An amateur photographer who snapped a foggy phenomenon around one of the region’s iconic mountains will have his image recognised in an official weather calendar.
Billy Tillott captured the image with a phone camera last December while driving home on his daughter’s birthday.
His epic picture has now been selected among some of the best photographs from around the country as part of the Bureau of Meteorology’s (BoM) 2025 Australian Weather Calendar.
Mr Tillott told Sunshine Coast News it was a series of circumstances that led him to be in the right place at the right time to take the photo.
The Glass House Mountains resident said he was heading home from Beerwah with his daughter after picking up from her birthday lunch.
“We normally go into Beerwah via Steve Irwin Way,” he said.
“It was a weekend day and on the way there the traffic was pretty packed (on Steve Irwin Way) so I said we’d go home on Old Gympie Road.
“I was driving and I saw what you see in the photo and I was just gobsmacked instantly, saying ‘Oh, my God, I’ve got to take a photo’.
“I’d never seen anything like that before.”
Mr Tillott pulled over and found a spot where he could perfectly frame Mount Beerwah.
“I do a bit of bushwalking and hiking and I’d actually dropped my phone only the week before, which cracked the lens of my phone.
“My daughter was in the car and had her iPhone, so I was able to take the shot with that.
“It was like it was all meant to happen.”
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The calendar features the images of professional and amateur photographers from across the country.
BoM national community information manager Andrea Peace said the images were selected from a strong offering of more 500 entries.
“Each month features a photo of a different weather phenomenon alongside a meteorological description written by the bureau’s meteorologists,” Ms Peace said.
“The photos offer a glimpse into the science behind how the weather works, and how the bureau’s services meet the needs of the Australian community and industries.”
Mr Tillott entered the competition with encouragement from a friend and his photograph will feature as the November image.
According to the bureau, the “wrapped in cotton wool” appearance of Mount Beerwah was due to upslope fog, resulting from the movement of moist air upwards over the terrain.
“As the air rises, evaporated water condenses to form fog,” the description read.
“On the day this photo was captured, 3.6mm of rain was recorded at the bureau’s Beerburrum weather station, close to Mount Beerwah.
“Humidity was between 80-90 per cent for much of the day.”
Since having his photo chosen for the calendar, Mr Tillott – who takes images mostly using his phone camera – said he was keen to reignite his photography passion.
“I’m definitely at the amateur stage but it has stoked a fire in me.
“With photography I feel like I’ve got an eye (for it) and … I love taking different shots and different angles.
“It’s something I want to explore and this has really encouraged me a lot to pursue it further.”
Now in its 41st year, the calendar has been celebrating the best of Australian weather photography since 1983.
The 2025 Australian Weather Calendar is available to purchase here.
