by Maggie Catley | Oct 14, 2023 | Lifestyle, News, Our Journey, Photo Walks, Shopping
Wildflowers of Whiteman Park Photo Walk – Part 1
Environment ~ Photo Tips ~ Shop ~ Links ~ Directions
Whiteman Park is a great place to take the family for a fun day out soaking up the sunshine. If, however, you are prepared to take a walk along one of their well marked trails then spring is a great time for wildflower spotting.
Dave and I decided to go out to Whiteman Park to walk the Wunanga Trail which is the longest walk trail in the park at 4.3 km long. Wunanga is a Noongar word meaning ‘quiet’ or ‘peaceful’. The trail is well marked with Yellow/Orange topped pine poles some of which have a letter on top. Each letter refers to notes on the trail guide giving you more information about the area you are walking through.
Here is what I found that caught my eye.
Not exactly a native wildflower but very pretty all the same.
These bushes are very common and absolutely covered in these gorgeous yellow flowers.
What looks to me like a white orchid but I cannot find a reference to it anywhere.
Another array of yellow flowers, beautiful!
New growth showing from the burnt out remains of what once was a giant Jarrah tree, nature always prevails.
Came across this bobtail lizard, nearly stood on him, if you look closely you can see my footprint!
I took a few more pictures but I am still learning and they were not sharp enough for public display.
For those knowledgeable botanists out there, please feel free to leave a comment and help me identify the flowers above, especially that white one!
Just from these few pictures alone I hope you will be encouraged to visit Whiteman Park and get off the beaten track and walk one of the walk trails.
Please remember to dress appropriately, slop on the sunscreen, slap on a hat and carry plenty of water.
Dave will be posting Part 2 of this blog with lots of amazing pictures from the walk and some great photo tips.
Stay Safe & Happy Exploring,
Maggie
Environmental Issues
When visiting natural environments such as this please be respectful of the flora and fauna, take your litter home and treat the environment with respect.
Leave No Trace
Take Nothing but Pictures
Leave Nothing but Footprints
Kill Nothing but Time
Keep Nothing But Memories
Burn Nothing but Calories
Original Quotes
“Take only memories, leave nothing but footprints.”
~ Quote: Chief Seattle (Dkhw’Duw’Absh chief, c. 1786 – June 7, 2023)
“This we know: the earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth.”
~ Quote: Chief Seattle (Dkhw’Duw’Absh chief, c. 1786 – June 7, 2023)
“We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home.”
~ Australian Aboriginal Proverb
Photo Tips
Dave will have some more photo tips in Part 2 of this blog series.
All images in this article were taken on an iPhone 6s by me and processed in Lightroom CC.
Get Good Photo Editing Software
You will need to post process your images to get the most out of them. Software tools such as Adobe Lightroom & On1 Photo 10.5 are affordable and essential for getting the best out of your photos.
Free trials or licensed products are available for Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop & ON1 Photo 10.5 at the following links:
Related Clothing & Photo Products
As usual we’re planning a whole range of clothing & products featuring our “Whiteman Park” images. More details in Part 2 of this blog series.
Meanwhile you can take a look at all of the amazing images and products that we currently have available in our shop, all based on Dave’s photography.
Everlasting Daisies, Kings Park Drawstring Bag design by Dave Catley featuring Kings Park Everlasting Daisies available from our MADCAT.RedBubble.com store.
Useful Links
Directions
Whiteman Park is located to the west of the Swan Valley with entrances from Lord St & Beechboro Rd and is 18 km northeast of Perth.
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by Dave | Sep 28, 2023 | Lifestyle, MADCAT Photography, News, Our Journey, Photo Tips, Photo Walks, Shopping
Noble Falls Photo Walk – Part 2
Environment ~ Photo Tips ~ Shop ~ Links ~ Directions
Last time we visited Noble Falls in Gidgegannup there was barely a trickle of water flowing over the rocks. Not so this time, the falls are in full flow and a truly amazing sight to see.
Wooroloo Brook, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
The weather was perfect, blue skies and puffy white clouds making it an ideal day for a hike around Noble Falls along Wooroloo Brook and back the other side. Also great conditions for taking some photos of this beautiful area.
The falls themselves are visible from the car park and can be approached from either side with ease. Despite being so close to the road and car park it retains that feeling of being out in the natural world.
As I mentioned above the falls are in full flow, allowing for some amazing long(ish) exposures to be captured.
Waterfall in Full Flow, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
I generally avoid using filters so getting long exposures during the daytime can be a bit of a challenge. I do sometimes use a Neutral Density filter to get much longer exposure times but in this instance I was able to achieve shutter speeds of around 1/5th sec which still gives the water a nice smooth look.
