Colac

A couple of hours drive to the southwest of Melbourne, Colac has a population of 10,500 people and is the gateway to the Western District and the tourist delights of the Otway Ranges. Located on the southern end of volcanic Lake Colac, the district was first settled in the 1830s, and is now the business hub of a busy farming district.

Sunset over Lake Colac, 3 February 2006.

Colac sits on the southern shore of Lake Colac, a long extinct volcanic crater. A serene place with ducks, herons and low-flying pelicans. A good place for the nightly walks with Chubb, the dog, and, of course, endless sunsets.

Every night the sunset is different but always beautiful.

Oscar's pictures from a dawn lakeside walk, with the Colac Yacht Club's jetty.

Above and below: At the peak of the 2006-7 drought, the Yatch Club jetty is seen completely high and dry, with vegetation starting to take over the lake bed. Click on the images for a larger view.

Panorama of Lake Colac shot on 35mm and stitched together by Oscar. Click on the image for a larger view.

What a strange bird is the pelican ... its beak can hold more than its belly can. Magic birds.

Two stages of yet another sunset at the eastern end of Colac's foreshore, on 4 February 2006. Multiple images stitched together with PhotoShop's Photomerge feature.