Phillip Island is, undoubtedly, one of the most attractive locations in Victoria. Whether you’re in the mode for a bit of R&R, sight seeing, hiking or just to enjoy a swim and a nice walk along a beautiful beach, Phillip Island’s got you covered. Being located about 150KMs and about a two hour drive from Melbourne itself, Phillip Island is an easy drive whether you go there just for the day or to spend a couple of days.
From a more photographic perspective, there are a few places that would pique any photographers’ interest in Phillip Island. Out of these, in my view, The Pinnacles Lookout is definitely the most interesting and beautiful location in Phillip Island to photograph. I might even go as far as saying that it’s one of the most beautiful locations in Victoria overall.
The first time I went there was during a casual visit to Phillip Island, so I wasn’t fully prepared to take full advantage of the photographic opportunities available at this location. You can capture some really beautiful views from the viewing platform along the walking track. But, if you want to capture some truly breathtaking views, you have to take a few rough steps and go down to the beach. So, I came back that first time thinking that I need to come back better prepared.
After making that second trip and being truly amazed by the beauty of what I found, I’m wiring this short article on how I prepared for that second journey so that anyone else planning on making the same journey would find something useful to help them with their own journey.
1. Preparing for the Journey
As with any planned photographic expedition, it is important to be prepared and plan ahead before you actually get there. I won’t go into any great detail about some of the more general aspects (like checking for the weather, attire, etc), as these should be some of the basic things you should plan for on any expedition. Instead, I’ll focus more on what you should focus on that is specific to this location.
Researching the Location
There are two ways in which you can get to the beach, which I will cover in more detail in the next section. But, given that you’ll be working close to the water level at a location that is not the easiest to get to, it is important that you are aware of what the tide levels and times are going to be like, so that you don’t face any surprises while you’re there.
The WillyWeather.com.au site has information that is really useful when planning any photographic expedition. What we’ll be focusing on this occasion though, is the tide information that is available here. Using this site, check the tide levels and times for the day you are planning on visiting The Pinnacles. This will help you decide what the best times to visit would be so that you can stay safe while taking all those beautiful photos. This site is also useful for checking other important details like the weather forecast and the sun rise and sun set times. So, take the day, time, tide levels and sun rise/set times into consideration when you’re making your plans.
The Equipment
As with any photographic expedition, make sure you get your basics right. Make sure your camera’s battery if fully charged and if you carry multiple batteries, make sure all of them are fully charged. This will be especially important as you will be taking a lot of long explore photos, which tend to be more taxing on your batteries. Also make sure your memory cards are all formatted and ready to go. So, these are the Equipment that accompanied me on this trek:
- Sony A7RIV (with L-bracket)
- Sony FE 16-35 F4
- Hoya ND8 filter + CPL
- Wireless shutter release
- Carbon fibre tripod with ball head
- GoPro Hero 4 Silver with motorised 360 degree panoramic head and gorilla pod tripod
Sony A7RIV on Tripod with GoPro on Gorilla Pod
2. Getting There
You can use this link to find directions on how to get to the Pinnacles.
Google Maps
Once you get to the car park, walk down to the beach, turn to your left and walk along the beach for about half a kilometer.
At this point, you’d have two options. You can either walk along the beach or you can take wooden steps from the beach to the walking track.
I chose to walk along the walking track. You should be able to get there by following the coast line as well, but that would be bit more of a challenging walk. Also, if you’re taking this path, make sure to keep a close eye on the tide level. Especially, when the tide is coming in or when it’s high, it might not be possible to walk along the beach.
The walking track is a well traveled path and a leisurely two kilometer walk will bring you to a viewing platform that overlooks the beautiful Pinnacles below.
Here are some more details about the walk to the Pinnacles Lookout from the car park.
Walking Details from the Car Park to the Pinnacles
Walking Details from the Car Park to the Pinnacles
You can also download a recording of the walking track from the car park to the viewing platform in the following formats.
- GPX format – Use a GPX viewer/reader application to download and view the track
- KML / KMZ format – These can be opened using Google Earth
Deciding what time of the day you get there plays a big part in how your photos would turn out. When the sun is high up in the sky would definitely not be the best time for photography as the harsh light does not leave much room for any creativity. Even with extreme ND filters, midday is really not the best time for long exposure photography. I would recommend either sunrise or sunset for the best results and this is another area the ‘WillyWeather’ site can help with. I would recommend setting up alarms in your phone for surmise and sunset times, and last night if you’re there at sunset.
3. When You're There
Once you get there is when the real work begins! Looking down, you’re presented with some really magnificent views of the beach and the rock formations, and is a good place to start off with a few panoramic and long-exposure photos.
Now comes the difficult part of the trek, making your way down to the beach!
To get down to the beach, from the viewing platform, walk a bit to the right and follow the small footpath. When you follow the footpath for about 50 or 60 feet, you’ll come to this small ravine that looks like it had been created by running water. You can carefully follow this make it to the beach below. You might have to crawl a bit on your bum and hands as the path is quite steep and the ground tends to be a bit soft.
Once you make your careful way down to the beach is when the real magic begins! The views down at the beach level are simply breathtaking! All the awesome looking rock formations together with the sea and the waves coming in make create some truly magical spectacles. Being an avid fan of sci-fi movies, it kept reminding me of some awesome scene from one of the Star Wars movies.
Before you settle in to taking photos, I would recommend to walk around a bit to see where the best spots would be. If you’re there for sunset, the sun goes down from the side where the tallest rock formations are.
While I was busy taking photos, I had the Gopro set up for taking a few time-lapse panoramas. Here’s one from the GoPro.
I hope this article will help you in at least a small way in finding your way to this amazing location and taking some fantastic photos! Always remember to stay safe and respect the nature around you when you’re there.
