Rodney Campbell's Blog

Finally we made our way to the famous Handrail Pool at the bottom of Weano Gorge. The gorge narrows to the width of one person before opening into a cathedral like cavern and to the emerald waters of Handrail Pool.

The Handrail

NIKON D750 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 24 mm, 8.2 sec at f/11, ISO 100

The pool gets it name from the curved tubular handrail which runs down the gorge wall from the gorge opening down to the pool roughly 5 metres below (you can see it on the right side in these images). To get inside the cavern where the Handrail pool resides you have to use the handrail to climb down from where the gorge emerges above the pool. It’s a relatively easy descent with steps carved into (or bolted onto) the rock. At the bottom you can work your way just under halfway around the side of the pool at the bottom.

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

Crystalline Grotto

NIKON D750 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 31 mm, 10 sec at f/11, ISO 100

I took a very wide stitched panorama whilst we were on the dry area at the side of the Handrail Pool at the bottom. I took twelve (12) frames at 32mm for a very wide aspect which covered most of the view from this spot (approx 270 degrees I’d say). I then took a couple of extra takes of the second last frame on the right with just my daughter and with both of us to include in any stitched result. I took the extra frames at ISO 800 and 1 sec rather than the longer exposure so I could control our movement a little better.

Holding Echoes

NIKON D750 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 32 mm, 8 sec at f/11, ISO 100 x 12 Frames

I preferred this tighter cropped version of the right half of the full pano with the two of us in it but you can see the full wide pano by clicking on the image.

Such an amazing place with waters so green and clear, and walls so richly red – and we had it all to ourselves…

Don't forget to Share...

Google

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin

Pinterest

Email

Print