Tag Archives: Manly Beach

Daily life in Manly

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There are the early birds who surf or swim at dawn, the locals out for a power walk and a coffee, the day trippers who stream in from the ferry. On any given day Manly Beach is full of colourful characters and the area where the Corso meets the beach is where their paths cross. Here’s a slice of life from a typical Saturday in winter.

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@Coastal_Dwellermini_insta

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Last day of summer Down Under

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I can’t believe it’s already the last day of summer and right on cue the weather’s gone south here in Sydney. Or rather it’s come from the south — a cool, wet change to usher in autumn. Here’s a few shots from my summer wanderings.

I did a road trip up to the northern NSW coast this summer. Scott's Head was one of my favourite places.

I did a road trip up to the north NSW coast and Scott’s Head was one of my favourite spots. They’ve got it good up there, although it’s taken a pounding from the weather recently.

Myall Lake tranquility

Myall Lake tranquility

I took this one afternoon on the first sunny day after the big storms earlier in February. Late afternoon sun at Manly Beach is magical.

I took this shot in Manly one afternoon when the sun finally came out after days of rain. You can’t beat late afternoon sun and a low tide for a lazy beach stroll.

Making tracks

I wonder how many times I've walked this stretch of sand?

I wonder how many times I’ve walked this stretch of sand?

iPhone photography

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There are times when you just can’t be bothered to lug your camera gear around. And you don’t always need to with most phone cameras these days. It’s hard to see what you’re shooting sometimes, but here’s a few shots, mostly taken around Sydney, that have somehow turned out okay.

(Clockwise from top left) Cliff near North Head, Sydney; Natimuk Lake (Wimmera, Victoria) wet for the first time in a decade; kite-surfer off Manly Beach; safely anchored in Pittwater, NSW; Sydney Opera House; anchored in Sugarloaf Bay, Sydney; Ropes on the Manly Ferry; Noah’s Ark at Biennale, Cockatoo Island, Sydney; (centre) Freshwater beach closed in rough surf.

Big Monday

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Big swell rolling in at Manly Beach  A big south-easterly swell rolled in today bringing rough surf conditions

     And a big surf usually means the bombora is working. It’s a submerged rock, or reef, about 1km offshore from Manly Beach, which probably only breaks a handful of times a year. I saw three people out there surfing it this afternoon. It looked as though they paddled out, which means they’re either really fit or they don’t have a friend with a jet-ski to tow them out. The bombie is not for the faint-hearted, most surfers are put off by the long paddle out, then the size of the wave when you get there. I love watching it break and while it might look like a big wave to me, to ‘proper surfers’ it’s probably not big at all. Queenscliff Bombora was first surfed over 50 years ago, there’s a history here.

And here’s a clipping of a photo that appeared in the British newspaper The Times on March 29, 2006. The guy surfing Queenscliff bombie isn’t named, the shot was taken by Guy Finlay of Icon Images. It’s great that ‘our’ bombie made it into the British press. I think I need a more powerful lens!

Happy Days!

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Kite surfer getting plenty of air at Manly

Kite surfer getting plenty of air at Manly

What an awesome way to have fun! When the nor’easter blows like this it’s no good for surfing, but out come the kite surfers. Even without the jumping, this must be an amazing feeling — ripping along with a canopy full of wind. Years ago I used to enjoy windsurfing. I loved pulling the sail in tight, leaning back on my harness and feeling the board rise up and plane across the water. Kite surfing must be that feeling x 10. I had so much fun photographing these kite surfers, a couple of them were flying along close to the shore — I guess to make maximum use of the fairly small waves — which gave me a perfect chance to tap into my ‘inner sports-photographer’. (Now that’s what I’d like to be when I grow up)