Natural Bridge and The Gap

Location Details

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ituated on the rocky coastline of Torndirrup National Park near Albany, Western Australia: Natural Bridge and The Gap are fantastic rock formations popular with visitors to the area. 20 minutes drive from Albany on sealed roads, car parking is available (with a fee) and both features are in walking distance of each other. Walking platforms to both locations provide easy access across the rocks.

Argh, the southern ocean be a harsh mistress 🙂

Often clouds and mist forms off the coast to be carried inland with the bitter cold breeze making opportunities for nightscape photography rare and often disappointing at this location. However The Gap and Natural Bridge can be fantastic locations for night photography if you are lucky.

Natural Bridge, just like it describes, is a bridge made of the same harsh granite rock that is a characteristic of the stunning Torndirrup coastline. It is great to watch (and at night listen) to the waves as they crashing into the cliffside and rush under the bridge.

A lookout and guardrail is located in a prime spot looking into the bridge area. I definitely do not recommend venturing beyond the rail or lookout onto the rocks themselves as this is dangerous (especially at night). And there is little need, the best vantage point is the lookout - and I tie my tripod up right against the guard rail so I can point my camera down into the depths below.

At night it can be stunning.

The Gap is a large rugged granite channel carved by the waves of the Great Southern Ocean. There is a shear drop twenty five metres to the water from the top, which you can see intimately from the elevated viewing platform that spans partly over The Gap. Here, the waves concentrate and occasionally you'll get a massive spray of water shooting up from the gap.

Locations for night photography are a bit more limited here. From the safety of the pathways you can't get a clear view of The Gap, and on the platform its difficult to compose anything that shows the Gap below and the night sky above (although I have a few ideas). Again, I recommend against going onto the rocks as this is dangerous.