The view out of my bedroom window back in New Zealand on a winters day, mountains covered in snow.
.
When we first immigrated from New Zealand to Adelaide, Australia, I found the landscape boring, mundane and lacking height. Lowlands everywhere and not a drop of water in sight. I mean around every corner in New Zealand is a mountain, a river or a lake, all clear, blue and very pure.
Rivers, rivers everywhere and lots of drops to drink! Not so in South Australia we discovered!
OUR TREK TO FIND SOME WATER
Being unused to the South Australian landscape, on a 40 degree day we headed towards the hills (Mount Lofty range)….looking for rivers, lakes and lagoons so we could cool off and take a swim.
BIG MISTAKE!
I have never ever found any of those things in the hills in South Australia to this day!!
As we rounded each corner of the winding road up towards Mt Lofty, with those harsh nasty gum trees looking down at us sadistically, I glanced over into the back seat to look at my children. I saw three flaming red cheeked kids with moronic looks on their faces staring back at me……It was that look of, “ Why have you brought us kids to this God forsaken country, what terrible parents you turned out to be, we are definitely not your children? We are adopted that’s for sure!”
Eventually we did realise that the two words “barren” and “Australia” walk hand in hand. Disheartened and very hot we drove back home.
As the days and weeks progressed instead of going to the hills to look for lakes and rivers we headed in the opposite direction. We thought we would see what the coastline offered to this unfortunate family who were suffering badly from heat stroke.
OH MY GOODNESS…
Spectacular, beautiful and untouched stretches of beach, which were swimmable! Not too many beaches in NZ are beautiful and swimmable. Too cold, too rocky, too dangerous, too rough, too gloomy, or weather never permitting. You may be lucky to stumble upon a few sunny days in the middle of summer!
WE FAST BECAME BEACH ADDICTS..
Those glorious blue beaches have found us surfing, fishing, swimming, boating, playing, and almost all year round I might add!
I well remember when we first arrived here trying to put the golden sand into an envelope to send home to show them how amazing the beaches were. True story! (The sand in New Zealand is either non existent or grey.)
Early on with my first camera my photography was centred around photographing my sons surfing. Not a hint of hilly heat stroke on those long warm days spent at the beach with the waves continuously rolling in. Now I photograph all aspects of the vast blue sea, which changes day to day and moment by moment. Variety and beauty endlessly! It is a genuine privilige to be able to photograph the South Australian coastline.
TODAY….
Whenever we have spent a day at the beach and evening approaches I have created a habit, as I leave any of our beaches, I stop and look back at the ocean and ponder and thank God for the genius of His creation. The beaches so idyllic, I will always miss my homeland but I have found something wonderful to replace those nostalgic longings.
Above,
This beach is about 2 kms long, I had it all to myself on a glorious summers day last January, crystal clear water and golden sand, no flies and warm weather, what more could a woman want?
The bluest of blue!
Above,
A boat stays out fishing till the sun sets and the gulls have gone home.
Above,
Swimming in this effervescent green water. Located at the back of Althorpe Island, South Australia, we discovered this unique spot on one of our fishing trips, quite remarkable in its colour and location. You can read my other blog about Salmon Inlet HERE
Enormous cliffs tower over the breaking seas. Cape Spencer, Yorke Peninsula.
Stenhouse jetty.
Surfers, sailors, swimmers and sunbakers they all love it!
The water is warm as is the air temperature. In the image above it is New Years Eve and these boys walked the beach till midnight in bathers and bare chests.
South Australia is a vast and hot country, a unique environment which definitely takes some getting used to. There will be many challenges to face. Initially I missed family and friends, we struggled to succeed in a new business venture and my children were extremely unsettled, but the hot dry weather, the lack of inland water and mountains. definitely had the most profound effect on us all.
Today some 30 years later I love the place, can’t get enough of the beaches and strangely I have learnt to also love and appreciate the inland areas. The fields, the farms, the desert, the outback all have a beauty of their own. There is a huge variety of landscapes to photograph and as time has gone by I have noticed I am never bored with my photography. Still hate the heat, but hey, who enjoys 40 degrees?
If I can encourage anyone on this journey, slow down and get an air conditioner, (first things first) so you can think straight and make good decisions for your future. You will , as you perservere find a very beautiful and very majestical country.
