# To All Australians!!!!



## NickFitch (Jul 24, 2012)

Hello, I'm based in the UK, (Norwich to be specific) and I'm off to Australia for a month with the family.

it's my first time over there and I have absolutely no clue about where to go. 
I'm planning on taking photos of everything with a pulse, or not.... 
I'm going to ​

Melbourne
Brisbane
Cairns
Sydney
Any hotspots in these areas would be appreciated! 


Cheers, 
Nick


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## StephieB86 (Jul 29, 2012)

Check out Mt Cootha Lookout & Brisbane Botanical Gardens (Mt Cootha again), some stunning photos can be taken there. JC Slaughter Falls is another good one. Then there's South Bank, QUT Gardens, and tonnes of gorgeous buildings. I can't help on the other cities but I hope these help!


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## binga63 (Jul 29, 2012)

In Melbourne

The Carlton Gardens and the Royal Exhibition Building are very pretty and one of my favourite places to be on a nice day as the sun sets too. 
Later on, the gardens are packed with possums  it's almost creepy how many there are, and how close you can get to them.
It's also close to Lygon Street, where there's always lots of action with plenty of extra Ferraris out and about at Grand Prix time.
The Fitzroy Gardens and Treasury Gardens are also extremely beautiful, and all are walking distance from the middle of town.
The Block Arcade is a bit of a classic, and I especially like the entrance to it from Little Collins Street. Tiny, dimly lit but bustling with cafes and restaurants and tonnes of atmosphere.
Hosier Lane, across Flinders Street from Fed Square is popular with photographers (which may or may not be a good thing) and Centre Place, next to Degraves Street across Flinders Lane has a lot of character, colour and bustle.

also I did a search for you and found these as well...





