Wild Water

Kim & I had a well deserved getaway last week. We popped down on a Sunday to Manly on Sydneys northern beaches area for a look around for a few days. Kim had found a very nice 1 room apartment for a very nice price online and we decided to head off. The apartment was perfectly situated only a 2 minute walk from the Manly Shopping Mall and the pubs & restaurants!

Manly is such a lovely area! Although it is famous for its beach, it was very crowded. Unlike Newcastle where you can get beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see and sometimes there is not another soul to be seen. I guess that it what happens to beaches located in a highly populated city!

We were expecting some mild weather for our visit; not too cold, not too hot. However....... A weather change blew in just after we arrived and the temperature dropped considerably. The gale force winds didn't make it any more pleasant either, and the chilly winds just blew straight through us! We did have a bit of rain but mostly it was overcast and very windy.

One thing about the weather though, it brought huge ocean swells to the coast and that meant for some spectacular surf and really big waves. It was just phenomenal to see these huge waves come crashing in on the shore and, as you will see, made for some fantastic photos.

On the Monday we drove north just to browse the suburbs, the beaches and anything else that caught our eye. Through the suburbs of Dee Why, Freshwater, Curl Curl and up to Narrabeen and Mona Vale. During a Google Maps recon, I noted there was a couple of ocean baths and we popped in to get some photos. The ocean swell at Freshwater Pool was fantastic as the big waves came in and tried to squeeze into the smaller bay. The wind was gusting high and was bloody cold! Irrespective, we braved the elements to walk down the stairs to the pool and got some amazing photos. Another thing we learned that day was that, in the city; doesn't matter where you go, you have to pay for your parking. At each car park along the coast it cost us $5 for only 40 minutes. I pay that in Newcastle for all day parking at work (if I can't snag a freebie!).

Moving north from there we popped into North Curl Curl Rock Pool. This is a lovely spot with a short bushwalk from the Surf Life Saving Club out onto the headland. There is a walk around the headland to a place called Coles Ledge but the waves were too big to try and negotiate the rocks on this particular day. We went a short way off the beaten track to get some photos of the rock pool from higher up. It was a real buzz to see the giant waves here smashing against the rocks and resultant spray rising higher than the headland itself!

I love it when the wind whips the top off the waves as they curl over to break. It reminds me of a herd of stampeding horses; their manes tossing and front legs extended into the run!

From there we just basically decided to tour the area and stay in the car; getting a feel for the location, checking out the real estate (big $$$$ in this area!) and just seeing what there was to see. The wind gusts were getting stronger and the wind chill factor made for a really cold day; even the locals could not believe how cold it was for the time of year.

I'm currently editing more photos of our little escape so keep checking back!

Jordy

The photos on this page and corresponding Google pages are

© Life with Jordy Photography and may not be used without permission

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Movement in Waves - North Curl Curl Rock Pool.

Wild Surf - Freshwater Pool, Freshwater.

Pounding Surf - Freshwater Beach, Freshwater.

Freshwater Pool, Freshwater.

Surfs Up! - Dee Why Head, North Curl Curl.

Rough Water - Dee Why Head, North Curl Curl.

Pool's Closed! - Dee Why Head, North Curl Curl.