Unleashing the adventurous lens.

Does your ideal weekend include feeling like an insignificant blip among ancient gumtrees? What about sinking your toes into a sandy shoreline as you find some clarity? Scoring an adrenaline hit as you plummet down a mountain, dodging roots across the singletrack on your bike? Our local landscapes offer it all, but often we don’t celebrate them enough. —

Gippsland Intrepid Landcare, a group run by young people that benefits all people, wanted to change that by getting talented photographers to snap away on their next adventure in nature. With excellent prizes on offer, the talent shown in the submissions received was outstanding — as you can see here. Gippsland Intrepid kicked off in June 2017 with its first tree planting event at Woolamai. But the group is more than just planting trees. Other activities under Gippy Intrepid’s belt include kayaking to map willows for removal, beach clean-ups at Sandy Point and Phillip Island, a movie night, more tree plantings in between surfing, dancing, camping and checking out the great Gippsland outdoors, as well as providing amazing opportunities to meet and connect with like-minded nature buffs while having a ball. This summer, we tried something different. We encouraged young people between the ages of 18–35 to bring out their artistic side: take photos of some of their favourite places in Gippsland and ‘show us their Intrepid’. Competition entrants could submit as many photos as they wanted, accompanied by 150 words or less of why that spot is a special place in Gippsland and why it needs looking after. Our winner will be announced at the Gippsland Intrepid Landcare’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) late in March. As these images show, Kathleen Brack (Young Landcare of the Year, 2017), Tony Middleton (Tony Middleton Photography) and Andrew Northover (Gippslandia) have a hard task ahead of them in picking a winner! First prize includes a photography mentoring session with Tony Middleton, a free night glamping with Sheltered Glamping Phillip Island and coverage in Gippslandia. The AGM will be at Gurneys Cider in Foster. If you’re a young person with a passion for the environment, come along and check us out. So far, 2019 is offering mountain bike tree planting as a new initiative. See what other rad ideas we have in store and meet some cool pals while you’re there! — The photographers' names have been omitted from this spread as the judging of the competition is still happening. We’ll add them when posting to the Gippslandia website. If you’re interested in joining Gippsland Intrepid Landcare, please visit www.gippslandintrepid.com or www.facebook.com/gippslandintrepidlandcare. This gorgeous little guy comes to sit in our backyard almost every evening, usually at 6 pm on the dot. This kind of wildlife contact is one of my favourite things about living in Gippsland. (Burnell) This photo was taken one winter's morning at Norman Beach, Wilsons Promontory. For me, Wilsons Prom is the jewel of Gippsland. Its unique landscape and untouched places are incredible. It has the lot for nature lovers: pristine white sand beaches, untouched forests and mountains, huge lichen covered granite boulders and amazing river systems, like the Tidal and Darby Rivers that make their way to Bass Strait. The hiking trails that weave their way through the Prom offer the best and most diverse nature experiences I’ve ever seen. Paths that lead to beautiful remote beaches that can only be accessed by foot. Wilsons Prom is a place I go when I feel the need to reconnect with the untouched natural world. Whether that be via hiking, surfing amazing but fickle beach breaks, or even just chilling down at Tidal River. It’s a truly amazing place! (Minahan) I have lived in Gippsland my whole life but have never truly appreciated its amazing natural beauty, until I started hiking. This is Mt Erica; its raw nature grounds me, beauty puts life back into my soul and serenity calms me. It is here on this trail that I discovered my passion for hiking. This was the first walk I completed after my hip surgery, when I was able to walk again. It was on this particular walk that a friend suggested I start a blog about my hikes. It was something out of my comfort zone, but I thought I’d challenge myself. Fast forward a year and a half, and my blog is growing and going strong. This place will always hold a special place in my heart. It changed my life. (Jones) I took this photo on our holiday to Wilsons Promontory, near the Tidal River Campground, on our way back from a walking trail to Squeaky Beach. The sun was beginning to set and the lighting just seemed picture perfect. Best landscape photo I have ever taken. No filter used. (Preece) I know that no matter the time of day or time in my life, this place will always feel the same. The sun may shine on it at different directions and the waves may hit it harder or higher, but Pyramid Rock (Phillip Island) will always be significant and special to me, and everyone who visits. (Davie) The stunning Nadgee Wilderness Area of Croajingolong National Park in far east Gippsland has many beautiful estuaries along the coastline. I love this place for its natural beauty, abundant wildlife, such as dingoes, whales, and fur seals, beautiful coastal heathland and eucalyptus forests. Inlets, like this, provide an opportunity to immerse yourself in fresh water at the end of a day’s hike. (Kliska) In 2017, I took this image with my drone early in the morning. It is overlooking the Glenmaggie Bridge and lake. The lake is at one of its lowest points. This place has been my home for the last 27 years and I love the small town community spirit, the peace and quiet throughout most of the year and the fact that it looks different every day. While the lake is this low, it’s disappointing to see the lack of rain that the mountains have had, and how little the farmers down the valley have to irrigate their paddocks. However, it is also fascinating to explore the lake’s bed, finding evidence of Glenmaggie’s past inhabitants. From old house stumps and cattle yards to broken house bricks and crockery. If you look real closely, you might find the odd First Australian artefact. This is my home. (McCallum) Pyramid Rock is my favourite place on Phillip Island. I think it is a spectacular little pile of rocks and it is so cool that you can see it from almost anywhere on the island. (Olsenes) My type of Australia Day. Sandy Point on a balmy summer’s night, watching the sky change colours and the waves roll in. The dogs run and play. We enjoy a cold drink and walk up the endless beach, taking in all of Mother Nature’s beauty and all she has to offer. We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful place. (Paige) The bush around Gippsland means the world to me because it is where I go to think. I am a teacher, and I am a dad and a husband, so my life is quite blessed, but can be deep and challenging also. My life affords me many opportunities for sadness and happiness. The bush is the great equaliser. I put my headphones in and I run. Some days I get backdrops like this photo. I think that’s the beauty of Gippsland; no matter life’s turbulence, Gippsland’s beauty is constant and reliable. (Pabst) This photo was taken up past Goongerah in East Gippsland, near Goonmirk Rocks Road, at around 1200 m, in the subalpine forest. The tree in the photo could be a Mountain Grey Gum and may be around 800 years old (I have to double check). It’s special to me because there are no man-made impacts in this photo. The area around where this photo was taken is almost completely untouched. It’s the most eerie and magical forest. But I feel so much sadness for this area, as it is under threat from logging, which is visible a couple of kilometres away. Nearby there are areas that have either been logged or earmarked for logging. (De Keersmaeker) This shot was taken at The Caves in the Bunurong Coastal Reserve near Inverloch, South Gippsland. The cave is located near sites where dinosaur fossils have been discovered. The rugged coastline and shrubby bushland on the headlands here really enhance the feeling of being in a land before time. This spot is not accessible at high tide, and is a scramble to reach even at low tide, but is well worth a visit. Having a natural window for watching waves roll in is such a relaxing experience, and I could have stayed at this spot for hours. (Sutherton)