Labassa -- Labassa in Caulfield is an exquisite Italianate building with many precious original interior surfaces. It is one of the most gor*geous heritage-listed build*ings in Mel*bourne, and it makes for an incred*ible loc*a*tion for wed*dings and pho*to*graphy. Its exquis*ite finish, gil*ded and embossed wall*pa*pers, stained glass win*dows, mahogany and marble all come together beau*ti*fully, resulting in an Renaissance-revival extra*vag*ance with Second Empire touches and a hint of Germanic Gothic that offers wedding couples the per*fect set*ting for ultimate romance.
Montsalvat -- Montsalvat in Eltham is a unique property in Melbourne's outer suburbs built with a beautiful rustic, provincial ambience with an engaging past and an eclectic approach to Australian design. Many of Montsalvat's bluestone buildings have a fine medieval styling and a charming tumbled feel. The grounds are luscious with flowers and green most of the year and a ceremony or reception package at Montsalvat also includes time for photography around the gardens. Receptions and ceremonies can be held in either the Great Hall or beside the ornamental pond. There is also a beautiful bluestone chapel for ceremonies that can seat about fifty and can look either Gothic or rustic depending on your preferences. The great hall has polished wood floors and the lead-light windows and has a much greater capacity.
Ormond Pier -- Ormond Pier is an impressive gracefully weathered expansive structure, surrounded by rocks and beach, ideal for many different moods for beach locations and romantic wedding photography. It is notable for light and shadows running across the broad stone like surface. In Melbourne, Ormond Pier is one of the very best locations in the inner south east, versatile, with easy access at the top of Head Street in Elwood, generous parking, uncluttered, with rows of steps diagonally on to the western light, and the pier surrounded by a strong square balustrading. At Serendipity Photography we can play up the warm and cool contrasts, and dramatize the sculptural qualities of wall and wave alike. Ormond Pier can become like a glorious ruin, with massive walls as a setting for your own romantic play.
Kerford Road Pier -- One of the most important and overlooked features of Kerford Rd. pier is the ability to drive right up to the waters edge, perfect for catching a glimpse of sky in Winter. The views of the sea and sky can help to make some incredibly dramatic photos, with colour and depth that we just love at Serendipity photography! If your idea of visiting the beach is sand, grit, flyaway hair and squints then think again. At Serendipity we love clouds and horizons and we revel in vast expanses of sky brought to perfection through a wide palette of controlled photography techniques and a caring eye. Kerford Rd is close to the city, has good amenities, a café and shade, which is invaluable on a hot day in formal attire.
The Grand Hotel, Spencer Street -- The Grand Hotel is an outstanding and historic location in Melbourne, built when railways were the jetliners of the day, and were intrinsically linked with prestige. Some rooms in The Grand feature high ceilings and mezzanines that offer plenty of opportunities for creative photography, and tall curtained windows great for portraiture. The foyer has a glorious set of double stairs that are fantastic for wedding photography. The frontage on Spencer St. is one of the most impressive from the late 1880s, 'grand' and 'opulent' hardly do justice to the richly detailed freestyle Renaissance revival ornamental masterpiece. Feel free to be as romantic as you please.
Hotel Windsor -- To describe the Hotel Windsor as a grand duchess is completely inadequate, she is a queen. At Serendipity Photography we were smitten nineteen years ago  the Windsor is superlative for Melbourne wedding photography. At over 120 years old the Hotel Windsor is still exceptionally grand. Built in 1883, and having gone through many significant changes, such as the addition of the mansard roofed towers in Second Empire style. The Hotel Windsor has more great photography locations just outside your room, from the stylish period corridors to the grand staircase in the foyer, also beautifully appointed. The staircase is authentic turn-0f-the-century design and affords many photo opportunities. Almost a Melbourne wedding classic, the view across the street from the Windsor behind the fountain is full of enchantment twenty years later. At Serendipity we bring off-camera flash to complete a sense of European romance, in the late afternoon.
General Post Office -- The recent General Post Office renovations dust a fine dazzle of contemporary spice onto the gorgeous bones of one of Melbourne most loved Renaissance Revival original thoroughbreds. At Serendipity Photography we appreciate the fine blend of old and new the GPO locale provides, the strong curves and textures and dramatic columns, the fantastic space of the colonnade. Melbournes GPO is now a inner city shopping precinct of serious sophistication. The GPO is a great wet weather photographic location, and is close to wonderful streetscapes and other notable buildings, good for optimising your wedding location photography opportunities, particularly, as it is often for many wedding couples, time is short.
South Melbourne Town Hall -- South Melbourne Town Hall is a fantastic example of Melbournes noble official buildings, which came up all over Victoria during the Gold Rush Era. The surrounding areas have space and light, and are brilliant for larger groups or wedding photography involving several cars and the bridal party. The South Melbourne Town Hall offers, as well as the expected classic temple frontage with steps, portico and columns, grand wings ample space and a huge Victorian tower, other delights on other frontages. At Serendipity, we appreciate the way light plays over the many different surfaces and styles of the South Melbourne Town Hall facades and enjoy the variegated colours and textures of the surrounding buildings.
Carlton Gardens/Exhibition Building/Melbourne Museum -- The Royal Exhibition Building is one of Melbourne's most prominent buildings and is a classic and forms a fine backdrop to wedding photography, placing you within the avenue of trees looking past the fountain. Closer up, it's full of hidden delights, sweeping steps, arches and ornamental detailing. . Theres more to the Royal Exhibition Buildings and the Carlton gardens than beautiful architecture and design, the area is also a landmark of Victorian history. The garden as designed to compliment the Royal Exhibition Building has two ornamental lakes created in 1880, the beautiful French Fountain, and the even more elaborate Hochgurtel fountain, which mimics the themes Royal Exhibition Buildings, are complex and brilliant. Nearby are other sights like rustic Victorian terraces, the strong façade of the tramways terminus with richly romantic nooks and crannies, and a marvellously battered set of huge doors, and to top that all off, for a complete contrast, the sharp, clear lines of Melbourne's new museum. Denton Corker Marshall's brave, dazzling, modernist statement provides wedding couples who revel in a contemporary ethos almost unlimited possibilities for modern style.
Billilla, Brighton -- Billilla on Halifax Street in Brighton is an ideal place for a wedding ceremony or location photography. Billilla Mansion is a classic example of turn-of-the-century Victorian architecture. At Serendipity Photography we're always happy to work in such beautiful locations with such significance to local history. Billilla's rich history has resulted in an elegant multi-faceted building design encompassing many different stylistic features. The original structure was built in Jacobethan style in rendered brick with Art Nouveau extensions. Couples can enjoy photography is the beautiful curved porch with carved columns, sweeping stairs and deco motifs. As a location for a wedding or reception Billilla Mansion ticks all the boxes, it's majestic and romantic, easily accessible, with lots of space and many different garden vistas and specific aspects of the buildings that are very good for locations on site for varied wedding location photography. For a photographer gardens like this provide lots of inspiring backdrops for shoots, which change with the seasons and weather.
Hope that gives you a couple of ideas ​


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