Anything lower than around 1/30th sec will start to give you that flowing effect on the water, just make sure you’re using a tripod.
Flowing Waters, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
Maggie has acquired a new-found interest in photography lately and I managed to pull myself away from the myriad of natural photo opportunities to grab this shot of her using her iPhone to get some pics of the incredibly colourful Wattle bushes.
You can see one of Maggie’s Wattle pics in Part 1 of this blog series.
Maggie the Photographer, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
The two available walk trails both start on the north side of Wooroloo Brook and follow the river to the north-west as it meanders through the bush.
The paths are very well maintained and signposted and so are easily accessible to anyone with a moderate level of fitness.
The shorter trail is 1.5 km return and great if you just want to see the falls and a bit of the river. It doesn’t take long to reach the first bridge across the river which signals the return crossing for this shorter trail.
Bridge for the Short Walk, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
Bridge for the Short Walk, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
The photo opportunities here are endless, especially at this time of year and with such perfect weather.
All around the ground was covered with a lush green carpet which was teaming with small yellow flowers showing the signs of the beginning of our wildflower season.
Contrasting the lush green was the typically Western Australian red dirt that made up the soil and trail paths.
Standing on the first bridge is a nice spot to get some photos up and down the river.
View North of the Bridge, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
View South of the Bridge, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
Shortly after bypassing the bridge over Wooroloo Brook for the shorter trail we came across a shallow ford which created a mini version of Noble Falls, less spectacular but still an amazing sight.
It’s well worth the extra distance to see the ford even if you’re going to turn around and return to the first bridge.
Ford River Crossing, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
Ford River Crossing, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
Ford River Crossing, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
The walk along the fast flowing river was unbelievably luscious & green, spring really is a great time of year to be out in nature.
Lusciously Green, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
Lusciously Green, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
After following the river for a while the path opens up onto a bitumen road, Kooringal Vale, and then turns left on to Brennan Rise for a while.
According to the trail guide (which we were not using) there is a dry weather optional route here which takes a left down onto the “Kangaroo Track” and then back up to Kooringal Vale.
Kooringal Vale, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
Sadly, we didn’t notice any signs so we missed the “Kangaroo Track” but I would recommend taking this track for a slightly more interesting walk.
Note to self, always take a trail guide with you!
Continue along Brennan Rise across the Wooroloo Brook bridge and rejoin the dirt trail at the corner of Brennan Rise & Old Coach Road.
Brennan Rise Bridge, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
Rejoin the Dirt Trail, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
Rejoin the Dirt Trail, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
From here the trail continues back along the river towards Noble Falls. Again, having the trail guide will help you take the correct route as there are two possible paths you could take.
The trail guide recommends you take a left to the lower fire-break path which follows the river however we missed the sign and went straight on following the higher fire-break path which you will eventually join anyway. Either way the views are still amazing ?
High Fire-Break, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
Whichever route you took you’ll eventually come across a sharp bend in the river offering another great photo opportunity.
Bend in the River, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
What forest wouldn’t be complete without an old rusty car wreck? Not to disappoint there is one just off the path here not far past the river bend. It always pays to keep your eyes open.
Did I mention lots of great photo opportunities!
Old Rusty Car, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
Not much further along you’ll find yourself approaching Toodyay Road and returning to Noble Falls end the end of the walk trail.
By now it was approaching 5pm and the sun was getting low enough to add some nice coloured light to the scenery, however from this side of the river it was getting tricky to get a decent shot of the falls without lens flare or exposure problems.
Cascading Falls, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
If you do want to get some photo’s at this time of day make sure that you keep the sun’s flare outside of the field of view and use a lens hood to minimise the risks.
As you can see below I still got a bit of lens flare and the edges of the clouds are blown out, but if I had turned my camera any further to the right too much of the image would have become overexposed.
Another way to approach situations like this would be to use a tripod and take multiple exposures which can be merged later on with software such as Adobe Lightroom.
Lens Flare, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
When shooting into the sun becomes a problem I like to try a few different ideas such as switching to a longer lens and getting in close for a few abstract shots …
Crystal Chaos, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
or some cool reflections …
Noble Reflections, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
Noble Falls is definitely a great place to visit for a day out in the Perth Hills with plenty of photo opportunities, amazing scenery and 2 walk trails to choose from.
There are plenty of facilities at Noble Falls too, there’s a big car park, a picnic & barbecue area, toilets and the Noble Falls Tavern is just across the road with stunning views over the falls and very good quality food.
We highly recommend making a trip there any time of year but early spring when the water is flowing and the weather is good would be the best.
Also you can take your dog there too ?
