Well that was fun. I was supposed to be heading out to the Gardens of stone on Sunday to get some more photos, but not surprisingly the highway was closed and it was forced to be canceled. Seeing as I was up and at 'em I thought I would go for a drive to Orange. 

Snow on a road in Spring Hill I had heard the road to Orange was closed, but it didn't seem to be. At least not the back way. I grabbed this shot near Spring Hill. A random dirt road sided by beautiful trees.

Snowy beside road Mt. Canobolas Heading toward the back of Mt. Canobolas things started getting real. I went exploring down one of the pine forest access roads which was covered in snow.

Snowy pine forest mt canobolas This is the view looking up at the pine trees beside that very road.

Snowy dirt road Mt. Canobolas Another side road around the back of Mt. Canobolas had these deciduous trees which i thought looked pretty cool in the snow. There were a bunch of birds around this area so I switched to my telephoto lens and when hunting.

Bird in the snow Score! How cute is this little guy in the grass and snow. He looks like a miniature puffin bird to me. No idea, if anyone knows comment below :) There were a whole flock of them. They kept skipping from one area to the next as I walked toward them down the road. They kept this up for about 500m before finally flying in to the forest.

Kangaroos making a break for it I was on a roll with wildlife.. Correct lens on and managed to capture these cold Kangaroos seeking greener pastures!

Snow avenue I thought this avenue of trees looked nice with some solid compression at 150mm

Snowy tar road Mt. Canobolas The main road was starting to get pretty hectic. Time to turn around I think....

Going to need more than a credit card After this I went in to town in search of a nice warm coffee, some fuel and a muffin (yes in that order). This is a random house in Orange with a very well covered car.

Orange Main street I love a bit of symmetry. This is a fairly iconic view of orange I thought. Much of the snow had melted from the road itself. From here on out, most of the shots were taken in the sleet and snow. I am glad my camera is weather sealed.

Snow Fight! Time for some snow fights! These kids were having a blast in the Robertson park. 

Snow Fight! Dad always seems to cop it!

Snow Fight! Do you think I warned him what was coming..... Not a chance.

Lets build a snowman Exhausted... Thanks for posing guys!

Lets build a snowman Off to cook park for some classy Snow man action. You have to use the tools at hand and these daffodils did the trick.

Lets build a snowman How cute is this little girl. She has totally got it sussed.

Lets build a snowman A very cute family. Thanks for posing. And a big thanks to the power of the internets to for finding out who they were so I could get this image to them. If you know anyone else in these pics, please feel free to share the link so they can see them.

Lets build a snowman

Another massive snowman in cook park. It had a slightly halloween look to it though I think.

Lets build a snowman Driving the streets there were so many people making snowmen in their front yards. I didn't catch the names of these people, so if you know them, send through the link :)

Snow chair- Botanic Gardens Off to the Orange Botanic Gardens now. Looks like a chilly place to rest.

Snow Fight! And of course more snowball fights.. Very cheeky..

Snow Fight! But don't worry, she got as good as she gave.

Vines - Orange Botanic Gardens The vines made for a nice composition in the gardens. It looks so different under snow.

Nice view - Orange Botanic Gardens Nice views in the Botanic Gardens in Orange.

Billabong - Orange Botanic Gardens I really liked this log near the dam in the park. It had Billabong carved into it and made for a cool shot. By this stage i was quite wet and I was loosing feeling in my fingers and toes!

Good Dog One last stop off at Robertson Park. It was the first time this dog had ever seen snow and he was loving it! I even got a shot of him jumping up and catching a snowball in the mouth. brrrrr.

winter dreaming On the way home now I stopped of for an old shack beside the road. I liked the dreamy feel of this in creamtone. 

I hope you enjoyed my pics of the big freeze! It's always a nice to have some snow about the region. You can use the social media buttons on this page to share or like.

Frosty FlyerThis cute little bird was out and about in freezing frosty morning.

This cute little bird was out and about in freezing frosty morning. I thought we could use a break from all the illuminate bathurst pictures. Is this just a sparrow? So hopeless with birds, I just know they are cute. I was lucky to get this shot because I couldn't feel my fingers anymore. It was about -4 degrees at the time I believe. Looking forward to the days getting warmer that's for sure...

Well the excitement has been building over the past few weeks and it's finally here. After a few hiccups with the first event which you can read about on my Illuminate Bathurst blog post the latest installment is set to be a cracker and is happening tonight (4/7/2015) starting at 4pm. So rug up, strap on some skates and be ready to enjoy some good wine and music. You can see all the information on this evenings proceedings on the Bathurst200 Illuminate Bathurst update. 

But now for what you came for.. Some photos of the event. I will be adding to this Blog post as the event continues so please be sure to check back in and see all the pics from this fantastic event.

Illuminate Bathurst SetupIce rink setup This one was taken on Thursday night. You can just see the worker on the ice hosing it down. They had just laid the Bathurst logo on the ice and were sealing it down. It's so nice to see the lights in town, gives a sense of activity and life to the town. People were often walking past having a bit of a look around.

