Craig's Hut was made famous in the 1980's iconic Australian film 'The Man from Snowy River'. God I love that film!

Whilst I'd visited this hut a few times, I yearned to get a shot different from the many other taken over the years. With my passion for snow landscapes, I was excited to know whether or not I could get a photograph of Craig's Hut with snow on it. How good would that be??

I did hours of research to find out whether this area received snow. It is relatively low at just 1400m, so it really requires a good dump of snow for any decent coverage.

Next was to find out how to get there in winter. The main road to Craig's Hut is closed during the snow season, so I needed another way to get there.

Guess what?

Walking was the only option. This requires me carrying over 30kgs of snow camping gear and camera equipment up over Mount Stirling to Craig's Hut - a 4 hour hike through the snow. WOW was I fit enough for this challenge? Time would tell.

I waited patiently for the right conditions. My backpack stayed ready at my front door for days. Eventually a strong cold front cross mountains and I was SO EXCITED to be on my way.

I arrived at the carpark at Mount Stirling and made my way up the mountain. Soon I was above the snow line and my snow shoes crunched deep into the snow. It was a white-out on the mountain and the wind blew hard into my face. I was thankful to get amongst the trees and make my way towards Craig's Hut.

Up another steep incline and down the other side and I was finally there. What a trek!

However, my excitement soon turned to disappointment. Whilst I expected that the storm would have brought plenty of snow to the area, there was hardly any. BUMMER. It certainly wasn't enough for the photos I was after.

So I took stock, figured I should make camp and see what the morning brought. AS I lay in bed that night, I heard the faint sound of snow falling on my tent.

I woke very early the next morning, not wanting to miss the sunrise. To my surprise and absolute pleasure, there had been enough snow to turn the landscape into a winter wonderland.

As I set my tripod up, there was a problem. The freezing conditions the night before had frozen the legs of my tripod together. OH NO! There was just one way to fix it. Water. Boiling water.

Once that problem was solved, there was another - keeping my footprints out of my shots in the fresh snow. I carefully approach the Hut and took a deep breath of the cold air to calm my nerves.

Soon the stunning high country glow lit up the Hut and I was blessed with the photographs that I'd longed to capture.

• FREE SHIPPING in Australia
• FREE SHIPPING & INSTALLATION in Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula
• FREE Home Consultations available on the Mornington Peninsula
• FREE Mornington Peninsula Coffee Table Book with all Framed Artwork purchases
• Custom Sizes available - please email us for pricing
• All Artwork is Custom Made in Australia supporting Australian industry
• Questions? Please call us on 0490 055 697 or email us