Tasman National Park and The Three Capes Track – TASMANIA
Tasman National Park and The Three Capes Track – TASMANIA
Cape Pillar is the crowning beauty of Tasmania’s popular “Three Capes Track”, which is located in Tasman National Park in Tasmania’s southeast. The Three Capes Track takes visitors out to Cape Pillar and Cape Hauy, while the third cape, Cape Raoul, can be seen at a distance (and visited on a separate day walk). These stunning dolerite sea cliffs rise out of the Southern Ocean to an astounding height of 300m (984’) and are among the tallest sea cliffs in the world. Tasman Island is situated off the southernmost point of Cape Pillar and is best viewed from “The Blade” or by sea. Tasman Island’s lighthouse was built in 1906 and remains operational although it is now unmanned.
Print Code: TTT2 | Sizes Available: A5, A4, A3, Oversize
Photographer’s Reflection:
“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:8-12)
It had been a harrowing couple of weeks for me.
Circumstances had robbed me of the sufficient time I needed with the Lord in order to be spiritually strong enough to handle life’s challenges in a godly manner. In fact, my thoughts, actions and words had been downright unloving and sinful toward people, particularly my family.
It was in this stressed and spiritually agitated state that I left for a backpacking trip to Cape Pillar.
When I got in the car I had my tail between my legs and could hardly look up to God in prayer (Luke 18:9-14). As I confessed my guilt and wrongdoing to God, I felt like I deserved an angry silence. In fact, I knew that’s what I deserved for my wrongdoing against God and others. I deserved at least a few spankings…but probably more like several.
Despite my guilt, I put my trust in God’s promise that:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
And I put my hope in God’s redemptive and forgiving character:
“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion.” (Isaiah 30:18)
As soon I confessed my sins, God’s loving presence came swiftly and strongly upon me. I was completely overcome and silenced by his grace and forgiveness, which I did not deserve. I could feel the warmth, kindness and goodness of God enveloping me and lifting me up into worship and greater closeness to him.
Why was God treating me like this??? Where were my spankings?
“…God’s kindness leads you toward repentance…” (Romans 2:4)
As I continued to repent and confess my sins, the Lord completely removed my burden of guilt, and I began take flight on the wings of worship.
I requested many, many things of God on this 26 km (16 mile) trip to Cape Pillar, such as beautiful skies to photograph and enough sleep to sustain me, from protection from snakebites to God’s loving companionship with me. God answered every single one of my many prayers, and he even went beyond it by showering me with many undeserved blessings such as seeing endangered Tasmanian wedge tailed eagles and whales off of the Blade. (I am also thankful to my husband and friends who also helped me along by their prayers (2 Corinthians 1:11)).
Truly, the Lord’s character is:
“…compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbour his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:8-12)
God treats us far better than we deserve (Matthew 5:45). This is the definition of GRACE, which means “unmerited favour”.
The reason why God can show me grace and forgive my sins is because God executed judgement and justice against my sins against Jesus Christ through his death on the cross.
God cannot turn a blind eye to our sins or simply overlook them. To do so would compromise his perfectly holy, good and just character. To not punish sin is unjust; injustice is evil. Therefore, God in his perfectly holy character must exercise justice and execute punishment against our sins.
Tragically, every single one of us has sinned against God; therefore, we all justly deserve to be punished (Romans 3:23). God declares that the just punishment for our sins is death and eternal separation from him in hell (Romans 6:23).
However, God dearly loves us and wants to save us from our sins and their consequences and bring us into a loving, personal relationship with himself, for this is the purpose for which he created us.
Therefore, he sent his Son, Jesus, to take the justice and punishment for our sins. Jesus lived the perfectly sinless, moral life none of us could live. Because he never sinned, he never deserved to be punished. Yet, out of his great love for us, he took all of our sins upon himself and bore the just punishment for them through his death on the cross. Jesus rose from the dead three days later making reconciliation with God possible.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
In order to receive God’s grace and to be forgiven and reconciled to God you must first repent (confess and turn away) from your sins.
Secondly, you must trust in Jesus as your personal Saviour, receiving his free gift of forgiveness by believing that he died on the cross for your sins. When you trust in Jesus to save you from your sins, then all of your sins are punished in Jesus, and his perfect righteous standing with God is eternally granted to you. It is a ransom and a trade, and you individually appropriate it through repentance and faith. God freely offers it to you.
This is how amazing God’s grace is.
“But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us, even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace–His undeserved favor and mercy–you have been saved from God’s judgment). And He raised us up together with Him [when we believed], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, [because we are] in Christ Jesus, [and He did this] so that in the ages to come He might [clearly] show the immeasurable and unsurpassed riches of His grace in [His] kindness toward us in Christ Jesus [by providing for our redemption].
For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].”
(Ephesians 2:3-9 AMP)
“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.” (Titus 3:2-8)
For more information on how to be reconciled to God, please see Message.
See also:
Set Free: Jesus, My Ransom (Believer’s Road Series 2)
At The Foot of The Cross—Forgiven (Believer’s Road Series 2)
Depths of Grace (Believer’s Road Series)
Cape Pillar is the crowning beauty of Tasmania’s popular “Three Capes Track”, which is located in Tasman National Park in Tasmania’s southeast. The Three Capes Track takes visitors out to Cape Pillar and Cape Hauy, while the third cape, Cape Raoul, can be seen at a distance (and visited on a separate day walk). These stunning dolerite sea cliffs rise out of the Southern Ocean to an astounding height of 300m (984’) and are among the tallest sea cliffs in the world. Tasman Island is situated off the southernmost point of Cape Pillar and is best viewed from “The Blade” or by sea. Tasman Island’s lighthouse was built in 1906 and remains operational although it is now unmanned.