Ice Skates in Bathurst!?Plenty of skates for all! There have already been a few people lucky enough to have a skate on the ice, our Mayor being one of them. But rest assured, there are plenty of skates for all. This weekend is already booked out, but there are still plenty of spots available throughout the week.

Come join the penguins!Bathurst200 Winter Illumination ice rink Come down and join the penguin conga line! These little guy are keen to get out on the ice. I am too. Something a bit nice about outdoor skating at night. These guys will help you out if your not a great skater and want some freedom from the walls!

Will you join Ron on the ice?Penguins help you skate Oh, did I mention they are cute... Ron is leading the charge here. Go get 'em mate..

Star of Bethlehem at Bathurst Winter IlluminateI love this shot and how you can see Venus and Juptier slow close in the background Flying high. This gives a great perspective of Kings Parade and what you will see tonight.. You can also see 'The star of Bethlehem' in this shot, Venus and Jupiter are still quite close in the sky. There is a plane flying over to the left too. I like how you can see the reflection of the ice rink in the courthouse.

Bathurst200 ice rink No mistake where this is.. You go Bathurst. Really like all the hard work and events the council have been putting on this year. It's nice to see Bathurst being promoted as more then just a race track (not that there is anything wrong with the mighty Mt. Panorama). I just hope that it doesn't all stop after the bicentenary.

Bathurst Ice Rink sunsetLooking amazing I think this is one of my favorite shots. Taken from the ice at sunset.. My feet were freezing and the tripod was far less stable than I am used to. Will be interesting to see how the ice fairs with hundreds of people skating on it over the next week.

Illuminate BathurstOne of the bolder projections on the Courthouse as part of the Bathurst 200 celebrations Looking forward to seeing what 'present' themed projections they have come up with for this weeks illumination show.. This is a shot from the last event which I quite liked.

Bathurst Ice Rink elevated Another fav of mine which really highlights the features of the park from the war memorial to the ice rink and the carillon. Well that's it for now folks, see you out tonight. Don't forget to rug up, and pop back here for updates :)

Illuminate Bathurst Winter Festival afternoon

What a great night! All I have heard is positive feedback, I wasn't aware of any major dramas this time around and there was such a variety of things to see and do I was floating around the whole evening getting various shots of all the action. The crowds were large but built slowly from the 4pm start. I think many people electing to come down once it got dark for dinner and the lights. For this section I will post up some of the shots taken during the daylight hours of the festival. It's a very small selection of the photos I took, so if you are after a specific shot to licence or for a print send me a message on my contact page and I will see what i have.

Swing Factor - Illuminate Bathurst

Swing Factor got the atmosphere started from Denison College with a stunning backdrop in the heart of the city.

Food Stalls - Illuminate Bathurst The sun set behind the buildings in town and the food and wine stalls were already getting some interest from the crowd. I love the setting sun lighting up the lanterns from the first Illuminate Bathurst Festival. A nice touch. 

Jo Carter carving it up in BathurstAustralian National Figure Skating Championships 2007 It was great to see Jo Carter in action. She is the 2007 Australian national champion and wowed the crowd with her performance. It was tricky to get a good view, so time to get a better perspective....

Professional Skaters showing the crowd The professional skaters doing there thing in Bathurst's temporary outdoor ice rink. These guys really drew in the crowd, what an iconic regional location to do it in! In this shot I ran with a slower shutter speed to really try and capture the motion of the skaters, I think it works well :)

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It didn't take long for the wine and food stalls to start filling up. It was good to see they really stocked up this time, no dramas getting food all night. This is a different perspective from the top of one of the nearby buildings.

Pro Skaters thank the appreciative crowdSkating performance as part of Illuminate Bathurst Winter Festival

Well the end of the performance and the pro skaters bowed to the applauding crowd. It was a really good perspective to see them do their thing. I have a short video too, so if there is enough interest I might get it up on youtube or something.

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Well after the crowd got to see how it is done they got the opportunity to try it for themselves. The ice rink was sold out on the weekend, there were people skating all night, but what I was surprised about was there was a decent crowd watching all night too. Always good for a laugh and quite a few stacks too.. Hope everyone was ok.. 

Illuminate Bathurst Winter Festival evening

Food and Wine markets Well as the sun went down the crowds increased and food and wine markets were doing a cracking trade. There was such a nice selection of local businesses. Personally I went for the roast lamb roll from porters. Nice and warm hit the spot in on this chilly winters evening.

Happy faces at the markets Served with a smile. I it seemed like everyone was enjoying the night. The low light certainly pushed the camera to the limit. Depth of field is a trade off with image quality in low light conditions. I chose to capture the nice smile of the customer in focus for this one...

Carillon a light I love the blue glow of the Carillon this time. Certainly easier to capture then the red too ;) Was nice to see a lot more seating this time, the lights in the street added to the atmosphere too. 

