The Iconic ‘The Pinnacles’ of Cape Woolamai

Hi Friends,

Cape Woolamai is Iconic!

On my road trip around the island, I had to stop at Cape Woolamai to have a go at photographing the iconic rocky formation, ‘The Pinnacles’. This is a hot spot for pro and amateur photographers alike and of course, nature lovers.

In my last blog post, I mentioned how I struggled with the George Bass Walk and I didn’t complete all of it. Well, on the same day I went to Cape Woolamai for sunset. This is somewhat embarrassing to admit haha. But I walked halfway across the beach to the stairs to get to the actual cape and then I gave up. Walking across the beach in soft sand was a huge workout for me. I was just like “nope, not doing this, I am going back”.

The universe conspired to make me visit the cape!

Before I walked back to my car, I stood on this boardwalk lookout, looking towards The Pinnacles. I was thinking “some other day, maybe”. Then I started talking to this lovely surfie Kiwi lady. She insisted that I go back and get my butt up to the cape, that it would be worth it. “Fine, I’ll do it”. I am somewhat easy to convince.

I trudged through the soft sand again, conjuring up all the willpower I could muster, I persisted. A friendly, very excited Asian tourist stopped me. She told me that the cape was so beautiful and insisted that I have to come back another day, when it wasn’t so late and walk around the whole cape (this takes a number of hours). I told her that I had already turned back before and she said I had to go to the cape!

So, I went on.

This is a very popular spot for photography enthusiasts

I must admit, I was very intimidated when I got to the actual lookout for The Pinnacles. There were about 4 other photographers already set up. They were all ready to catch the sun setting upon The Pinnacles. I’ve been fortunate enough to be mentored by a highly successful pro in the past but I just felt like a baby giraffe who is making her way into a den of lions hoping to make befriend the lions haha. I know I have a lot to learn and I find it embarrassing to learn in front of other people for some reason. I need to get over this hang-up though and accept that we all start as a beginner.

To my surprise, I was welcomed by a photographer who was very clearly professional and he dispensed some useful advice to me. In the end, a few of us were watching the last bits of sunset hidden by heavy clouds, having a good chat.

Walking back in the dark.

I headed back to my car before everyone else because as mentioned earlier, I am not very fit at the moment and I didn’t want to be stranded on the beach in the pitch black darkness on my own. I spotted a pair of Wallabies who were play fighting on my way back which was a truly marvellous thing to see – I couldn’t capture them though, it was too dark and I didn’t want to set up my tripod again (the baby giraffe is slow okay haha). The walk back was a tough slog. My quads were aching the whole way and I was really pushing my limits.

This was really a wonderful, magical day. It was one of those days where I felt like the universe was conspiring to make everything work for me. All my interactions with people were so incredibly positive. I had a great time photographing beautiful landscapes and I pushed beyond myself way beyond my comfort zone in so many ways.

I hope you enjoyed my story and my photographs. Please stay tuned for my next blog post!

If you would like to read about or see pictures from my Phillip Island adventures, the links are below:

• The Nobbies: A short-easy coastal walk, along a boardwalk providing stunning ocean views.
• Cowes: A selection of photos from sunrise at Cowes Pier. Cowes is the main local township on Phillip Island.
• Kitty Miller Bay: Some sunrise shots from Kitty Miller Bay. Kitty Miller Bay is well-known for the SS. Speke shipwreck.
• Forrest Caves: Forrest Caves as the name alludes to, is home to spectacular rock formations that have formed like caves on the beach.

Mikki 🙂

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