Cheers,
Dave
Environmental Issues
When visiting natural environments such as this please be respectful of the flora and fauna, take your litter home and treat the environment with respect.
Leave No Trace
Take Nothing but Pictures
Leave Nothing but Footprints
Kill Nothing but Time
Keep Nothing But Memories
Burn Nothing but Calories
Original Quotes
“Take only memories, leave nothing but footprints.”
~ Quote: Chief Seattle (Dkhw’Duw’Absh chief, c. 1786 – June 7, 2023)
“This we know: the earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth.”
~ Quote: Chief Seattle (Dkhw’Duw’Absh chief, c. 1786 – June 7, 2023)
“We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home.”
~ Australian Aboriginal Proverb
Photo Tips
All images in this article I took on my Canon 5D MKII with an EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens or an EF 70-200mm f4L USM Lens unless otherwise stated and processed in Lightroom CC & ON1 Photo 10.5 & Photoshop CC.
Shooting Long Exposures
A tripod is pretty much essential for getting good results with long exposures.
You can get a water trail effect with exposures longer than 1/30th sec but around 1/5th sec or longer will give a better result. the best way to learn is to experiment with different settings.
To achieve longer exposure times you can do 1 or more of the following:
- Reduce your ISO to the minimum setting, this will have no effect on image quality.
- Shoot later in the day when the natural light is lower, this will have no effect on image quality unless it is too dark to use lower ISO settings.
- Use a Neutral Density and / or a Polarising filter, this will affect image quality marginally depending on the quality of the filters you use.
- Reduce your aperture setting to it’s minimum (usually around F22 or higher). This will have minimal effect on image quality depending on your lens.Reduce your ISO to the minimum setting, this will have no effect on image quality.
- Overexpose your image by increasing your shutter speed with your camera’s exposure compensation function or manually. This will effect the quality of your image depending on how much you overexpose the image and how good your are at post processing your images. Always bear in mind that overexposed highlights are much harder to recover in post processing.
- Place a tissue over the front of your lens, this will result in a terrible photo and give everyone around you a good laugh ?
Get Good Photo Editing Software
You will need to post process your images to get the most out of them. Software tools such as Adobe Lightroom & On1 Photo 10.5 are affordable and essential for getting the best out of your photos.
Free trials or licensed products are available for Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop & ON1 Photo 10.5 at the following links:
Related Clothing & Photo Products
We’re planning whole range of clothing & products featuring our “Noble Falls” images here are a few samples of what we have in our store:
Ebb and Flow, Noble Falls iPhone Case design by Dave Catley featuring Noble Falls winter water flow available from our MADCAT.RedBubble.com store.
Ebb and Flow, Noble Falls Hardcover Journal design by Dave Catley featuring Noble Falls winter water flow available from our MADCAT.RedBubble.com store.
Ebb and Flow, Noble Falls Round Beach Towel design by Dave Catley featuring Noble Falls winter water flow available from our Dave-Catley.pixels.com store.
Ebb and Flow, Noble Falls Tote Bag design by Dave Catley featuring Noble Falls winter water flow available from our Dave-Catley.pixels.com store.
Ebb and Flow, Noble Falls Mug design by Dave Catley featuring Noble Falls winter water flow available from our MADCAT.RedBubble.com store.
Useful Links
Directions
Noble Falls is located just of Toodyay Road in the township of Gidgegannup, City of Swan approx 40 km northeast of Perth.
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by Maggie Catley | Sep 15, 2023 | Lifestyle, MADCAT Photography, News, Our Journey, Photo Tips, Photo Walks, Shopping
Noble Falls Photo Walk – Part 1
Environment ~ Photo Tips ~ Shop ~ Links ~ Directions
Now is the best time to visit our waterfalls. As winter ends and spring begins the water in our waterways is about as full as it is going to get.
Waterfall & Tavern, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
We decided to take advantage of a beautiful sunny day to visit Noble Falls in Gidgegannup and enjoy the site and sound of fast running water.
Another great thing about this time of year is it is wildflower season and the wattles are in full bloom, a sight that only lasts so long. There are also plenty of other wildflowers to see along the walk trail here.
Maggie’s Wattle Pic, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
The Noble Falls did not disappoint either, with fast paced running water rushing over the rocks as can be seen here.
Waterfall in Full Flow, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
You can also see how close to the car park and picnic area Noble Falls is, so if you’re not up for a walk then you can still enjoy the views.
There are 2 walk trails at Noble Falls, a short 1.3 km loop and a longer 3.5 km loop. Both trails offer a very scenic walk along the river and through the surrounding bushland returning on the far side of the river. We took the longer trail and really enjoyed the walk and the views.
