our planning to know we'll be spending a good bit of time along the south coast. Since we'll be in the area, we were thinking of taking a day to visit Point Danger. I've looked up a good bit of information on line but haven't really found much in the way of practical information. I've seen comments that access is "restricted" and that there is a "viewing area". So what does that mean?

Does one need to get a permit to visit?

Is the "viewing area" close enough for full frame shot of the birds with say 600mm full frame equivalent?

Basically for a bird photographer, not watcher, is it worth going out of one's way?

[rawill]

Basically for a bird photographer, not watcher, is it worth going out of one's way?

Can't possibly comment, as we are across the ditch.
So maybe if no Ozzies answer you, you will just have to come on over!~!

[NorthernFocus]

We spent four weeks on your side back in 2008. One of my regrets was not stopping by to see the gannets there. But that decision was due to an even bigger regret that I didn't even bring a long lens. Though my hiking boots nearly got me thrown in jail. Who knows what they'd have done to me if I'd had a 500mm lens? Anyway, we figured this time we're going to be right there by them so we should give it a go. You can check out my New Zealand Gallery and let me know if I did your homeland justice

[dje]

Sorry Dan, can't help I'm afraid. I live too far away in Qld. Ken (ucci) might know, he's a Victorian. You might be able to phone or email the local council at Portland which I believe is the Glenelg Shire Council. Presumably you will be taking a drive along the Great Ocean Road and Portland isn't that much further west.

Just to clarify things, there is another (and probably much better known) Point Danger in Australia which is located on the east coast smack on the border of NSW and Qld. You wont see any gannets there but will see some grommets ! (it's a surfing area).

Dave

[pnodrog]

We spent four weeks on your side back in 2008. One of my regrets was not stopping by to see the gannets there. But that decision was due to an even bigger regret that I didn't even bring a long lens. Though my hiking boots nearly got me thrown in jail. Who knows what they'd have done to me if I'd had a 500mm lens? Anyway, we figured this time we're going to be right there by them so we should give it a go. You can check out my New Zealand Gallery and let me know if I did your homeland justice

Just had a look at your NZ Gallery and yes you did our homeland justice. Glad you enjoyed yourself. I see you spent a bit of time in Northland my stomping ground.

The Australians must be far nicer - they take your dirty boots away and bring them back clean but wet in a plastic bag(mind you you have to stand around waiting for an hour.)

[pnodrog]

Why take photographs of Australasian Gannets in Oz for if you neglected the far better looking identical NZ ones? By the way the Pukeko is just called a swamp hen there. Enjoy your trip.

[NorthernFocus]

Just had a look at your NZ Gallery and yes you did our homeland justice. Glad you enjoyed yourself. I see you spent a bit of time in Northland my stomping ground.

The Australians must be far nicer - they take your dirty boots away and bring them back clean but wet in a plastic bag(mind you you have to stand around waiting for an hour.)

Thanks for the comment on the gallery. My wife and I really loved NZ. For many of the same reasons we love Alaska.

They actually did end up cleaning our boots and delivering them in a bag. That was going on while we were in the back room being interrogated and threatened with a rubber hose beating. Good thing your immigration folks weren't trained on water boarding I suppose.

The trouble arose out of the interpretation of "camping gear". Our hiking boots were in the luggage. When we filled out the customs form there was a box labeled "camping gear" which we checked indicating that we had some, namely hiking boots and walking sticks. When we went through customs the guy saw the boots and said we hadn't declared them. To which I replied we certainly had, see right there on the form we marked camping gear. He said boots aren't camping gear. Are so , are not, ARE SO, ARE NOT... And so the conversation went up two levels of superiors to whom I pointed out for at least the 12th time that there wasn't a box to mark "dirty boots" on the form and the closest thing on the form in the US version of English was "camping gear". Though clearly displeased with us in spite of my kneeling and groveling and offers of sexual favors to secure our release, someone finally decided it wasn't worth the court costs of prosecuting us nor the cost of feeding us for the rest of our lives for what was clearly a capital offense. Now in the US the prosecuter would pursue it any way just to get the death penalty and make a name for themselves so they could run for higher office some day. But as it turned out they let us out amongst the unsuspecting public after having neutralized our deadly boot soles thus rendering us quite harmless. Though we MAY have contaminated some back country areas with ammonia based liquid compounds

[NorthernFocus]

Nice gannet shots. The third one is excellent. I was aware of the Ozzie term for the pukeko. They are an interesting looking bird but we went out or a run our first morning there and the pukekos were everywhere picking peoples trash bins that had been put out to be picked up. Like our ravens here. The darn things were all over but never could get a decent shot in a natural setting. I don't recall seeing so many down south.

[pnodrog]

That explains the ammonia smell we have had lingering here since 2008. Groveling is good I think offering sexual favours was a little bit risky - well it would be at my age.