Sunshine Coast Daily Photo

Thursday, 20 October 2011

Less than perfect

Some days, the weather is unfriendly. Oh it's fine enough even though it's overcast, and the temperatures are pleasant enough, but the breeze is well over forty kilometres per hour and even in the lee of the headland no one could be bothered coming out.

It's as if everyone is waiting for weather perfection.

Moffat Beach

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

First Thing

If one rises early enough, the first glimpse of that patch of electric blue as one ascends the dune is enough to set one's heart a flutter.

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Two Way Creek

The new pedestrian bridge passes under the road bridge and just sort of meanders it's way down the creek, eliminating the need for pedestrians to cross the busy street to access the beach.

Thank-you Mr Council!

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Early Morning Again

Looking north beyond Currimundi, the day looks "promising" to say the least!

Another nasty day in Paradise.

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Mosaic

Just there in the heart of Dicky Beach, there's a small mosaic panel for the enjoyment of all. One of the nice things about it, is that the designs were prepared by primary school children, and reproduced for all to see in ceramics.

It makes me smile when I see it.

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Thongs
Dicky Beach

There is a widely held belief that thongs (or flip flops as they are known in some circles) separate at birth, the left footed variety circling the oceans in the southern hemisphere and the right footed ones doing the same in the northern hemisphere.

Here there are sufficient numbers of each to make me think they may have been mating pairs, captured and hung on the fence as an example to others of their ilk.

Just what they have done to deserve such punishment, I am as yet unsure.

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Lorikeet

It's one of the great privileges of living where we do, to be able to sit on our verandah and watch the lorikeets carrying on not two metres from where we are sipping our coffee.

This one happily sat while I fiddled with the camera.

Dicky Beach

Kookaburra

The words of a well known Australian folk song begin "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree..." and I must say that this gum tree is very old indeed.

It's strange I think, how the blue patch on his wings matches the colour of the insulators almost perfectly. That's one nifty piece of camouflage!

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Home!
Moffat Beach

Each morning we wander down to the beach, the faithful grand-dog and I, to check that the ocean is still there.

This morning all was fine, there's no need to worry for another day.

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Unsettled
Moffat Beach

It's not really pre-dawn light, just early with quite heavy cloud and northerly breezes blowing out the surf.

Moffat Beach looking north.

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

It's good to be back
Pacific Ocean

After six months in our northern hemisphere home, it's great to be back and posting "live" again.

Jetlag has it's benefits too, as here the sun is starting to rise quite early, well before six, and early walks on the beach are at least part compensation for the sleeplessness that comes with intercontinental travel.

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

More roadside planting

Mooloolaba

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Daisy Chain

Roadside planting

Mooloolaba

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Decision Time

Will I go for a surf, or just sit down and read the paper?

Mooloolaba

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Furniture

Am I correct in my observation that the undersides of the tables have been painted to match the ceilings?

Mooloolaba

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Old Woman Island

Steve Irwin in marble sits with his kids, contemplating Old Woman Island.

Mooloolaba

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Balconies

First Avenue

Mooloolaba

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

The Gap

For a short while, a few months ago, a gap appeared between the buildings on the Esplanade, allowing those behind in First Avenue a bonus view of the ocean.

The last infill project has begun. Soon "Sea Pearl" will fill the gap.

Mooloolaba

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Shopping

For some reason when I walk past this esplanade shop I always want to stop and run my fingers through the stock, which is quite disturbing really as I'm not actually a dress-wearing kind of boy!

Mooloolaba

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Shadow

For a slender tree, the palm does a manly job of casting a big shadow among the Norfolks.

Mooloolaba

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Art Imitates Life

Norfolk pines posing for a portrait.

Mooloolaba

Safe

When one is on a beach and everyone else is a lifesaver equipped with a rescue board or IRB, one would feel quite secure about venturing into the water.

Mooloolaba

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Pastime

Now where are these two going? Surely not to swim among the rocks? They don't have any fishing gear with them either.

