Aurora Not Quite Alert - Tasmania

So, the idea was to see the Aurora Australis. We passed through the picturesque town of Strahan and headed out on the chalkdust road to Ocean Beach. What a super spot, surrounded by nesting shearwaters, massive sweeps of beach and incoming waves. Various other visitors arrived at the lookout, including a jeepload of Germans, some of whom were surfing on a mattress on top of the jeep.

Gen set up her camera gear for a long night and we intently watched the forecasts for the aurora on the internet. Each hour, on the hour, Gen set her alarm. Around midnight, Gen excitedly shook me: "The Aurora, it's there." In my bleary state, I surfaced from the dunah and looked at light reflections shining over a distant hill.

Gaining my sense, I said this wasn't what I thought was an aurora. Suddenly the lights cyrstallised and turned into a 4WD with trailer speeding up from the beach to head into Strahan. Ah, what a disappointment. No more aurora spottings for the night. So, here is a runner-up prize of a night sky photo: