Join us for an Australia Photo Tour to capture some of the impressive and remote locations of the Australian Outback, the most ancient land known to humankind.
We are running this Australia astrophotography tour from September 27th – October 5th, 2024, during the best time to photograph the Australian Outback, enjoy dark nights, and capture the outstanding Southern Hemisphere Milky Way arch.
Our Australian Outback photo tour will take you through some of the darkest skies in the world, and you’ll see the sky the way the first Aboriginal Australians saw it tens of thousands of years ago.
From the dry land and Lunettes of Mungo National Park to the pinky waters of Lake Tyrrell, this Australia photo tour is mainly focused on capturing the best moments of light during the day and making the most out of the dark skies of the New South Wales Outback. To ensure we are close to the best Australian Outback locations and don’t miss any photo opportunities, we will stay in comfortable hotels close to the locations we will be photographing.
We’ll personally help you capture the best possible images, and we’ll show you the best techniques to shoot day and night landscapes, so you can return home with a greater knowledge of photography, and of course, unforgettable memories.
The itinerary for our Australian Outback photo tour is flexible and will be adjusted according to the weather conditions so you can make the most out of this trip.
This tour is highly focused on astrophotography, and it will take place during the best time of the year to capture the Milky Way arch in the Australian Outback. Our galaxy will be visible from 9 PM until 1 AM, which gives us plenty of time to photograph the Milky Way.
This time of year also allows us to photograph Orion and the Summer Milky Way later in the night. If the weather conditions are conducive to a productive night photography session, we might adapt the morning sessions so we can have more time to sleep.
Our Australia photo tour will begin at the Red Earth Motel in Broken Hill, where we’ll meet with the group at 12:00 PM
Broken Hill is a large mining town in the far west of the NSW outback. Settled in the late 19th century, there are a lot of historic and abandoned buildings. Here, you can also find the iconic red clay dirt associated with the Australian Outback.
After the meet and greet, we will do our first orientation session, where we’ll go over the tour itinerary and details. Then, we’ll do a gear review to ensure everything is ready for our first-night photography session.
We’ll do the sunset at Silverton, an old mining town where Mad Max 2 was filmed and where you can find plenty of abandoned buildings and cars.
To end our day, we’ll do our first-night photography session either at the iconic Red Hill Motel or Silverton depending on the shooting conditions.
On the next day of our Australian Outback astrophotography tour, we’ll leave Silverton and Broken Hill and drive around 60 miles (100km) to the Menindee Lakes.
The Menindee Lakes have been home to aboriginal camps in the past and were also used as a base camp by the first European explorers as they forged their way across the Australian Outback and the rest of the continent.
This area also features a forest of flooded eucalyptus trees that rise above the water with their tall and slender shape.
The lakes’ water level depends mainly on rainfall. Our main goal is to get close to the trees; where you can capture spectacular images of the dead trees in over some of the darkest skies in the Southern Hemisphere.
This area offers so many compositions and possibilities that we’ll spend two days exploring and maximizing the chances of capturing unique images.
On the next days of our Australian Outback photo tour, after breakfast, we’ll check out of our hotel and head over to one of the main highlights of the trip, Mungo National Park!
Mungo National Park is 2.5 hours away from Menindee and is a significant site for all of humanity due to its archaeological value. This UNESCO World Heritage area contains the oldest remains discovered in Australia and the second oldest in the world. It’s also where the oldest cremation ever was found.
The site is not only historically significant, but it’s also visually stunning. The dry lakes have allowed the wind to form huge sand dunes and clay deposits called Lunettes.
During our first two days in Mungo, we’ll do a private sunset and Milky Way tour at the Walls of China with a local guide. This is one of the most spectacular areas in the park, which is restricted to the public, and we’ll have the privilege of photographing the night skies over the spectacular formations of Mungo.
The compositions are endless, so we’ll have the chance to maximize the photo opportunities in this spectacular and restricted area by visiting it twice!
Apart from the spectacular sunsets on this area, it also offers the opportunity to capture both the Winter and Summer Milky Way arches.
On our last day in Mungo, we’ll start the day with an editing class where we’ll edit some of the photos captured during the photo tour. In this editing session, we’ll teach you how to do advanced techniques such as stitching tracked Milky Way panoramas and editing to extract the most detail out of the shots.
Later, we will explore new areas, such as the Red Top Lookout or different sand dunes. The Red Top Lookout is an unbeatable vantage point, offering a bird’s eye view of the park’s remarkable deep ravine, erosion, and textured landscape, as well as the drying Willandra Lakes.
For Sunset and Astro, we’ll visit a different and remote location where we’ll most likely be on our own with beautiful sand dunes and more lunettes where we can capture more unique images and Milky Way shots.
On the last two full days of our Australian Outback photo tour, we’ll photograph the majestic Lake Tyrrell.
