Matt Down Under
Ruby developer, founder of choc media, bushwalker, MacGyver fan and hobby photographer, German citizen and Australian Permanent Resident.
In 2008 I moved from Germany to Australia, the best decision of my life. On this blog you can find stories and photos about hiking in Tasmania and on the mainland, travelling, and life in Australia — my journey from Working Holiday to Permanent Residency.
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6 posts tagged Hiking Gear
I have received a new tent this week and it looks as if after three attempts I finally found the perfect tent for me. I posted some photos and impressions to the Bushwalk Tasmania forum.
In a few weeks I want to test the tent on my next hiking trip.
Photography equipment for travel and wildlife
Over the last months I found myself diving more and more into advanced fields of hobby photography and since I’m happy with both my equipment and the results it produces, I thought I should write a short piece about my current equipment and what I use it for.
I’m not a professional photographer, I take photos only for memories and for fun, it simply gives me a great feeling to look through the photos of my travels in recent years - it reminds me of the wonderful moments I had. Whenever I think my life it boring I look at the photos only to be impressed to see what great places I visited.
I mostly take photos of nature and wildlife, there are simply a lot of opportunities in Australia to take stunning nature scenes. For me as a German who didn’t grow up with such an abundance of wildlife and colourful birds it is also very fascinating to photograph wild animals like parrots and kangaroos, it just feels very exotic and makes for a great photo.
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My bushwalking checklist
My leave got approved last week and I’m now in the final stage of preparing for my next big bushwalk. Last year around this time I walked the South Coast Track and even though it was frustrating to walk at times due to very bad track conditions, the pristine beaches and rough coastline were an amazing experience that made me want to see more of the South West National Park in Tasmania, especially along the coast line.
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New season - new equipment
It’s finally warm enough to spend more time outdoors in Hobart and therefore a few weeks ago I bought a bicycle so I can go mountain-biking in Wellington Park on weekends. I’m also looking forward to go hiking again soon, although this summer I will probably be short on time since I booked a trip to Germany over Christmas and New Years - with several days stop-over in Thailand and Singapore - which will eat up all my leave days. Fortunately my boss is pretty flexible with time and let’s me take leave days even when I don’t have leave days left - without getting paid then of course.
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Preparing for a 10-day hike in South-West Tasmania
I’m still planning with seven days, but I calculate with three spare days in case of weather changes, flood or whatever else. The Overland Track and the Freycinet Peninsula Walk have been welcome field studies for my equipment and multi-day hiking preparations. For the South Coast Track I need to be more professional. It is now autumn in Tasmania, snowfall in higher regions is normal. Thankfully I will walk around sealevel most of the time, so I don’t expect snow except maybe on the Ironbounds. But what I can expect is a lot of rain and cold wind. The days will be shorter and there will be less people around.
