What and Where
The 28th Australian National Stereo Photography Convention is an opportunity for stereo photographers (from beginners to the highly experienced) and enthusiasts (from the simply curious to the totally committed) to come together to view, take and show stereo photos, to trade tips and techniques and to share some quality time discussing all things stereo in a relaxed, photogenic setting.
Phillip Island is highly photogenic with loads to do, great places to visit, fine places to eat and is a fabulous place to rest and relax.
Cowes is 140 km south of Melbourne and 1,000 km south-west of Sydney. It is most easily accessible by road but there are buses that run from Melbourne to Cowes and trains that run from Melbourne to Cranbourne from where there is a bus to Cowes.
We’ll also try to coordinate car pooling as well as we can.
Where is Phillip Island?
It will be held in the St Philip’s Anglican Church Hall at 102 Thompson Ave, Cowes, Phillip Island, Victoria over the weekend of Friday 3 May to Sunday 6 May 2024. The hall is on the corner of Thompson Ave, (the main street of Cowes) and Church St. It is on the left hand side as you drive towards the beach just past the Coles supermarket.
The registration desk will be open at the Hall late afternoon on Friday 3 May.
The program hasn’t been finalised yet but the convention will formally begin with shows and workshops on Saturday morning. There will also be shows on Saturday and Sunday evenings and tours, workshops and photo opportunities spread throughout the weekend. Saturday afternoon will be left free and the convention dinner will be held on Sunday evening.
Phillip Island has so many things to do and see that we can’t do it justice in just a weekend. However, we will arrange a couple of visits which will be included in the convention program and there will be time for a couple more during our time there.
Programme Excursions
The National Vietnam Veterans Museum
According to the NVVM website (www.vietnamvetsmuseum.org) their mission is to remember, interpret and relate the experience of the veterans of the Vietnam era and the enduring impact of the war on society. It is filled with memorabilia of all kinds from tanks and helicopters to medals, stories, memorials and even the ballot balls used to decide who got conscripted and who didn’t. It’s a very interesting and emotive place to visit.Churchill Island
Churchill Island, which is just north of Phillip Island, was discovered in 1801 by Lt James Grant who planted crops and trees there making this location the very first farm in Victoria. It is named after Mr John Churchill of Dawlish, Devon, who had given Lt. Grant seeds of trees and vegetables to "plant in the New World". There’s a historic homestead, horses, sheep and sheep dogs, blacksmithing, cattle, highland cows, birds, gardens and lots of things to see. You can see more at: www.penguins.org.au/attractions/churchill-island/Optional Excursions
The Penguin Parade
Phillip Island is best known for the Penguin Parade where up to several thousand penguins return to their nests at sunset each night after fishing during the day and people gather to watch them. The Penguin Parade is a night-time activity, when we would normally be having shows, and so we haven’t made it part of the formal program.Website: www.penguins.org.au/attractions/penguin-parade/ Unfortunately, the penguins get quite badly spooked by flash lights and even though flash photography was banned for many years it still happened, sometimes by people who simply didn’t know their camera (or phone) well enough to turn it off, and sometimes deliberately. The result is that all photography is now banned during the Penguin Parade. There are three levels of viewing. General Viewing uses the old set of seats that many of the penguins now avoid. Penguins Plus uses a new grandstand closer to the penguins’ new path and Underground viewing is a smaller space, at ground level, beneath Penguins Plus with an eye-level view of the penguins as they walk past.
The costs, in 2023, are:
• General: $27.70 ($19.30 for pensioners and senior cards);
• Penguins Plus: $65;
• Underground: $75.
You can see these at: www.penguins.org.au/attractions/penguin-parade/activities/
Seal Rocks Boat Cruise
Seal Rocks, one of the large Fur Seal colonies in Australia with over 5,000 seals, is just off the South West tip of Phillip Island. There is a two-hour boat cruise giving a close-up view of this colony. The boat cruise leaves the Cowes jetty at 2:00 pm each day and returns around 4:00pm.The costs, in 2023, are:
• Adult $98
• Concession $88
• Group (5-19 people) $80.40
Website: www.penguins.org.au/attractions/seal-cruise/
If anyone wants to attend the Penguin Parade, and/or the Seal Rocks Boat Cruise, please let us know using the Registration Form, which we will circulate before the end of 2023. If we can finalise the numbers by the end of February, we’ll then try to negotiate group discounts with the Penguin Parade.
Other Things To See Places of interest include:
• Chocolate Factory
• The Nobbies
• The Boardwalk through the mangroves at Rhyll
• Pelican feeding at San Remo
• Cowrie Beach
• Shelly Beach
• Woolamai Beach
• Swan Lake
• Wildlife Reserve
• Koala Reserve
• A Maze'N Things
Plus others shown at www.visitphillipisland.com.au/
Contact
For more information or to register interest, please email us atcowes2024@gmail.com