Street Light

This street light in Caloundra over the boardwalk is warming up for a good night!

It's getting a bit of an early start, as the sun has not quite set, but I thought it made a pretty picture in any case.

Caloundra

Pineapple Tree

The Pandanus fruit comprises a cluster of nuts, which turn orange/yellow when they are ripe and they bear more than a passing resemblance to a pineapple. More than one stranger has been tricked into thinking this is how pineapples grow.

I'll try to get a photo of a ripe fruit cluster shortly.

Perhaps I'll pay a visit to a pineapple farm as well!

Kings Beach
Caloundra

Between the Flags

The Volunteer Lifesavers have been back for a month after their winter break, so it's a good time to remind everyone on surfing beaches to bathe between the flags.

The Australian Surf Lifesaving Organisation owns the copyright on the red and yellow flags, so if you are going to steal this image to use in a paying publication, don't blame me if you get into strife! (It's OK to use in a not for profit way.)

Dicky Beach
Caloundra

Pondering

A garden gnome sits, wondering what life will bring once he leaves the comfortable gardens of the shop, or perhaps why I wasted my 228th post on this blog with a photo like this!

Montville

To The Beach!

It's a bit cool, so you wear a jacket, and put rubber thongs (flip-flops) on your feet to stay warm.

Many people (mostly kids) carry surfboards on bicycles using racks like this, the board isn't blue, it's just got a neat cover to protect it from damage and UV rays when it's not being used.

Mooloolaba

More Boats on Mountain Creek

Boats made from what we refer to as bondwood are very rare these days and sell for a few dollars. Most small recreational fishing boats are made of aluminium and need no maintenance.

Mountain Creek

Mountain Creek

This is a sort of a boring photograph, and unless you get down into the mangroves you could be mistaken for thinking the banks of the river were boring as well, but they are a haven for all manner of breeding wildlife, from flying foxes to small fish.

This piece of Mountain Creek is a few hundred metres from a densely populated area, and less than a kilometre from central Mooloolaba.

Mooloolaba

Boats on Mountain Creek

There are a few things about this shot that aren't at all typical. The rocky river bank is one. The rocks are an engineering device to stop the sand scouring away as the river goes under the bridge on which I am standing.

Notice that someone has put down a piece of old carpet to protect the bottom of their boat as they launch and retrieve it.

The boats themselves are a dying style, made of timber, and there would be no more than a handful still in active service.

Mooloolaba

Sunshine Castle

If you lived somewhere in Europe the site of a fortified castle or chateau may not be an unusual one, but if you remember that we live in a country that wasn't really settled until close enough to the 19 th century and that we live a fair distance from the possibility of Norman invaders, it all becomes a bit of a puzzle.

This castle has been built over a few decades using concrete blocks and houses a collection of dolls (apparently). It has always been known as the Bli Bli castle after the suburb in which it resides, but I notice that the gates now proclaim it to be Sunshine Castle!

Bli Bli

Grevillia

Just a nice gratuitous flower pic with an ant enjoying himself.

Maroochydore

Eat a Politician

The level of political wit, or wit of any kind expressed in graffiti around here is usually quite poor, with vandals and "artists" content to simply tag their own illegible initials in places where they are unwelcome.

So when someone urges the destruction of a political party in a novel way, it's a refreshing change!

Maroochydore

Marina Office

The Marina Office is clearly signed!

Besides, everyone knows it's right beside the Hog's Breath Cafe.

Mooloolaba

Marina

The Wharf Marina may need some maintenance, but it's still a pretty place to hang around, and there is more than one decent restaurant as well.

Mooloolaba

Giant Squid

The Giant Squid on the Underwater World sign has been there for some years, well before the business was given a real giant squid. The real one "lives" in a gigantic block of ice, or did until recently when it has been thawed and is now undergoing some sort of preservation.

Either that or it's being cut into very small pieces and sprinkled on the tops of a thousand pizzas.

Mooloolaba

Steel Posts

Steel posts seem to be a problem, the way they sneak up behind motor cars!

Mooloolaba

Syrenuse Reflecting

Actually it's the reflection of Peninsular in the windows of Syrenuse on the Esplanade, Mooloolaba.

