I have lost count of how many people I have spoken to who have said they are never going to Australia, and ALL give the same reason… “Too many spiders”.

I was just at a gallery opening where some of my friends were showcasing their art, one of whom had been to Australia when she was in her teens. I was talking to her about how we exaggerate how bad they are, and she stopped me and asked if I could talk to her partner as she wanted to go back to Australia, but her partner was adamant that he would not go due to the creepy crawlies.

When I moved to the UK 12 years ago, photography was only a hobby and, in that time, I have been home twice, both before I took up photography professionally. In the blog posts titled “I Walked Right Past It” and “This is Bugging Me” I discuss this and reflect on how I approach photography while identifying some of the opportunities I missed.

In the last few weeks, I made a short trip home to spend some time with family, and while the reasons for making this trip back home may not have been particularly fantastic, I was still able to take some time to get out and take some pictures. Using the newly acquired knowledge, I was able to ensure that I did not miss those opportunities, so I thought I’d share some of them with you.

While on a hike through the scrub in the late afternoon, I noticed the sun shining through the canopy and highlighting a fungus of some sort. I saw many different mushrooms, and fungi along the way but it was only in 2 places where I was lucky enough to capture them with the fall of lite like this. And in both cases, the light was fleeting and was gone within moments.

And finally, these last several images are, in my opinion, the best images I captured while in Australia.

There is something so spectacular about the Top End, I am not surprised that some people come for a visit and never leave. I have been homesick for a long time, after all, it has been 7 years since I was last home, but I didn’t realise just how much.