Tim Ritchie

Clear pristine beaches are great, but I really appreciate the intermingling of rock formations and sand on the south coast of New South Wales. At low tide, I noodle through the little pools of pleasure and watch the darting shadows of tiny fish.

I can’t take a photo of me doing the float, but 10’ after this shot, I got into the Tuross River up to the right and ride the current down to Tuross Head off to the left. Passing over large stingrays and schools of small fish was fun. The serenity of nature is great.

There are four distinct non-interbreeding types of Blue Bottles. They are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. This guy arrived with an easterly wind on the beach at Mystery Bay, his pneumatophore was at least 15cm long.

Sunrise hits the top of the gums next to my driveway as I wait in the shadows. A lovely warm morning ahead of a glorious south coast day. Off to the Narooma Rotary market this morning and a swim at Mystery Bay this afternoon.

Winds are said to increase as will cloud, maybe even a thunderstorm later. I’m working hard on breathing in the negative ions while watching the constant movement of the waves.

Glasshouse Rock in the distance on a warming day. The clouds on the horizon will burn off ahead of possible storms tonight. The south coast of New South Wales keeps you on your toes.

I’m on Walbunga / Yuin country and this body of water is the Wagonga Inlet. Wagonga means “stinging nettles grow”, and I wore gloves when I rid my front yard of some.

The Sapphire Coast isn’t named after an aspiration. It’s like a different ocean sits on the south coast of New South Wales.

A tinny sleeps on the shore of the Wagonga Inlet. The weather has improved for me, but the locals like the rain more than these clear days after a long dry spell.

The sunrise making the rocks at 1080 Beach glow, it warms both my skin and heart. More south coast of New South Wales serenity. A little cool, but a clear day.

We don’t seem to have Noisy Miners around here, but the Rainbow Lorikeets are just as bossy. They move on the bigger King Parrots when I leave seed on fence posts for them.

I did geology for my final years of high school, and the south coast of New South Wales lets me show off my rock skills, so if you want get rather bored, you could stroll with me.

On a grey, cool day, I thought I’d give you a wave. Not an ocean wave, but a seal or two wave.

I think I’ll stop looking at my weather app. Last night it said a cool day and cloud cover all day for my part of the world, but the Sapphire Coast delivered a stunning (correctly forecast), cool, clear sunrise.

Poole’s Beach is longer than what is shown on a map. At low tide, it takes 40’ to walk the length of rocky outcrops interspersed with sandy stretches. Yesterday afternoon I was walking the length and spotted the rainy change coming up the coast. It was over Bermagui at this point.

The bad weather forecast hasn’t made it to the south coast of New South Wales yet. Just me and another empty beach with lovely clouds.

The days ahead are forecast to be drab, so I made sure to get up early this morning to catch a Mystery Bay sunrise. And I highly recommend you search out why the mystery is in the name.

Today is a bit bland, warm, but a grey blanket of cloud. Yesterday arvo I went for a lovely stroll on Bullengella Beach, then up on the southern headland did some whale watching. Lots of action as evidently a bit of a breeze makes them playful. Life on the far south coast of NSW.

My lawn needs a mow, but the grass seeds have attracted a Crimson Rosella.

I wandered down my driveway to get a feel for the day. Looking through the tall gums, the warmth of the sun is just a hint, but a clear day is on the cards here on the Sapphire Coast on the New South Wales far south coast.

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In the hinterland behind Tilba, on the dirt roads, time seems different. It’s a cool day, clouds about, but no rain. Another calm day on the far south coast of New South Wales.

Loader Beach on the NSW Sapphire Coast is rather long, and I’m the only person here on a cooler blowy day.

I hope my shots of the far south coast of New South Wales don’t feel too samey, but there are no skyscrapers or urban back alleys here. Take this shot of the rocky end of the beach down the road from my cottage, the variables are tide, swell and clouds. The rocks don’t change.

Yesterday they said rain, and we had blue skies on the far south coast of New South Wales. They forecast a clear morning for today, and this is what I got. Three colours blue.

If you know you know, for those that don’t, this run of pines in front Gulaga (Mount Dromedary) and the blue of the inlet says Narooma on the far south coast of New South Wales.

