'Worth the wait': Local's stunning capture of South West icon

As residents and visitors across WA scrambled to snap a photo of one of Earth’s most spectacular light displays this month, one local photographer was on a mission to capture a truly unique image of a South West icon.

“This image was totally worth the two hours of broken sleep we had in the car that night,” Tim Campbell said of his photograph, an image of the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse against the dazzling backdrop of Aurora Australis – also known as the Southern Lights.

Campbell said with the sun approaching solar maximum – the most active phase of its 11 year cycle – he was expecting heightened aurora activity this year.

“Earlier in the year I ventured out during some smaller aurora events to make sure I had my camera settings dialled in so when “the big one” came along I’d be ready to go,” he told the Mail.

“Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse is the tallest on mainland Australia, it’s situated at the most south westerly tip of the continent.

“The path leading up to the 139-year-old girl faces due south, and there is zero light pollution since nothing lies between this point and Antarctica. It was the perfect location for this image.”

Preparing for the aurora activity meant a chat with Lighthouse Keeper, Paul Sofilas.

“I asked if he’d be happy for me to have access to the grounds on a moment’s notice if reports of a large incoming geomagnetic storm signalled that significant aurora activity was imminent,” Campbell said. “As luck would have it, a few days after our chat the sun emitted a series of large X class solar flares directed at Earth that would result in a G5 geomagnetic storm, the strongest to hit our skies since 1989 and the longest since 1932!”

Campbell was soon on the phone to Sofilas, and making plans for a long night under the stars.

“At 5pm I arrived on site and headed up to the lighthouse to frame up my shot, so that when darkness came there’d be absolutely no guess work as to how the image would look.

“Straight after dark the aurora started off strong, however clouds were doing their best to foil our plan.

“After a few hours my girlfriend Katie got sick of the whole thing and left me alone with a packet of M&Ms to wait out the night while she slept in the car.”

Around 10pm, Lighthouse Keeper Paul popped out to check on the progress.

“During our chat we noticed things start to get interesting in the south east sky,” Campbell continued. “Within 10 minutes the whole backdrop of the lighthouse was illuminated with vertical beams towering high into the sky overhead.”

At 10:19pm on May 11, the photographer’s dedication paid off.

“It is one of thousands of frames captured from two cameras set up that night, and is a perfect complement to the story of why lighthouses are still important in this age of GPS technology,” he said.

“No matter what the sun throws at us, this iconic structure will still shine her beam 46kms out to sea and guide seafarers to safe water around this great cape.”

Capes Foundation Director Steve Harrison said the lighthouse was one of the region’s most significant spots.

“MRBTA’s Capes Foundation has the privilege of caring for this site, and we were pleased to support this photo opportunity which has allowed the Lighthouse to shine like it has never done before,” he said.

“There is an incredible amount of local pride which surrounds the Lighthouse, and we hope that the community enjoys seeing this much-loved icon through such a unique and rare perspective.”

In the north of the region, Hamish Stubbs was at Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse waiting for the same storm to appear.

“With the solar storm hitting the earth and the forecast for clear skies around the Dunsborough region I was driven by the excitement and hype amongst our community to capture the aurora with something iconic to our region in my photo.”