Print Code: TTT5 | Sizes Available: A5, A4, A3, Oversize | Postcards Available
Photographer’s Reflection:
“Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I [God] made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?…The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like those of a garment…” (Job 38:8-11, 14)
It was a loooooong way down, about 300 m (984′) to be almost exact.
It was early morning, and I had Cape Pillar all to myself. (Woo hoo!)
From a photographic standpoint, I was a bit disappointed because the light had not worked out for sunrise. However, the towering dolerite sea cliffs were impressive enough to command my photographic attention–even without the photogenic light for which I was hoping. I had my Sigma 8-16mm, non fish-eye, ultra wide angle lens with me, so I thought I would put it to good use and capture the entire 300m cliff in one shot. Few other lenses and cameras could achieve this feat.
For some reason, the best compositions always seem to be located in the most dangerous, precarious positions. In this particular location, there were a number of boulders on the top of the dolerite columns. I really wanted an unobstructed view of the Southern Ocean battering the bottom of Cape Pillar’s mighty sea cliffs. This meant I must *carefully* lean over the edge of the 300 m cliff.
I attached my camera to my tripod and put the camera strap around my neck, then I laid down and carefully inched over a rather downward slanting boulder. I felt (sort of) safe when my hands were gripping the boulder, but as soon as I had to let go of the rock in order to adjust my camera settings I started to feel a bit too unsafe. Bummer, because the unobstructed composition from that location was really awesome, but safety first!
I searched around for a safer boulder and eventually found this one. Once again I laid down and inched over to the edge. Then I laid my tripod down and suspended it over the edge. Then I inched part of myself over the edge to line up the shot. (This is not a job for the faint-hearted or those scared of heights). Thankfully, I was preoccupied enough with the technicalities of the shot not to think about the 300m drop off below me.
Although it wasn’t the best vantage point I found that morning, it was the best one that was still safe. I now bring it to you to enjoy, minus the danger, or the thrill, depending upon your personality.
Cape Pillar is the crowning beauty of Tasmania’s popular “Three Capes Track”, which is located in Tasman National Park in Tasmania’s southeast. The Three Capes Track takes visitors out to Cape Pillar and Cape Hauy, while the third cape, Cape Raoul, can be seen at a distance (and visited on a separate day walk). These stunning dolerite sea cliffs rise out of the Southern Ocean to an astounding height of 300m (984’) and are among the tallest sea cliffs in the world. Tasman Island is situated off the southernmost point of Cape Pillar and is best viewed from “The Blade” or by sea. Tasman Island’s lighthouse was built in 1906 and remains operational although it is now unmanned.
Print Code: TTT3 | Sizes Available: A5, A4, A3, Oversize | Postcards (Set of Three Capes: Cape Hauy, Cape Raoul, Cape Pillar and Tasman Island)
Photographer’s Reflection:
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)
I had sought the Lord’s guidance about taking a photography trip to Cape Pillar and afterwards sensed his confirmation and blessing upon it.
Just before I left I opened up my little booklet of Bible verses which I carry around with me for memorization, reflection and encouragement. I asked the Lord to give me a specific Bible verse to reflect upon during my trip, which was:
“…The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.” (Psalm 35:27)
As soon as I read it, I felt God speaking directly to me through it. His voice instantly relieved some nagging worries I had about being physically sustained on this rather physically demanding trip. I knew in my heart that God was assuring me through this Scripture that he would look after my safety and well being on my trip.
The journey down to Cape Pillar from Fortescue Bay is 13 km (8 mi), and I was carrying an additional 8 kg (17.5 lbs) of camera equipment and 6 kg (13 lbs) of water for 2 days, bringing the total weight of my pack to nearly 30 kg (66 lbs), which is over half my body weight. Despite the physical challenge, I felt physically well the whole way, although increasingly tired.
That evening, as I sat on the top of the Blade preparing to shoot sunset, all of a sudden I started to feel quite ill. In fact, I began feeling so unwell that I thought maybe I should abandon photographing sunset at Cape Pillar and Tasman Island altogether and go lie down instead (although this shooting session was the entire reason why I made this trip).
As I considered this, God reminded me of the Scriptural promise he gave me about my well being.
I fully believed God had guaranteed my all-around health and safety on this trip because of this specific Bible promise he had given me before I left.
One thing I have learned through God’s Word and through multiple practical experiences as a Christian is that God’s Word is the truth and that it overrides what may *appear* to be to our physical senses.
“Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].” (Hebrews 11:1 AMPC)
Over the years, God has taught me that steadfast faith in the truth manifests it within our physical experience, which includes physical healing.
God says:
“We [believers] live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)
As soon as I put my faith in God’s Word, the sickness left as suddenly as it had come on, and I was well enough to continue my evening photography session.
God faithfully kept his promise to keep me in good health for the duration of my trip. As a result, he enabled me to capture some really nice shots of Cape Pillar, including this one of Tasman Island. These shots have now become the story behind these photos and my very opportunity to testify of the goodness of God.
Though Tasman Island is a Tasmanian icon and is well photographed, for me this photo captures that evening where God, by his grace, remained faithful to his promise and enabled me to stand firm in my faith and overcome sickness.
A great chapter in the Bible about faith and those who stood firm in their faith in the face of extremely difficult circumstances is Hebrews 11.
See: Is God Real? 13) Do Miracles Really Happen? for more information and to read of a time God miraculously healed me.
See also:
Cape Hauy from The Blade Sunset (Cape Pillar, Three Capes Track, Tasman National Park)
Walk By Faith (Jesus and Peter Walking on Water) (Matthew 14:22-33) (Events of The Bible Series)
The Just Shall Live By Faith (Habakkuk 2:4) (Believer’s Road Series 2)