The Lucky Strike

Imagine the year is 1852 and you are on the run . . . Again! You have been in trouble with the law since the Age of 12 and were shipped from Scotland to Van Diemen's Land for your various crimes and misdemeanors then. All around you in Central Victoria around this time people have travelled from across the Commonwealth and the world in hopes of finding their fortunes in the gold rush which has gripped this new nation since last year (1851), but no not you, you are on the run and this is the spot where you are hiding out watching these beautiful sunsets amidst these large granite boulders. Just you and your bushranger companions. You will soon be captured, again, but it matters not . . . LIVE FOR THE DAY - LET TOMORROW TAKE CARE OF ITSELF, you will famously be remembered for saying. Afterall, you were born in 1822 and you are just 29 years of age. Can you just imagine what those days would have been like? Travelling around the western district of Victoria on horseback and causing havoc. This is the story of Captain Francis Melville. You can read his full story here -> http:-- 1GdgBbw The Melville Caves, located in Kooyoora State Park about 50 km drive west of Bendigo are magical place to capture sunsets, and the place where I first discovered that if you set your tripod up between two large objects (in this case granite boulders), and capture the sun before its too far down on the horizon then you will discover concentric halo rings when you post-process the image in Lightroom. On this evening of 3 October 2014, through the valley below one could smell burning gum as a small bushfire or burnoff was taking place in the distance. The smoke can be seen wafting by in the photo. As the sun was setting all around could be heard the screeching of the Corellas, Kookaburras and Cockatoos. Let me tell you, this was a magical moment on my photography journey and I can't wait to get back there again. Also, not more than 2 km from this spot, on 26 September 1980 Kevin Hillier found the Hand of Faith Gold Nugget which weighed in at 27.21 kg and fetched a whopping US$1 Million - the largest gold nugget ever found with just a metal detector. What a LUCKY STRIKE! Now just imagine you are Kevin Hillier and you are wandering around in September 1980 with a Metal Detector, just having a go and then all of a sudden in your headphones you hear a beep, beep, beep . . . and then you dig a bit, you remove the spoil, and you dig a bit further and this Gold nugget just never seems to end . . . and you dig further and FARK . . . . I sure hope no one is watching this! Today you will find it on display at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, Nevada. Read more here -> http:-- 1eHLgkY So given the location, the history and my discovery I call this photo "The Lucky Strike".
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