“I turned up at just the right time as the tide was going out to find these rock shelves exploding with ocean waterfalls,” says Kieran. “A little bit of patience and good timing can produce dramatic results.”

“LandCom has set aside a number of small sanctuaries in the estate for flora and fauna,” says Leigh. “I was out with my daughter walking and taking landscape photos when I captured these lovely birds.”

“I took this photo whilst working in the Wagga Wagga region,” says Samuel. “The horses were very active at this time in the morning and I managed to get this lucky shot while the horse was rearing.”

“[This shot was taken in] October last year whilst on a whale watching tour, when the skipper declared that the black shape 500m starboard of our vessel was a dead whale,” says David. “As we drew nearer, there was a sudden spout of water and then the creature disappeared into the depths, then lunged out of the water, exposing two-thirds of its considerable bulk.”

“I took this aerial shot whilst flying from Marree to Birdsville,” says Ken. “The clouds were reflected in the water and a tinge of pink showed through as a result of algae formation in the salt.”

“I took this shot after it reached over 40°C in the Mallee,” says Chris. “The lightning was hitting the ground around about 300m away in some of the shots. It was the most hectic and adrenaline-filled 10 minutes of my life.”

“I managed to coax ‘hermie’ out of his shell on Sandpiper beach at Swanwick, while walking my dog Bailey,” says Alan.

“The mornings are really crisp in autumn and the surf is usually groomed from the night before,” Jeff says. “The clouds are pushed out to the horizon so once the sun comes up and past them it’s a really intense first light.”

Wheat fields, Eyre Peninsula, SA.

“I initially tried to free the dragonfly by reversing its head back through the hole but when that failed, I managed to pull it through forwards without damaging its wings,” says Luke. “After a minute or two of recovering, it took off out of sight.”

“Being the landmark of Kangaroo Island, the Remarkable Rocks are crowded by tourists during the day, but when I arrived there just before the sunset, I was surprised to see that all the crowds had gone,” says Jun. “What’s more rewarding, the sun finally came out from behind the cloud and the last burst of light added a dramatic atmosphere to the picture.”

“‘The Nut’ is an ancient volcanic formation,” says Aaron. “I took several of the common sunset shots of the Nut but wanted a different perspective. I had done some research and decided that the Nut at night featuring star trails had not been done before so I wanted to capture this as a world first.”

“This image was captured on a cold winter morning,” says Craig. “The mist and clouds initially caught my eye, but the swans and ducks really add to the overall warmth of the scene.”

“I had to move this spider from a paddock which was being slashed,” says Fiona. “I broke the grass she was hanging on to and took her over to a tree stump out of harm’s way.”

“It was like an underwater lightning storm as bolts of electric blue light shot across the surface of the breaking waves,” says Matt. “I spent hours watching it through the night, shooting it every which way, not another photographer in sight!”

“I photographed this female osprey early one morning as she flew down from her nest,” says Trevor. “She and her mate vigorously defended their nest against any other raptors that ventured too close during the breeding period.”

“I was driving home from the Man From Snowy River Festival when this scene caught my eye,” says Christine.

“I took [this] when the southern aurora hit the skies with its magical colours and dancing lights,” says Maureen. “This was taken from Howden, which is south of Hobart.”

“[This is] one of my favourite areas for a dawn shoot,” says David. “This particular morning the tide runnels were very evident and, combined with an interesting rock and spring sky, the resultant image was very pleasing.”

“The stamens of this flower rise mystically out of the yellow haze in a luring attempt to attract a life-regenerating pollinator,” says David.

“[I study] dwarf minke whales in the Great Barrier Reef, among other charismatic marine fauna,” says Matt. “This photograph was taken from a helicopter during a brief holiday at the local reefs off Cairns [and] the image shows Vlasoff sand cay from a bird’s/fish-eye perspective.”

“In the New England area of NSW these birds are relatively common,” says Alison. “We have a bird feeder outside our lounge room window and while we see the birds most days, we had never seen a family group in this pose.”

This knob-tailed gecko in a defensive posture was photographed on the sandy plains of Shark Bay, Western Australia.

“Travelling from Broome to Darwin through the Kimberley, I took an early morning boat cruise in Geikie Gorge,” says Tracy. “The reflection of the rock walls in the water create a stunning vision.”

“This image was taken at sunset at Marree in outback South Australia,” says Ken. “[It] captures the setting sun lighting up one of the retired Ghan engines sitting on a disused siding.”

“My wife and I were attending the opera at Jimbour Station when I saw this grand old reminder of days gone past,” says Ken. “The old water tank sits abandoned now, a remnant of days when it was an essential part of life at the beautiful Jimbour homestead, which dates back to the 1800s.”

“I like to scout the beaches in the mornings in search of great photo opportunities,” says Vanessa. “This one was exceptional.”

“I sat in Queensland’s tropical rainforest for six days to capture various stages of this display,” says Trevor. “Males will try different techniques to encourage receptive females.”

“It was very hot on the coast but much cooler up on the range,” says Glen. “We found Five Day Creek and this magnificent waterfall, which is truly a magical place.”