Helen J Ruyter Photography

Tuesday 20th January 2026 I headed out away from the suburban lights to photograph the Aurora and I wasn't disappointed. Every time I've been out the Aurora has presented itself differently. This time although the colours weren't as strong as I'd seen in the past the contrast of greys and pale green against the dark skies were very strong. I also witnessed a first for me that I wish I'd caught on video, just before midnight it started to pulsate from the horizon up into the sky, this was truly mesmerising.

Like so many others my brother Mark Ruyter and I headed out again late last night for the Aurora. It was winding down and the clouds were starting to roll in. These pics were taken in Tooradin, I really wanted to get a photo in front of all the lights and thankfully it was strong enough to be able to do that. The photo of the eagle is a mobile phone photo taken as we were leaving at the same time we met a lady who had driven there because she really wanted to show her son the Aurora so we took a moment to show her how to photograph it on her phone. She was so excited!

My last trip for the season with Wildlife Coast Cruises 25/10/2025 leaving from Port Welshpool. It started out as a quiet day, with our first two whales keeping their distance so we left them alone and went in search of some more active ones. Stopping for lunch at Cormorant Island, then moving on to Seal Island. The colours and formations of the rocks are stunning. After that the captain spotted hundreds of Shearwaters on the water so we headed over to check them out, at that moment the Dolphins arrived. There were so many, giving the passengers an awesome experience. In the middle of all this a whale surfaced, no breaches but very surface active and zig zagging around everywhere. Overall a great last trip for me and the passengers ☺️

How beautiful is the colour of the water at Wilsons Prom 😍

Another beautiful day out with Wildlife Coast Cruises 29-09-25

Thank you to The Waterline, Bass Coast magazine for featuring one of my photos on the cover of your magazine 😊
I drove to Grantville today to pick up a copy, I think I'll be using the recipe for Tom's Bread & Butter Pudding featured page 12 over the weekend!

Eclipse 08-09-2025

Flash back to June 2022, I love Waterfalls 😍
Hopetoun Falls Victoria

Today's (Monday 18th August) whale watching cruise out of Port Welshpool with Wildlife Coast Cruises What a day! perfect weather, water like glass, every kind of marine life out and about enjoying a feed from the bait balls around, plenty of whales around and one whale putting on a show for us ☺️

Last trip of the season out of San Remo with Wildlife Coast Cruises So much sea life out and about enjoying the abundance of food in the area. One whale has been documented staying for at least 9 days. I'm looking forward to heading out from Port Welshpool next 🙂