Nestled in the high country wilderness of Jericho, vaguely somewhere within an imaginary triangle between Marysville, Mt Baw Baw and Jamieson, is a tiny little town called Matlock. The region has a rich history thanks to the gold mining days of the mid 1800s, and thanks to which saw several iconic little towns such as Woods Point and Matlock become established.
Although being right on the Warburton-Woods Point Road, you really can't deny the isolation of the place, requiring a bone-rattling 65km drive on a super-windy dirt road at elevations mostly around 1000m where the weather loves to change at the drop of a penny. Regardless, I can't deny how much I've enjoyed it every time I've driven here.
On this particular trip I'd been camping in the hills above the historic town of Walhalla, and had decided to take the 4wd route from Walhalla to Matlock via Aberfeldy - particularly interesting after a day and night of heavy rainfall. With sunset approaching quickly and disappointment swelling due to not having shot anything all day, this scene immediately jumped out at me as I drove out of Matlock.
The subdued twilight light coupled with the ominous, quick moving fog made for an atmospheric scene that I just had to shoot, and this tree was just begging to be centre stage! You can just feel the chill emanating from this shot! - Bernie