You Can Bank On It - Cape Banks Was Worth The Visit

Visited a few scenic locations with my cousin. Weather was perfect, just the hint of a breeze and a gentle sun.

 We began our tour at The old fort at La Perouse and then made our way as far as the tip of Cape Banks which I've previously only seen from across the water at Cape Solander. The waves were spectacular and unfortunately stills do nothing to demonstrate their majesty. We drove around from Bare Island and along Cape Banks Rd. parking near the firing range. At Fort Banks (opposite the helicopter base) we ventured inside what I believe was the old bunker and fortification complex that was used to protect the approaches to Botany Bay built during World War II. This bunker consists of sheltered concrete ammunition storage rooms below and a circular gun base above, with surrounding coastal views.We completely missed the larger one ( labelled F on the map) and seen below.

image courtesy of  J.W.C Adam

 

We didn't make it around to the Henry Head battery on the other side of the peninsular either so that's a location I would like to visit in future. Constructed between 1892 - 1895 with 2 BL 6-inch Mk V disappearing guns, the fort operated until 1910 when the fort became obsolete.

We did walk down to the furthermost tip of Cape Banks to where the wreckage of the SS Minmi can be seen rusting silently and uncomplainingly in the sun with gigantic waves crashing over its decayed bows.

A great summary of the locations and some detailed information about the batteries.
There is also a description of the walk and major signposts on Wildwalks.

Tall Ships In The Mist

Over 50 nations will be sending a warship and/or tall ship to participate in an International Fleet Review to be held in Sydney from 3 - 11 October,  held to commemorate the centenary of the first entry of the Royal Australian Navy's Fleet into Sydney. It is planned for the Review to begin with the entry of the tall ships into Sydney Harbour and conclude with a laser light show on the Saturday evening.

I went with some members from our Photography Society to position ourselves at Bradley's Head in order to grab some shots of the tall ships as they sailed towards their berth at Darling Harbour. I'm always most uncomfortable in crowds, and not keen on attending when the crowds would be in force so this was to be my one opportunity to witness this spectacle.  Alas ............ after a great start to the morning, with sun shining and fluffy white clouds, weatherwise it was all downhill from there.

 After a long walk from the ferry to the Head, almost as soon as we'd positioned ourselves down on the shoreline with a pretty good view and great lead in lines of golden sand and moss covered rocks, the winds picked up, the sun disappeared and mist caused by falling rain rolled in. The fisheye lens has made our rocky retreat look a lot sheltered than it actually was.

The reality was a long way from the anticipated experience as there were few billowing sails due to the weather and a mishmash of spectator boats littered the scene and interfered with what should have been some good compositions.

  Although I ended up cold and wet, as always, we had some great laughs and shared some photographic tips and strategies.

My first sighting of a tall ship was certainly not what I'd looked forward to, as it was barely visible.

We were lucky that there was some protection from the overhanging cliff face so it was with garbage bag over the torso I was only able to intermittently snap the occasional shot of a tall ship barely visible for rain.

I didn't come away with many stellar images I must say, so amused myself by playing around with the one passable image I captured. I used an online gif maker and some multiple processed copies of the image to create an efficient method of viewing them. Unfortunately there is a white band on the side but I cant be bothered to go back and edit it out :-(

Fine weather is forecast for tomorrow  but I doubt I have the energy or desire to battle the travel and crowds in order to participate in another train and ferry trip. This little black duck will watch it from the comfort of her lounge room, tissues in hand, as my legacy from today is sneezes and sniffs.

Back To Bombo

The first week of my holidays is over already so I'm feeling somewhat deflated, however I should be grateful that at least it was spent relaxing and enjoying the freedom. My trip down South to see my cousin enables me to not only catch up with her, but to revisit many of my most loved locations and for good measure, toss in a few new ones.

The decision to stay overnight at Greenwell Point on the way down turned out well.

View Greenwell Point in a larger map
As luck would have it, there were some fishing boats returning and of course a group of pelicans gathered to try their luck at the ritual ' cleaning of the fish'. The fishermen were most obliging and angled their throws to create some great photo opportunities and I was able to catch some action shots different from any I'd taken before.

One of the greatest disadvantages of continually photographing a subject is the challenge of capturing a different perspective, but it's definitely great for professional development. Observing the expressions and personalities of the pelicans always cheers me up and its entertaining to hear the fishermen recounting their experiences. Unfortunately the anticipated Milky Way shoot didn't eventuate as the cloud cover was too thick but it was a good start to the holidays nonetheless.

Rising early for a sunrise shoot was another plan thwarted by those same clouds, however we were able to get a few shots from the beachfront which was accessible as the tide was out. Unfortunately, long exposures and boats dont seem to marry well.