Wooroloo Brook, Noble Falls, Perth, Western Australia
If after a walk along the Wooroloo Brook you have developed an appetite then there is a picnic / barbecue area near the falls or the Noble Falls Tavern just across the road, where we had a great lunch.
If you love waterfalls then may we also suggest a trip to John Forest National Park, Sixty Foot Falls and Lesmurdie Falls to name a few great days out.
Dave will be posting Part 2 of this blog with lots of amazing pictures from the walk and some great photo tips.
Cheers,
Maggie
Environmental Issues
When visiting natural environments such as this please be respectful of the flora and fauna, take your litter home and treat the environment with respect.
Leave No Trace
Take Nothing but Pictures
Leave Nothing but Footprints
Kill Nothing but Time
Keep Nothing But Memories
Burn Nothing but Calories
Original Quotes
“Take only memories, leave nothing but footprints.”
~ Quote: Chief Seattle (Dkhw’Duw’Absh chief, c. 1786 – June 7, 2023)
“This we know: the earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth.”
~ Quote: Chief Seattle (Dkhw’Duw’Absh chief, c. 1786 – June 7, 2023)
“We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home.”
~ Australian Aboriginal Proverb
Photo Tips
Dave will have some great photo tips in Part 2 of this blog series.
All images in this article were either taken on an iPhone 6s or with Dave’s Canon 5D MKII with an EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens or an EF 70-200mm f4L USM Lens and processed in Lightroom CC & ON1 Photo 10.5 & Photoshop CC.
Get Good Photo Editing Software
You will need to post process your images to get the most out of them. Software tools such as Adobe Lightroom & On1 Photo 10.5 are affordable and essential for getting the best out of your photos.
Free trials or licensed products are available for Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop & ON1 Photo 10.5 at the following links:
Related Clothing & Photo Products
As usual we’re planning a whole range of clothing & products featuring our “Noble Falls” images. More details in Part 2 of this blog series.
Meanwhile you can take a look at all of the amazing images and products that we currently have available in our shop, all based on Dave’s photography.
Moonscape, Bunker Bay, Margaret River – Round Beach Towel
Useful Links
Directions
Noble Falls is located just off Toodyay Road in the township of Gidgegannup, City of Swan approx 40 km northeast of Perth.
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by Dave | May 5, 2023 | Lifestyle, MADCAT Photography, News, Our Journey, Photo Tips, Photo Walks
Environment ~ Photo Tips ~ Shop ~ Links ~ Directions
You can find Part 1 of this blog here to read about our trip to the foot of the falls.
There was definitely a lot more action at the foot of the Falls though they were far from being at their most exciting I suspect we missed their best performance by a few weeks.
Bottom of the Falls, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Unlike my last waterfall trip I actually remembered to bring my tripod with me this time and not leave it in the boot of the car, so this was a great opportunity to play around with some longer shutter speeds.
Bottom of the Falls, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Armed with my Tripod plus ND8 & Polarising filters I was able to get some nice long exposures of up to 3 secs, even though it was early afternoon with very little cloud cover.
Bottom of the Falls, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Bottom of the Falls, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Having got some nice wide angle long exposure shots I decided to switch to my 70-200 lens and try to get some higher speed close-ups of the water crashing over the rocks.
Water Rapids, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Water Rapids, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Water Rapids, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Water Splashes, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Water Splashes, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Water Ribbon, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Shortly beyond the foot of the Falls the river transforms back into a quiet, peaceful vision of beauty. Such a stark contrast to the chaos occurring just a few feet away, nature is always so full of surprises.
Serenity after the Falls, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Having got some great photos and made a new Magpie friend we decided to head back to the car so we climbed back up to the top of the Falls and retraced our steps back to the car park.
On the way back I spotted the ruins of one of the old railway buildings which looked ideal for a grungy & moody image.
Ruins of a Railway Building, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Just as we got back to the visitor area a friendly hiker mentioned to us that there was a Roo with her baby just up ahead. Awesome, I can never resist the chance to get some wildlife shots and apart from our friendly Magpie the wildlife had been a bit reticent to show itself.
Mum & Baby Roo, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Mum and baby proved to be very accommodating and I managed to get some gorgeous shots of both.
These sorts of shots may look easy to just snap away but can actually be quite technical to get the depth of field and shutter speeds just right.
It’s always important to make sure you focus on the animals eyes, of course this can be tricky when there are two sets of eyes of equal importance! Getting just the right depth of field to keep both animals in focus but blur out the background is crucial.