Lake Tyrrell is a shallow salt lake located about 3.5 hours away from Mungo National Park and is renowned for its vibrant pink color and mirror-like reflections. Photographing the Milky Way from Lake Tyrrell is a surreal experience, as you can see the stars and our galaxy when looking at the sky and the ground. This illusion is only broken by a few salt formations and mining tools that can be found scattered across the lake.
This 120,000-year-old lake is regarded as one of the best places in Australia for stargazing. The dark skies here provide the perfect setting to enjoy the dazzling sight of the Southern Hemisphere’s constellations.
It’s also a paradise for abstract aerial images. Here, drone pictures from the air capture the unique colors, shapes, and textures of the different parts of the lake.
During the two days in the area, we’ll explore different parts of the lake for sunset and unforgettable Milky Way sessions. During this time, we’ll also do a second editing class where we’ll show you new techniques to unlock the full potential of your RAW images!
After waking up on the last day in Lake Tyrrell, we’ll pack up and drive to Mildura Airport, where we’ll wrap up this Australian Outback photo tour. If you are flying, make sure not to book any return flights before 1 PM since it’s a 2.5-hour drive from Lake Tyrrell to Mildura Airport.
Deposit: $2,000 USD
A $2,000 USD deposit is required to reserve your spot for this workshop. You can also pay in full at any time. The remaining balance is due 4 months before the start of the tour If the remaining balance is not paid in full by the due date, you will lose your spot.
NOTE: We will help you coordinate the share of car rentals with other participants. You can read more information in the transportation section below.
NOTE II: The Mungo on on-park experience will be delivered by a licensed Parks Eco Pass operator (“PEP Operator)
This workshop is focused on Milky Way photography, from the basics to more advanced. Considering you will already have a good foundation in this type of photography, you should progress very quickly during the workshop. Your instructors are professional landscape astrophotographers with extensive experience who will help you take your photography to the next level.
*Note: As soon as you sign up for this workshop, you will have access to Dan’s full Capture the Milky Way course, which will give you the perfect knowledge base before you join this astrophotography workshop.
Some of the photography basics you can learn during the workshop are:
Some of the advanced photography techniques you can learn during the workshop are:
Some of the post-processing techniques that you can learn with are:
John will be the tour leader of this Australian Outback photo tour. John is an Australian expert astrophotographer whose passion for photography is only surpassed by his knowledge of the Australian Outback. He will help you make the most out of every location and take the best possible photos.
During his photography career, John has inspired countless photographers to discover the wonders of the Australian Outback, having led more photo tours here in the past with Capture the Atlas. He is also an avid educator who has helped thousands of astrophotographers through courses, presentations, and his YouTube channel.
John is also an avid explorer who knows the outback like the palm of his hand. He spends longs periods of time every year in these regions exploring and photographing new locations on his special astrophotography truck, “4ASTRO”.
JL Cantabrana is a professional photographer based in Sydney, Australia. He has lived and traveled all around the world, and he is an expert in long-exposure and night photography.
Apart from shooting, Jose’s passion is sharing his knowledge with others, and he has been running photography tours worldwide over the last few years in places like Iceland and around Australia.
JL will help you master your Milky Way photography in the Australian Outback while capturing sand dunes, dramatic wastelands, and the dazzling Southern Hemisphere constellations.
You’ve probably seen Capture the Atlas in…
A complete list of everything that we recommend for this tour is sent to all participants upon sign-up. Below, you can find a summary of things you might need:
Temperatures in the Australian Outback during late September and early October are mild, ranging from 53 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (12-27º C), and rain is rare. However, some nights can be windy, making the temperature feel a bit cooler.
For this reason, we recommend bringing the following clothing:
The currency in Australia is the Australian Dollar (AUD). We highly recommend getting Australian Dollars in your home country, although, if that is not possible, you can always exchange currency at the airport.
Credit and debit cards are accepted in most places in Australia, no matter how small the amount, so you don’t need much cash for the trip. We do recommend taking $100-200 just in case.
If you are traveling to Australia from a foreign country, you must obtain an ETA. This document allows you to enter Australia as a tourist if you have an eligible passport. Also, make sure to check specific requirements when traveling to Australia from your home country.
We can help you with this process.
During this Australian Outback photo tour, we will be staying in the best hotels close to the photo locations, in single occupancy rooms with private bathrooms.
There is a $1,000 USD discount if you are traveling as a couple sharing the same room ($500 USD per person).
All photography locations are close to the parking lot, so there won’t be much hiking in this astrophotography tour. The only exception is Mungo National Park, where we’ll do a short 1.2-mile (2km) round-trip hike.
You should consider that we will be walking on uneven terrain, such as sand or rocks, so we recommend bringing comfortable hiking boots with good ankle support.
