My very first Aurora Australis (with a pot of gold)
I've been Aurora Australis hunting since May 2017 and I've missed the lady many times.
I've either been too late, too early, encountered terrible weather, got clouded in, you name it I've had it and I'm not alone, there are many of us out there hunting the elusive Aurora Australis.
On this particular night I decided to go out a little later. I packed up my wife and our dog in the car and away we went. After looking at the cloud maps it was decided we would head east and take a chance at Seaspray in Gippsland Victoria Australia.
A week earlier I'd decided not to go to Seaspray instead opting for Kilcunda. That night I missed the aurora at Kilcunda but Krystelle Welch a fellow Aurora Hunter Victoria member got some great pics at Seaspray, the luck of the hunt!
It was raining at Seaspray when we arrived, it rained the whole time we were driving. Upon getting to Seaspray at 9pm it stopped raining and we had a look at how things were looking.
The cloud was clearing, it wasn't too cold but the lady wasn't in sight. We set up the gear, unfolded a deck chair and let the dog run wild on the beach. Still nothing and it gradually got colder and more windy.
After an hour we hopped in the car to warm up and defrost, I decided after 15 mins I'd go back out and see if conditions looked better.
Just as I got out to the camera a rainbow appeared I took some test shots and WOW there was the lady aurora at the end of the rainbow!
Frantic shouting to my wife followed as well as get an umbrella etc... and many photos were taken, when the rainbow (or moonbow) disappeared the lady aurora appeared in full.
It wasn't until I loaded the picture of the rainbow onto my computer that I realised I had a double moonbow and an aurora pot of gold at the end of it.
It was a very special night and I definitely wont forget the first time the lady aurora gave me a visit:-)