Mooloolaba.

Attractive Power Lines

Having worked for many years in the property development industry, I can never understand what people were thinking when they didn't spend the money to put the power lines underground.

"Let's just plant trees in front of them" someone said!


Peninsula

Mooloolaba

Peninsular

I've had a run of building photos of late, ah what the heck, it's a city blog after all! Peninsular is a serviced apartment building on the beachfront, providing holiday accommodation. Here's a shot of the back wall!

I've never really thought about the spelling other than shuddering at what I thought was an accidental "r" on the end, but it turns out that peninsular is the adjectival form of the word peninsula. I have no idea how to use it in a sentence, as I would normally simply say "like a peninsula" if I were to describe a peninsula like object.

Then I found what I think may be the inspiration: the name apparently refers to the Iberian Peninsula, lending yet another note of a distant exotic horizon to our beachfront!


Peninsular

Mooloolaba

Just One More

Late in the evening and the swell has flattened right off, but these two hang out hopeful of one last wave.

Mooloolaba.

Newport

Newport, not Wales and not Rhode Island!

One of a handful of buildings which were allowed before a blanket ban on heights restricted buildings to three, five or ten stories. It's not a masterpiece by any means, but stands as a fine example of early eighties residential architecture, and all that wasn't quite right about it. Of course the "front" of the building is all balcony and glass, facing the ocean view.

One of my early graphics teachers used to rail against vertical lettering, so I have my own prejudice around the name graphic I'm afraid.

Newport
Mooloolaba

Nautilus

Nautilus isn't actually devoid of colour. Even though I quite like its richness, it will fade with time although I'm not so sure that it will develop a graceful patina.

For now, this is one of my favourite building photographs, which explains why I've used it on my other blog as well, but that's because it made it onto the judges "long list" in a recent photo competition. More information here.

Mooloolaba

Learning to Surf

A youngster catches a wave under the eye of his instructor, late in the afternoon.

Mooloolaba

So Last Century

There was a time in the late 90's when coastal architects thought that the colours of Miami were the next big thing. Fortunately that didn't last for too long, but Mooloolaba has a little cluster of them near the harbour.

Mooloolaba

Temporary Vandalism

At least the graffiti has some wit, as the "artist" tries to emulate the sales office photographs. As a secondary consideration, this one will be easy enough to get off too.

Mooloolaba.

Time for Tea

A young family heads off after an afternoon at the beach.

Mooloolaba

Glass Insulators

Normally overhead powerlines are a bit of an abomination to a pleasant streetscape, but with the green glass insulators illuminated by a late afternoon sun, and the pink and blue in the building behind it all looks rather pretty.

Mooloolaba.

The Former Brisbane

The HMAS Brisbane after decomissioning, was deliberately scuttled at sea a few kilometres offshore from Mooloolaba to enable the growth of a Dive Industry in the area. As we are about 500 kilometres south of the Great Barrier Reef the business seems to be growing.

Here a load of divers returns from an afternoon at sea.


The Wharf

Mooloolaba

Crystals

The glass balustrades have an almost crystalline effect as they refract the evening sun.

Cilento

Mooloolaba

Broken Sign

The Wharf at Mooloolaba has all the hallmarks of a building that has had no maintenance since the late eighties, which is exactly what it is. Despite falling patronage, I suppose held together by the main tourist attractions and marine businesses, it exists awaiting redevelopment.

It's sad or simply ironic that the broken signage seems to fit graphically almost perfectly.

The Wharf
Mooloolaba

The Boardwalk

The sign looks a little uninviting, the building looks a little shabby, but it's still a pleasant place to hang around the waterfront.

The Wharf

Mooloolaba

Lines

Lines of waves, but I'm afraid this pic is a bit of a "theme cheat" as the "lines" of waves are actually called "sets".

This is the day after, leftover from storm surf adjacent to the Northern Breakwater of the Mooloolah River. It's a bit hard to judge the scale of these waves, but they were easily three metres at times. The person standing by the white marker light gives a bit of an idea.

Mooloolaba

Click here to view thumbnails for all 164 participant in todays theme "lines".