Stormy Day At The Rocks

What a difference a day makes (or two). My return trip to Bombo with some of the S.A.P.S group produced a much more exciting sky than the previous Sunday even though the swell was still less than exciting.
 The destination was Cathedral Rocks and then on to Bombo. Stopping off for a quick detour to Minnamurra I was rewarded with some pristine reflections on the lake generated by an early morning canoeist and paddle boarder.

There was only time for a couple of quick shots as the rest of the group were already at our location.
Walking towards Cathedral Rocks along Jones Beach the reflections mirrored the pastel coloured highlights in the sky.

Intermittently peeking from behind the clouds, the hiding sun produced those glorious silver shards which illuminate the surface of the ocean, one of my favourite early morning sights.

I was expecting a lower tide so was a little disappointed I couldnt access the cave without some mountain goat climbing or get the exact composition I was after.

Electing to  conserve my energy I consoled myself with some aforementioned beach reflection shots.

Before heading towards Bombo I decided to investigate the alternate view of Cathedral Rocks from the Southern approach. One of the better views is from the hillside above the rocks which also looks towards the Boneyard in the other direction.

Access to the coastal face of the basalt pillars at Bombo is now a lot more difficult with the secret pathway partially obscured by lantana undergrowth which is particularly spiky. However this leads to some natural basalt steps which not only provide an easy climb to one of the better vantage points for watching the turbulence of the incoming waves, but at the same time afford some protection from any rogue waves which may appear. 

 Bombo cries out for angry overcast skies in my opinion.

On the drive back up towards Sydney I took a slight detour to investigate two spots I'd not heard of before, courtesy of Graham. Referred to as The Farm and Mystics Beach, they are accessed via the detour through the Killalea State Park.  Interestingly enough Mystics Beach turned out to be the beach the Meetup Group acessed on Sunday in order to take a shot of the island at Minamurra.

Back To Bombo

Bombo is such an atmospheric location irrespective of weather or Season. There is always something to explore. I set off early with two friends,  and we were treated to some great photo opportunities, from fog enveloping the landscape on the trip down, to the craggy headlands and reflections of Bombo Quarry, then on to a feast of sunflowers in a garden at Kiama and finally, to the exciting discovery of a 'secret' cave at Cathedral Rocks. 

We were treated to some great foggy patches on the way down South and stopped a few times to try and capture the scene, however I was aware that we didnt want to linger and arrive at Bombo when the sun was too high.

The swell at the quarry was less than impressive but I was keen to show Megan and Carolyn the access point for high tides and big swells. I'd serendipitously uncovered a path of sorts on a previous visit which led through the bushes and allowed me to bypass the dangerous irregular rocks. There are a few natural rock stairs which allow you to look down onto the water.

After a few hours enjoying ourselves in the quarry we headed for the obligatory brunch and a refuel as we were so thirsty after being in the hot sun.  On our way into Kiama we were treated  to a display of sunflowers in a local garden. Megan's sharp eyes had seen them on our entrance into the township so they were well worth a stop. The wind interfered with our attempts to catch some really sharp shots but we at least have a digital memento from the day.

On the way home we made a detour via Cathedral Rocks as a type of recon trip for a future visit.  While speaking with a local, Carolyn discovered  there was an accessible walk to the top of the headland along Cliff Drive. It gave us some magnificent views down onto the Cathedral Rocks area and provided a number of new POVs to explore. 

 A few photographers have used the cave at the Rocks to frame sunrise shots however the exact location had proven to be elusive. We knew nothing other than the fact that it was only accessible at low tide so we were really excited to see it so clearly from our high vantage point.

 Its a wonderful view from up on the headland and has provided us not only with enjoyment on the day, but some ideas for future sunrise and sunset locations.

My only regret was missing out on the opportunity to capture an enormous sun filtered by cloud patterns as we were in the wrong place at the wrong time and Nature has her set timetable .