How good are holidays? Early spring is one of my favourite times to travel – it’s not cold enough to warrant packing loads of heavy clothing but not hot enough to worry about being able to enjoy being in the outdoors. It’s a perfect time for hiking, particularly if you don’t want to share the trails with everyone else. Since my last handbag camera died, I was on the hunt for a new one before we left. After reading so many reviews and playing with a few different models, I ended up settling on a Panasonic Lumix TZ 10.
Most professional photographers will say that a holiday is not the time to test out the capabilities of a new camera. But hey, I’ve never been inclined to play by the rules. Holidays are a time out from the every day grind and I have time to go snap happy. I did take my DSLR with me but the majority of the time, I tended to use the Lumix. It’s significantly lighter in weight which makes a really big difference on those long walks through the bush.
Some of the very low light shots suffered a little, in which case I used the DSLR and tripod if I had them readily available. Overall I was pretty happy with the shots I took with it and we have brought home some beautiful memories from our time away. It’s always hard to pick a favourite place when we’re travelling but some of the most beautiful places we went were the ones we stumbled across accidentally. Visiting Emerald Beach and the nearby Look At Me Now Headland in Moonee Beach Nature Reserve just on dusk was just magical. It is a very special place and one of the few areas where I have walked among grazing kangaroos without there being any semblance of a fence. In the surf below, we could see dolphins playing, almost dangerously near to the rocks. There are a few memorials up there – I could think of no better final resting place.
Red Rock (below left) was another little beauty we stumbled upon. At the southern end of Yuraygir National Park, it would be a top spot for swimming in the summer. The water is crystal clear so you can spot that bull shark coming to get you from a mile off. 
We went for a bit of a wade there and at Wooli (below right) further into the National Park – very brisk water temperature so no swimming this time but I imagine in the warmer months, they both would be very popular.
And then there were places that just were plain beautiful but demanded payment by a bit of effort on our part – it certainly tested our fitness levels visiting the lighthouses on Smokey Cape (bottom center) and Sugarloaf Point (top left). And not to be overlooked, Muttonbird Island Reserve (top right) in Coffs Harbour which seemed to be the favourite of tourists and locals wanting to walk off any over indulgence at the yacht club from the yummy fare on offer.
Now I just have to wait another ten months or so before we can go on holidays again! Unless I get that winning lotto ticket of course! If you want to do some more armchair travelling, the rest of the photos are on Flickr.
