The image that I've nominated for my 2013 representative shot comes from our trip to Perth (and more specifically Margaret River) in August of that year.

This is the lighthouse at Cape Leeuwin which was constructed from local limestone, and dates to 1895. 39 metres tall (7 floors or 186 steps, and yes, we climbed them) It is near the south westerly most point of the Australian mainland. Just out from here marks the border (in the interpretation of some maps) between the Indian and Southern oceans. The winds here are incessant, usually icy and often strong, and on the odd occasion have blasted the iron doors at the base of the lighthouse in.

Apparently the lighthouse is still functional but as with most lighthouses these days, is unmanned. Back in the old days it wasn't; it was a kerosene light which floated in a bath of mercury.

As you can imagine vegetation doesn't thrive here so one of the junior lighthouse keepers had to make a long and arduous drive in a wagon to the nearby (by car, not horse) town of Augusta to bring in even something as basic as firewood. It was the sort of place where, in the absence of electricity, the Internet or even telephones, you needed a good level of self-sufficiency.

My 24-104f/4L Canon lens had died by this point so my backup Olympus E-P1 was being pushed to its limits with shots like these.