This tour is packed with a lot of shooting, driving, and activities, so we recommend being in good physical shape to enjoy the experience.
If you are flying, the trip will begin at Broken Hill, so we recommend flying into Broken Hill Airport (BHQ). The endpoint is Mildura Airport (MQL) for your trip back home.
The best and quickest way to get to Broken Hill is to fly from Sydney, which is a 2.5-hour flight, or from Adelaide, which is a 1.5 hour flight.
For Mildura, the main flights are also from Sydney, which is a 2.5-hour flight, or from Melbourne, which is a 1.5-hour flight.
The distance by car between Broken Hill & Mildura is about 3 hours if you decide to fly in and out from the same location.
Airline and ticket prices depend on the schedule and airport of departure, but flying from Sydney is approximately $400-500 USD.
Meals are not included except for the two private tours in the Mungo Walls of China where we’ll provide picnic-style dinners. Most days, we will eat snacks/picnic to maximize the time for photography and do a big lunch/dinner in one of the local restaurants.
We recommend preparing to spend about $60-$80 USD on food per day.
Transportation and fuel costs are not included during the tour. Our tour leader, John, will be leading the trip caravan with his truck, which is fully equipped for the Outback with a special bumper, radio, and first aid kit.
You can rent cars both in Broken Hill and Mildura Airports, and the main companies offer the chance to pick-up the car at Broken Hill Airport and return it at Mildura airport.
To share car rentals and minimize the cost and impact of the trip, we create a chat group where you can coordinate with other participants.
Roads are very straight and easy to drive in Australia, but please consider that we’ll be traveling on some dirt roads, and it’s a requirement for the trip to bring a high-clearance vehicle like an SUV.
Also, keep in mind that we will drive on the left side of the road if you are not from Australia.
Our workshops are completely centered on photography: finding the best moments of light during the day and at night, and creating an intensive experience that is conducive to learning and taking the best images.
Our Australia Photo Tour is limited to small groups with a ratio of no more than 6 students per instructor. This is also an important factor for providing the attentive instruction you need during the tour.
This photography tour is the only one of its kind , there are currently no other astrophotography tours being held in the NSW Australian Outback with this level of detail. We will be traveling with an experienced Australian photographer, and we will also rely on aboriginal guides for some locations.
We will design your photography plan and provide you with materials before, during, and after the workshop so the learning process is not limited to just the tour.
We have spent years designing national and international photo tours with successful results, helping photographers with everything from the simple task of getting off Auto to the ambitious goal of capturing complex images. Dan’s online courses have also helped more than 600 photographers over the last few years.
Beyond the photography, our photography tours help build strong bonds that last forever. After our trip, you’ll feel like you have been with a group of friends rather than on a standard tour. We are thankful to have plenty of repeat clients who keep traveling and learning with us.
You don’t need to be an expert astrophotographer to join this tour, but a good foundation in Milky Way photography is ideal to make the most of the experience.
You should be able to manage your camera comfortably at night, be familiar with the best settings, and know how to focus on the stars at night and edit Milky Way images.
If you plan to track, it doesn’t matter if you have never used a star tracker before. We will show you all the steps so you can start taking your first Milky Way tracked images.
If you are an advanced astrophotographer, you’ll learn some top-notch techniques to track complex Milky Way panoramas with different blendings and at longer focal lengths and work on some specific post-processing techniques.
All the places that we will visit during this Australian Outback photo tour are very close to the road and parking lots, and we won’t be walking long distances. The only exception is Mungo National Park where we will do a 1.2-mile (2km) round-trip hike.
However, we will be driving, walking, and shooting a lot during the tour, especially at night to make the most of the dark skies of the Outback. Most of the terrain we will be walking on is rocky and/or sandy, so we recommend being in good physical shape to enjoy this experience to the fullest.
There is no age limit. This trip is perfect for anyone over 18 years old who wants to photograph the Milky Way in Australia with us.
Non-photographer companions are welcome to join the tour, and they need to book a spot under the same price and conditions as any other participant. (We don’t allow non-participant companions tagging along with the group). We have had plenty of non-photographer companions over the years and all of them enjoyed an amazing experience. As long as they enjoy nature, beautiful landscapes, and are a bit patient with the schedules of a photo tour, joining the trip can be a great experience regardless of the photography.
While not mandatory, having a star tracker is highly recommended.
There are four main models that we recommend for this workshop (any other trackers would also work):
You can also find more options in our best star-trackers list.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with and help countless photographers over the last years:
Astrophotography in the Australian Outback is something that you have to experience. Imagine no buildings, no cars, no cities…just billions of stars over some of the most impressive skies in the world to shoot our cosmos.
Add to this the stunning landscapes, formations, and lakes of the Outback, and you have the perfect ingredients for unique images.
Be ready to take your astrophotography to a whole new level in one of the best places in the world!
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