The Murchison Gorge is in Kalbarri National Park, Western Australia about half an hours drive from the popular seaside holiday destination of Kalbarri. The gorge is cut by the Murchison river which was dry when I was there at the beginning of 2014 (aside from the tidal portion closest to the ocean). There are a few gorge lookouts and walking trails, some of which take you down to the river bed.
The gorge, like much of the Kalbarri area, is defined by its stratified red rock which glows beautifully in the right light. The searing summer temperatures (40 degrees plus when I was there) and harsh light make landscape photography exhausting and a waste of time unless you hang around till the last of the tourist stragglers have left your chosen location and you have the golden hour to yourself.
The most iconic location of the gorge is Natural Window which is easily accessible and very popular for the clichéd tourist snap of the family sitting in the window. I was lucky to get some nice wispy clouds when I was there one evening. The following shot is a two image vertical stitch taken with my tilt-shift lens.
Canon 5D mkii, Canon TS-E 24mm, f11.0, 2sec, ISO160 (2 image stitch)
The above image is taken from the back of the window. The image below is the more easily accessible 'front' side of the window.
Canon 5D mkii, Canon TS-E 24mm, f11.0, 1.3sec, ISO160 (2 image stitch)
The dry riverbed is visible in the below shot. I hope to come back one day when the river is flowing as there are some great opportunities for photography down in the gorge beside the river itself. All in all I very much enjoyed my visit to Kalbarri - apart from the relentless 40° plus heat every day!
Canon 5D mkii, Canon TS-E 24mm, f16.0, 15sec, ISO320