The past week - as some may know JEDS blog has been up and down the Mid North coast, stopping at places like Newcastle, Coffs Harbour, Bangalow, Yamba and Surfers Paradise. And what I have liked is the diversity at the beach, along the coast and how we interact with it.
For instance - we all love a quiet beach where no one else is at. The serenity of it, the isolation as the breeze passes our faces as waves break along the shore. Then - by contrast, the beach where people are everywhere where it becomes a great 'people watching' exercise. A place where we can comment and feel good seeing other people. Everyone from surfers, to sun tanners, to swimmers, to children making sand castles.
The beach culture and how our Built Environment interacts with this I have found interesting on this trip too. From Sydney to Brisbane it is wide and diverse as the people that represent it. From the high rise of Surfers Paradise to the non commercial world just 60 minutes south. From the 80's style beach holiday at Yamba to the great relaxing family retreat of Coffs Harbour. The later being an easy escape for the people inland who love the bush and country side yet gaze at the greenery of the sub-tropical region.
I have been thinking about my perfect beach life. Is it Rio? Is it Newcastle beach? It is Byron Bay? Or is it Bronte in Sydney? What is it that I like most about the beach is the rhetorical question. Here I go - I like to walk to the beach, anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes gives one time to watch and see things en route. I love a beach with medium size waves where you need to swim a while to get out the back, hence not shore breakers. I love when I finish at the beach there is a place near by where can I either buy some heavily salted and vinegar chips that have been in the deep vat for an extended period of time. Then I love to sit back and watch the world go by, see people waking their dogs to people playing games like beach volleyball. Per the photo below.
Thus - I like the freedom of seeing the different towns and places along the coastline. And the ability to very easily rent a place for either a week or just a night. The next morning packing the bag saying 'goodbye' and moving on.....
Let me know what your perfect beach is - and don't feel guilty for liking the limelight and not the serenity.
For instance - we all love a quiet beach where no one else is at. The serenity of it, the isolation as the breeze passes our faces as waves break along the shore. Then - by contrast, the beach where people are everywhere where it becomes a great 'people watching' exercise. A place where we can comment and feel good seeing other people. Everyone from surfers, to sun tanners, to swimmers, to children making sand castles.
The beach culture and how our Built Environment interacts with this I have found interesting on this trip too. From Sydney to Brisbane it is wide and diverse as the people that represent it. From the high rise of Surfers Paradise to the non commercial world just 60 minutes south. From the 80's style beach holiday at Yamba to the great relaxing family retreat of Coffs Harbour. The later being an easy escape for the people inland who love the bush and country side yet gaze at the greenery of the sub-tropical region.
I have been thinking about my perfect beach life. Is it Rio? Is it Newcastle beach? It is Byron Bay? Or is it Bronte in Sydney? What is it that I like most about the beach is the rhetorical question. Here I go - I like to walk to the beach, anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes gives one time to watch and see things en route. I love a beach with medium size waves where you need to swim a while to get out the back, hence not shore breakers. I love when I finish at the beach there is a place near by where can I either buy some heavily salted and vinegar chips that have been in the deep vat for an extended period of time. Then I love to sit back and watch the world go by, see people waking their dogs to people playing games like beach volleyball. Per the photo below.
Thus - I like the freedom of seeing the different towns and places along the coastline. And the ability to very easily rent a place for either a week or just a night. The next morning packing the bag saying 'goodbye' and moving on.....
Let me know what your perfect beach is - and don't feel guilty for liking the limelight and not the serenity.
I think the perfect beach depends on your mood. Some days you want a complete Robinson Crusoe experience where you feel completely at one with nature, other times you want to get completely amongst it and, as you say, peoplewatch to your heart's content.
ReplyDeleteOne things for sure, many of those popular resort areas in Europe are atrocious, they have completely raped what was at one time a gorgeous Spanish coastline. Yet still, hundreds of thousands of Brits and Germans are willing to sit on these tainted, crowded slices of sand and rock at any cost, all in the name of 'relaxation'.
Australian's are extremely lucky to be able to have a choice of fantastic beaches, no matter where you go in the world, no country has the amount of clean, natural and unspoilt beaches than Australia.