A cool change and grey days doesn’t stop this pair of king parrots hanging out on my side fence (I do add some native bird seeds to the posts 😉).

A warm sunny day is great, but the chance of something to compare it to makes those days even better. This is a cool, cloudy day 5.5 hours south of Sydney (and yes, there is solitude).

The corner of my backyard and the bush behind. No chooks in the run, too many foxes. Today we’re looking at 30C, but rain for Friday and Saturday, so hopefully a dip this afternoon after some gardening. That’s my far south coast of NSW report for today.

A pelican on the prowl. Far south coast of New South Wales.

The sun sets at Mystery Bay, far South Coast of NSW. Another day dealing with moving boxes and polystyrene recycling and filling in the gaps in the pantry before wetting my feet.

After our big move, we had to go to the Brou Tip and recycling centre. Cardboard boxes, polystyrene and soft plastics all to be recycled. And that allowed us to find another new (to us) beach. Brou Beach on a gloomy day.

Even on a drab day, the far south coast of NSW has that paradise feel. We were the only ones on 1080 Beach, it was named after the fox bait used here to rid the area of those marsupial eaters.

It’s a little grey this morning on the south coast of NSW, so no dawn wonder. This national park view is 20m from my driveway. Still dealing with moving boxes. Off to a local festival in a little while.

Day two of the move 5.5 hours south of Sydney. The house is a box “bomb shell” at the moment, but looking over my side fence is pretty nice. The beach is off to the left, and we’re here to mid December, so plenty of time to warm up for swimming.

Day one of two for a far south coast move. Three months in paradise then back for Christmas. This one of three rooms full of stuff to go. We’ll be setting up our coastal cottage for our holidays and as a holiday let for trusted folk.

This inviting structure is a pedestrian and cycle overpass that connects Woolloomooloo to The Domain and the Art Gallery of NSW. Another Sydney attraction.

They say shower or two, Sydney’s Double Bay says glorious sunrise.

There’s not too much of colonial Sydney left, and the communities that lived here in public housing have been cast asunder. But it is still wonderful to wander about, especially in the wee hours when I can have it all to myself. These cottages and stable door are on Argyle Place in The Rocks.

This is where most of the fleet for the Sydney to Hobart yacht race moor before the great event. Rushcutters Bay at sunrise was a little brisk this morning, but by early afternoon it will be a stinker.

I usually go for a serene Sydney dawn shot, but today, Circular Quay offered me a headache of city lines. Luckily, it was rather cool this morning to keep my head at ease.

Woolloomooloo Bay Finger Wharf at sunrise.

Most Sydney beaches get an early morning rake to smarten up and remove rubbish. This is Coogee Beach on a ‘too cool’ early morning just after it’s had its regular comb over.

Australia has more than 100 ocean pools, they get the water refreshed by the tides. NSW has the most, and they are mostly free, but not this one. Sydney’s Bondi Icebergs on a chilly spring morning when the first rays of sunrise colour the breaking waves.

The footbridge that connects the two sides of Sydney’s Moore Park and passes over ANZAC Parade fascinates me. Not the fact that it cost $38m, not the fact that no one uses it, not the fact they built another 100m down the road… but the lighting is lovely, especially when you move your camera.

A 25” exposure has the boats on Sydney’s Rose Bay blurred.

Named Parsley Bay after profusion of native sea parsley that grew around the bay. The scurvy ridden First Fleeters dined al fresco on this plant that looks like parsley and tastes like a vibrant cross between Italian flat-leaf parsley and fresh celery, backed by a distinct salty, peppery punch.

James Street in Sydney’s Redfern feels a bit edgy in the hours I’m about. The rats leave me alone, it’s rare to see anyone, but the tension is there.

I’m in a dunny lane in Sydney’s Newtown, and it’s a study in green. Not the envious type, but the green emitted from a mercury-vapour lamp. The green gets stronger the older the lamp is.

I’m under fine clouds and stars at the northern end of Sydney’s Gordon’s Bay, the lights on the right are from the southern end of Coogee Beach. What you can’t see is the 620m chain guided path for trainee scuba divers that traverses the bottom of the bay.