Rodney Campbell's Blog

Kooljaman at Cape Leveque is a remote wilderness camp owned and run by the Indigenous Bardi Jawi Communities. I had booked my own cabin for the night whilst staying here

As it was still a good time for astro photography whilst I was there I setup the camera just outside the cabin to look up into the sky

Kooljaman Cabin

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

Just over two hours of star trails swirling in the sky above my cabin

Kooljaman Swirl

 

 

The magic red cliffs of Cape Leveque at sunset. Shooting soon after sunset during twilight and we were fortunate enough to get some fantastic pink colour in the stringy clouds above

Leveque Light

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

I was only here for one night so I was fortunate to get some great cloud right at the right time

A three frame stitched panorama panning around towards where the sun had just set

Wider Leveque

Made It

 

After a torturous 3 or 4 hour drive I’d finally arrived at Kooljaman at Cape Leveque

The road here from Broome is “interesting” to say the least. It starts with 13km of bitumen road to lull you into a false sense of security

This is followed by nearly 100km of… well… frankly pretty terrible road. Not gravel but compacted red clay covered with a 2 to sometimes 10cm layer of fine powdery flour like red dust. Half of it was reasonably smooth, the other half was corrugated nightmare

That is then bizarrely followed by 85km of mind numbing dead straight bitumen

Lastly the final 5km or so is a dead set sandy goat track into Kooljaman. I was sceptical the 2WD twin cab I was driving would make it, but with a bit of speed and good fortune I arrived…

Cape Leveque

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

The famous red cliffs at Kooljaman at the tip of Cape Leveque. Even in the daytime they are quite spectacular. And very very red. The sandstone is surprisingly soft and crumbly. I’m surprised these cliffs havn’t quickly totally worn away by wind and water

Red Pillars

I went back to the beach at sunset to shoot them being lit by the setting sun in the west

Sunset Glow

 

 

 

Driving further along the road towards Willie Creek Pearl Farm I stopped near the ocean to take some shots over where the creek waters meet the ocean

The colour of the waterways from the creek here was amazing – this amazing turquoise green merging into the deep blue

Freshwater

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

Curves

Edge

 

A selection of abstract aerials from the drone at this amazing location

Salted

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

Ferment

Icecream

Petri Dish