CenteredProjections from inside the courthouse Well, Had to have another go of this shot this time round. Took the tripod this time so I could get a better perspective. I just wish I had waited a little longer till the silent disco started up. It was quite popular. I liked the new location on at the courthouse. This is a 30 second exposure. It captures the moody light and a sense of mystery in the shadows.

Bathurst200 Ice BlockBathurst200 Ice Block 1815-2015 Elsa was guarding this fancy block of ice... Anyone know how its done? very cool. (terrible pun not intended.. but then not deleted either).

Sheer JoyThe snow machine was a massive hit with the kids Sheer Joy!! The kids loved the snow machine so much. I captured this one on the fly and was so happy with the result. There is something about it, I can't quite put my finger on, full of emotion I guess.

Crowd watching ice groomers Crowd watching ice groomers and pro skaters in between sessions. It's amazing that the rink has been fully booked out for the entire week. Enjoy everyone!

Father and SonTaking photos of the light show The alleyways were projected again, this time round, a lot more colourful. I thought this one was cute as you can see a father and son taking photos of the light show.

Amazedchild trying to make their way through the maze

Amazed - A child trying to make their way through the maze of glow in the dark strings.

Arabesk violinist - a true performer Arabesk! One of the coolest bands I have had the pleasure of seeing in a while. This is Veren Grigorov playing his violin to the backdrop of the carillon in Bathurst as part of the Illuminate Bathurst Winter Festival. Lest we forget the sacrifices that were made which enables us to be so free to celebrate like this.

Veren is a true performer, cheeky and fun. He had the crowd up and dancing and having a great time. This is one of his more serious moments. I have a stack of shots of this band, I will endeavor to pick a few more to post up.

Smoothest drummer there isArabesk really rocked the crowd

Calvin must be the smoothest drummer there is. You rocked it mate.

Cirkus Surreal wowed the crowdwhat a backdrop for cirkus surreal

Cirkus Surreal wowed the crowd. What an amazing backdrop to perform. Well done guys, really impressive stuff :)

Silent discoSilent disco was rocking most the night on the court house steps Silent disco was rocking most the night on the court house steps. This one is a 30 second exposure at ISO100 for a nice motion blur and maximum quality. 

Nice Carmultiple projections in the back alley this year

Nice car... There were multiple projections in the back alley this year :)

Family friendly food stalls This year there were 3 food areas which helped with the queues. This is the family friendly area with yummy pocket friendly options.

Outdoor screening of frozen

Frozen x2 - Pretty sure these people must have been frozen watching Frozen. It was screening all night during the Illuminate winter festival. There is talk of making this an annual event which I think is a great idea.

bathurst 200 carillon

Bathurst 200 carillon. I like the shadows of the lettering on the memorial. Its amazing how many people were getting photos with the 200 sign.

lightning poithese toys aint cheap

I was very impressed with these glow poi dancers. I can actually spin myself so I jumped straight online to get some of these pixel poi.. Turns out I might need to sell a few more photos, well over 1000 dollars. They are led strips that change with motion to make a picture in your mind. Very cool effect.

Everyone wanted a photo with Elsa!even the snowman

Everyone wanted a photo with Elsa! Poor young lady must have froze sitting on that ice chair all night!

Roving Illumination RobotsThese dudes were cool

Roving Illumination Robots by the markets. These guys were cool and very popular with the fans.. Made walking on stilts look easy!

Good Photo! Nice photo!

ArabeskI had to include a full band shot. I have so many Arabesk. I had to include a full band shot. I have so many others if anyone wants to see.

Well that's pretty much it for the main celebration night. I hope you enjoyed. If you want any images you can buy prints directly from the website or contact me for commercial licencing. I have many more shots, if anyone wanted something specific, but this gives a good sample of the evening.

Swirls - Court House projectionPart of the Illuminate Bathurst Winter Festival I made it down during the week of Illumination to get some shots of the courthouse lights without the crowd. The Swirls were by far my most favorite projection so far.. Very cool, really needs a video to do it justice.

letters - Court House projectionPart of the Illuminate Bathurst Winter Festival The letters were probably my second fav. Pretty cool. I haven't studied them yet to see if I can spot any words, can you?

Up close and personal - Court House projectionPart of the Illuminate Bathurst Winter Festival Up close and personal. Thought I would try out a different angle. It towers above

IMG_5172 I loved the fairy lights in the trees... Can't we just keep them all year round?? 

Fairy lights in the treesIlluminate Bathurst winter festival I am always a bit of a sucker for abstract photography. This is the fairy lights in the tree waaaay out of focus.. Such nice bokeh on this lens.

From a distanceCarillon and Church lit up for Illuminate Bathurst Winter Festival from a distance It's nice to see town lit up from a distance. This one is shot at 480mm and gives a different perspective on town center. You can even see the old gasworks looking large in the background. The bells are even going in the church as they were practicing playing them that evening.