These photographs could be of a Canadian street lined with maple trees but are in fact taken along a road in our very own hinterland.
One particular tree-lined avenue near Kenilworth has become an attractive location for photographers, drawing many from far and wide to make an annual pilgrimage and hone their landscape photography skills.
Each year the keen snappers flock to capture the liquidambar trees along Coolabine Avenue at Coolabine, in the Mary Valley region, as the tunnel puts on an incredible display of coloured foliage in a canopy of light.
The most popular time of year for photography enthusiasts to day-trip to the area is in June, when the spectacular autumn colours are at their peak.
Many of the images shared of the avenue are posted to local photography Facebook groups and pages, including the Sunshine Coast Photography Group For Serious Photographers.
“Every year, so many more photography enthusiasts drive a significant distance just to take their own shot of the trees in their autumn colours,” group member and local resident Lisa Delanoue said.
“For months now, everyone is asking me ‘Are the leaves red yet? Are the leaves red yet?’ – and they will probably be red this week.”
While she hadn’t yet attempted to snap the avenue herself, the photographer said the time sensitive and weather dependent subtleties of the transition made for interesting variations in tones and textures.
Brisbane resident and photographer Dexter Bulalacao said he found out about the avenue through social media.
“I found it on the Facebook group Sunshine Coast Photography Group For Serious Photographers and I wanted to capture it and eventually print it and hang it on my wall,” he said.
“A lot of the Facebook group members travel just to take a photo of this place and have a version of their own.
“The members are very helpful, especially if you want to locate a certain spot that you want to take a photo.”
Mr Bulalacao said he loved the scenery because it gave him a dreamy ethereal vibe.
“Especially with the right atmospheric conditions like fog,” he said.
“The fog is like icing to the cake, but with or without fog, this place is beautiful.
“Before I went to take the photo of the avenue, I already had a pre-existing image in my head. That’s why my shot is a little soft and a little bit blurry, to get that dreamy glow effect that I’m after.
“For me, every photographer is an artist and they have their own interpretation of the scene in front of them.”
Photographer and Sunrise Beach resident Moira Heilbronn has travelled to snap the avenue for a number of years.
“I had been seeing photos of this avenue of leafy trees taken in autumn when the leaves are rich golds and browns,” she said.
“As we don’t really see typical autumn colours in Queensland like in other states, it’s something different to photograph. Plus a whole line of lovely old trees is pretty special too.
“My husband and I recently took a drive out to Kenilworth hoping I had got the timing right before the leaves all dropped, and it was perfect.
“In another week, they all would have been gone. Once I saw my photos, I was inspired to do a simple composite using some of my other photos to create a little bit more interest.”
Photographer and Meridan Plains resident Rosemary Logan said she first saw a photograph of the trees in June 2021 and asked a photographer friend for the exact location.
The following week she got up early and drove from Buderim to arrive at the avenue by sunrise.
“It was a particularly cold morning, and the fog was hanging around, so I was thrilled to get some fog in the photos I took that day,” she said.
“The trees were golden yellow on that occasion. About 10 days later I went up in time for sunrise again and this time the autumnal colours had changed from yellows to orange, reds and browns.”
Last year she took a friend with a garden blower so they could stir up the leaves as well as cover the road with them for the photos.
“We’d just get the placement of the leaves to our liking and a car would come through and disturb them all,” she said.
“To have this little piece of southern autumn colour so close to us on the Sunshine Coast is the reason I have been up to Kenilworth several times. I’ve even driven up in late May to check whether the leaves are turning or not.”
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