Manly Beach cf Bondi Beach

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The upper pair of photographs was taken in early September at Manly Beach. The lower pair of photographs was taken at Bondi Beach in late September. The weather at Manly that day was bright and sunny and about 22C, whereas at Bondi there was a heavy swell and a bitter onshore wind, with the temperature feeling about 18C. As you can see from the map, these two beaches, among the most popular and most regarded, are located close to the heads of Sydney Harbour. Each beach is gorgeous. Each beachfront is gawdy and gritty. Go to either for the experience, but neither if you are looking for pristine nature.

Where the Wild Things Are

So, Max stared into their yellow eyes, without ever blinking even once! And the wild things were subdued. Let the wild romp begin! Perhaps, Maurice Sendak was inspired by the Yiddish expression 'vilde chaya', meaning boisterous children. These 'wild things' are located in the Ben Buckler park overlooking Bondi Beach which you can just make out in the background. It is a wonderful place for a beer and fish'n'chips as the sun sets on a Saturday.

Prepositioning the Pavilion

From the pavilion; along the pavilion, into the pavilion. The Bondi Pavilion, Bondi Beach, New South Wales

From upstairs at the Pavilion

Bondi Beach captured from the balcony of the Pavilion. Facing south-east, first to the left, then centre, then to the right.

Peace

A mural created in 1986 by the children of Bondi Beach Public School, under the guidance of Carol Ruff. It was restored in 2000.

Start of the season

Spring, Bondi Beach, Sydney, New South Wales

What does freedom mean to you

Australians don't talk much about freedom; they simply live it. Time 4:51 PM, F8, 1/8000, ISO=500, CWA, 90mm (but heavily cropped) Crazy, crazy settings ... robbing Peter to pay Paul ...

The raw material

Here was the basic scene I was working with. I started shooting about 3pm, walking along the beach, and continuing once I reached the northern end, and walked up the winding ramp, to overlook the length of the beach. I knew that I needed the sun lower, so repaired to 'Speedos' for a Chardy and a bowl of hot chips. I came back to leaning on the railing about 4:45 pm, and after these first few shots, decided to squeeze the light out as much as possible, the result being 'Heading home" and a couple of others. This shot shows you the full scene, from the skyline of Bondi on the rise, to the shapes of the Bondi Pavilion, to the people mucking about on the water's edge. It also shows the salt rising from the beach as the evening wind picks up. Click on any of my shots, and they will expand to 640px. The stats for this shot are: F16, 1/200, ISO=100, 105mm, CWA.

A performance space

So, this one is not quite a silhouette. For some reason, I let more light into this one, than the one yesterday. Yesterday's F16 became today's F8. Yesterday's ISO 100, became today's ISO 500. I tried to squeeze it back out by having the shutter blink at 1/8000, which is, from memory, the fastest my camera shoots at. But to freeze the shot, I did not need anything like that speed. The stats: F8, 1/8000, ISO=500, 73mm, CWA.

Heading home

Bondi Beach, just before 5pm, looking west.

F16, 1/800, ISO=100, 95mm, CWA

This blog participates in the Weekend in Black & White meme.

Wild and wooly winter

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Bondi Beach in the middle of winter

Whad-ya-rekon ... ?

... should we tell him?

Watching the Bondi sky at dusk

Bondi Beach reminds me of a bite taken out of a piece of toast. Over the other end, the northern end, the area is known as Ben Buckler.


Over this end, the southern end, the area used to be known as 'the bogey hole'. Now it is just called 'Icebergs'.

This is my contribution to the Skywatch community.

A sign of affirmation!

Quite keen to get their contact details across, thought I. So they must be on the lookout for new members, if not of the swim club, then of the drink club!


The Bondi Icebergs Club commenced in 1929. They pride themselves on being a 'winter' swimming club. When my grandmother moved to Bondi in 1956, this end of the beach was referred to as 'the bogey hole'. The club was there, but not as dominant as it has become of late. Their junior swim club is the Bondi Icecubes. That is the Pacific Ocean we are gazing out upon!

This is my contribution to the Signs Signs community.

Fluffy water

A most enjoyable shoot over the weekend on the rocks down beside the 'Icebergs Club' at South Bondi, at the very beginning of the Bondi-Bronte Coastal Walk. The aim was to shoot at dusk on Tv, Low ISO with a shutter speed of half a second thereby achieving what is technically known as 'fluffy water'.

Swinging along the running-board ...

This is a brilliant Australian picture book. I acknowledge Hathorn & Vivas as the owners of this creative work.


When I was eight years old, my grandmother - Sylvia - moved to Bondi. The memory of our holidays at her place ('up near the stink pipe in Blair Street') created within me an enduring passion for Sydney trams and for the trams of both the 380 and the 389 line, both of which terminated at North Bondi. Perfect!

As I write these lines, I can see and hear the conductor call for fares, snap open his ticket book, tear out the required stub and punch it with his doohickey in the corner of his 'book'.


When trams to Bondi ceased during 1960, the terminus remained as a bus turn-a-round and the salt spray and neglect took its toll. It is only in the last 5 years that this little pocket of Bondi is receiving the focus that it deserves. The latte set is moving on in.


This is a delightful book which I am hunting for to add to 'Ma's Chest' for my soon-to-be grand-daughter. I like the idea of connecting her to my past. The story reeks of the working-class during the depression, of uncomplicated people trying to get ahead. The illustrations are a delight and so perfectly complement the text.

So, does Kieran get to work alongside little-mister-tough Saxon? Can he cut it in the big time of swinging along the running-board selling newspapers to the commuters? I am on the look out for my own copy of this masterpiece.


And, yes, the Bondi trams did 'shoot through'. It was a busy run, and to get up the long drag from the beach up to the junction, they needed to be flat-tack. The last Bondi tram to "shoot through" was during the early hours of Sunday, February 28,1960. The R class corridor tram was crammed with last tram riders and had a boisterous journey. It left Bondi at 3.30 am and arrived at the Dowling Street depot minus most light globes, some handrails, all upholstered seat cushions, the lifting jack, a headlight glass and all destination rolls.


'The Tram to Bondi Beach', text by Libby Hawthorn, illustrations by Julie Vivas, published by Harper-Collins in 1992.

Find it. Buy it. Read it. Treaure it. It is the history of this wonderful city.

Monochrome Weekend - dripping wet

The crossing from the Promenade to the steps up to the old North Bondi tram terminus

A member of the Monochrome Weekend community.

Skywatch: The Bondi blues

Above: 5:50am - between Christmas and New Year Below: 7:30am - on the same day

See Skywatch posts from all over the world at the home of Skywatch Friday.

The Dreaming: Earth, sea and air

On the northern end of Bondi Beach - the Ben Buckler peninsula - there is a tidal rock pool which was constructed in the late '60s. In 1987 this tiled mural was created by a bunch of local artisans. There are many aboriginal carvings in the sandstone rocks higher up on the bluff of the peninsula, and the artisans have reflected the essential elements of the beach into a white man's Dreaming.

The style employed by the artisan's is reminiscent of the artwork coming out of Central Australia created by Aboriginal Australians. Elements of the human and physical world enter the vortex of the sacred world and are emblazoned upon the heavens.


Once again, these images were taken in the early hours of the morning. I endeavoured to get reflections of the beach in many of the glass tiles that you can see implanted within the story. However, if the reflection was in focus the artwork was not - and vice-versa. I bet you just love the thoughtful way that the council workers have positioned the bench seat and the garbage bin.