To complicate matters the light was starting to drop of making it harder to get the shutter speeds I needed to freeze any motion so I had to up my ISO to 800 to allow for the already reduced depth of field from a 200mm lens and give me shutter speeds of at least 1/200th sec, which was still pushing my luck.
Mum & Baby Roo, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Mum & Baby Roo, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
We’d had a great day out and got some great shots so to top it off we decided to sit under the trees, relax and have a quiet beer with nature. What I love about just sitting in the outdoors is that you start to notice all the things that you’d normally miss. The birds ignore you and just do their thing, kangaroos wander past, even the insect life seems to have more purpose.
At one point two kangaroos suddenly hopped out of the bush with the back one barking very loudly and the front one seemingly running away, I don’t think I’ve heard a Kangaroo make a noise before. We guessed that it might have been some kind of mating activity, but who knows ?
As the light started to fade and the temperature cooled more kangaroos appeared leaping through the bush at high speed. Not one to miss an opportunity up came my camera with my 70-200mm lens and I started snapping away just in case I was lucky enough to get an interesting shot. The light was too low to stand a chance of freezing any motion and it all happened to fast to change my ISO so the shots all came out a bit blurry.
Not to be put off I picked the best one and added a bit more motion to the background and turned it into and action shot with a bit of a surreal look to it. Best part of the shot is that you can just make out a baby joey in the pouch of the roo at the back, probably my favourite shot of the day ?
Speedy Roos, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Abstract Red Tipped Leaf, John Forrest National Park, Western Australia
Cheers,
Dave
Environmental Issues
When visiting natural environments such as this please be respectful of the flora and fauna, take your litter home and treat the environment with respect.
Leave No Trace
Take Nothing but Pictures
Leave Nothing but Footprints
Kill Nothing but Time
Keep Nothing But Memories
Burn Nothing but Calories
Original Quotes
“Take only memories, leave nothing but footprints.”
~ Quote: Chief Seattle (Dkhw’Duw’Absh chief, c. 1786 – June 7, 2023)
“This we know: the earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth.”
~ Quote: Chief Seattle (Dkhw’Duw’Absh chief, c. 1786 – June 7, 2023)
“We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home.”
~ Australian Aboriginal Proverb
Photo Tips
All images in this article were either taken on an iPhone 6s or with Dave’s Canon 5D MKII with an EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens or an EF 70-200mm f4L USM Lens and processed in Lightroom CC & ON1 Photo 10.5 & Photoshop CC.
Get Good Photo Editing Software
You will need to post process your images to get the most out of them. Software tools such as Adobe Lightroom & On1 Photo 10.5 are affordable and essential for getting the best out of your photos.
Free trials or licensed products are available for Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop & ON1 Photo 10.5 at the following links:
Related Clothing & Photo Products
As usual we’re planning a whole range of clothing & products featuring our “John Forrest” images.
Meanwhile you can take a look at all of the amazing images and products that we currently have available in our shop, all based on Dave’s photography.
Moonscape, Bunker Bay, Margaret River – Round Beach Towel
Useful Information
Parking & Facilities:
There is a very large amount of parking around the visitor area as well as a many barbecue & picnic areas, toilets information boards and a Tavern. This is also the starting point for all of the walk trails in the area.
Walk Trails:
There are numerous walk trails that you can follow from the visitor area including the popular Eagle View Walk Trail:
- Eagle’s View Walk Trail. 15km return, Class 4, allow 5hrs
- John Forrest Heritage Trail. 10.5km return, Class 3, allow 3hrs
- Wildflower Walk Trail. 4km return, Class 2, allow 1.5hrs
- Glen Brook Trail. 2.2km return, Class 2, allow 45mins
- National Park Falls Trail. 2km return, Class 2, allow 1hr
- Jane Brook Promenande. 1km return, Class 1, allow 30mins
Check out the links below for more information about John Forrest National Park and it’s walk trails,
If you’re looking for more interesting walk trails around Perth then make sure to check out “The Life of Py” Hiking, Photography & Travel Blog he’s done a great job of documenting a lot of our local walk trails which we will be working our way through.
Directions
John Forrest National Park is located in Hovea in the Shire of Mundaring, Western Australia.
Like Lesmurdie Falls it is also situated on the Darling Scarp, one of Australia’s largest geological fault lines and the iconic entrance to the region known as Perth Hills.
To get into the Park take one of the 3 junctions off Great Eastern Highway onto Park Road.
The first turning onto Park Road will take you on a longer scenic drive through the beautiful forest, whilst the second turning onto Park Road is the fastest way to get to the visitor area and car park.
There is a fee for entering the visitor area which usually works on a trust system and costs $12 per car unless you have an Annual All Park Pass (as we do) which costs $55.