I guess they are just enjoying walking ankle deep in the surf.

Mooloolaba

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Contraption

I do like the juxtaposition of all the awnings. It's somewhat reminiscent of a failed flying machine I think.

Mooloolaba

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Visual intrusion

I am often bemused at the fuss that medium rise building development causes. "They" claim it is an eyesore, but "they" live in houses with exposed electricity wires and crude property poles.

I think we have enough green space to offset the odd tower block, and if the same number of houses were to be constructed at ground level, some of the green would have to go.

"They" don't like the way I think!

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Bats

Just on dawn the flying foxes arrive back in their roosts after a night of marauding. Perhaps I shall stake them out one day, and attempt to get a proper photograph, but they fly just at the time when the light is too poor to capture them!

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Desperately seeking beach house

Surely no beach house would be complete without a "gone to the beach" sign, visible through the shrubs.

Dicky Beach

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Gasp!

It's hard to imagine that there was once a time when the epitome of beach house cool was the "Mediterranean" look. A few arches and a spiral stair and we could be in the Greek Islands. Or not.

I think it's safe to say there are not many Mediterranean Look houses being built at the moment. A good idea whose time has well and truly come and gone.

Desperately seeking beach house

In days gone by the cheap houses were clad in an asbestos cement sheeting branded "Fibrolite. "Fibro" became a household name as it's reputation spread, much more rapidly than knowledge of the terrible lung diseases asbestos causes.

Still, a beach house isn't a beach house with at least a panel or two of "fibro" look alike, painted improbably in colours which were a mix of all the left over cans of paint that could be scrounged.

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Shade

The shade cloth over the playground at Moffat Beach shows evidence of battles with perhaps one hail storm too many. One gets the feeling that the next big storm may be its last.

Moffat Beach

No matter

Yep, even at Moffat Beach you'll find someone with a tee shirt that proves he's been to Hawaii. Or a discount clothing shop.

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Surf Hire

You can't actually hire surf here, just surfboards and stuff like that!

Noosa

Above the crowds

It occurred to me that there are a few places in the world that would not be quite as pleasant as sitting above the crowds at Noosa while enjoying a quiet lunch or a drink or three.

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Desperately seeking beach house

Then there's the gecko motif, synonymous with the beach? I'm not sure, but they are becoming so.

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Battens

The constant play of light and shade is another archetypal feature of modern coastal architecture. Here the stairs to the upper level of the Noosa Surf Club are thinly disguised.

Beach style

Translucent awnings and coloured foliage seem to be a consistent element.

Tower

The lifeguard tower Noosa Main Beach

Going Down

Not stairs; actually this is the access way for the quad bikes that are used as beach rescue vehicles, towing rescue craft as well as other vehicles with less noble intent (but useful none the less).

Noosa Main Beach

Colour Coded

When the sky is the colour of the ocean most of us stay in bed, but most of us are not surfers desperate not to waste any of those waves.

Moffat Beach

Let's do coffee then.

The weather may be ugly, the surf just plain awful and the temperature so-so, but one can still do coffee and watch the rain roll in.

Moffat Beach

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Desperately seeking beach house

Some palm trees, a timber gate and a number in mosaics with a frangipani or three.

Desperately seeking beach house

That blue again, a coastal banksia and just a hint of rust in the window trim.

Moffat Beach

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Desperately seeking beach house

Postcard from Main Beach

Texture Coating

I was quite taken by the grey texture on this balcony, and then I noticed that none of the adjoining ones were thus treated. A case of poor workmanship working out OK, or it would have been had the others matched.

Noosa

© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia

Boardwalk

The dune at the Noosa Estuary mouth has been built over for half a century or so, and it's not surprising that property owners don't like the thought of their buildings becoming reefs, so the beach is protected by a boardwalk and pumped full of sand on occasion to keep it at it's beautiful best.

Noosa Main Beach