What Happened To Summer?

What happened to summer?

When I was a kid growing up in one of the sprawling suburbs on Australia's east coast, our summer started for us kids on the Labor Day Long Weekend which is celebrated on the first weekend in October and from that weekend on it was Stubbies (a popular kind of shorts), thongs (double pluggers), surf, sand, sunburn, Beach Boys tunes and girls. This Australian rite of  passage  usually continued right up until Easter Long Weekend. Yes, those were the lazy halcyon days of my youth.

What happened to summer?

Last year we had a late start to summer with the warmer weather not really kicking in till the week before Christmas and playing out until late April. Once again this year we have had a late to our summer, with the warmer weather waiting until New Years to bless us. Even then it has been a patchy start to 2012, with a few hot days in between the dominant  southerly air stream, that have bought patchy showers and cooler temperatures. To emphasise the point, December 2011 was the coldest recorded in 50 years with an average mean temperature of just 19.9º and with only an average 6.7 hours per day, down from the usual  7.9 hours, which added to the gloom.  

What happened to summer?


But it is not all doom and gloom, I don't think I have ever seen my garden looking so lush and verdant at this time of year ... ever! Usually by January the gardens are really struggling, as the moisture evaporates with hand watering and heavy mulching the only way that the avid gardener can keep his garden from desiccating before their eyes. However, not this summer, the whole garden is alve with new growth, especicially the  frangipanis which are producing flowers en masse, the like I have never seen before.


What happened to summer?


Although my garden is in picture perfect condition, a wet summer has its drawbacks as well, like the vines in the Pokolbin vineyards area not setting the fruit, which could lead to a smaller crop and a poorer vintage this season. Another drawback  is the lack of beach days, where I get to spend lazy days reading good books and soaking up the sun on some of Australia best suburban beaches and worrying about how to keep my camera free of sand. But not this summer, beach days have been a rare event and movies have been the preferred weekend outing.  


What happened to summer?


So what happened to summer, I don't know, perhaps next year we'll get one .... and then we can complain about the drought, bushfires, water restrictions and a brown lawn.

When it's a ton in the sun, working ain't much fun

"Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; 

to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language"

It is quite apparent that Henry James, who is attributed to the above quote and one of the leading lights in19th century literary realism, never spent any of his summers in the Pokolbin vineyards during an Australian summer. I'm sure if he had, I bet he would not be so bloody fond of summer afternoons!

Once again I was tasked to work in what is generally a fairly good working outdoor environment, plenty of exercise, excellent photographic location and just a pleasant way to spend a working day. However, the first week of February this year saw the area gripped in an oxygen sapping heatwave with a high of around 47° Celcius (116.6° Fahrenheit) and low of 42°Celcius (107.6° Fahrenheit)   and just to add to the unpleasantness it was accompanied by a hot dry wind. Although the cab of the truck is air conditioned, the temperature in the cab remained at a blistering 37° Celcius and provided very little relief from the outside heat.

Everywhere you looked the landscape was listless, like it was conserving energy until a cooler change moved into the area to provide some relief, however that relief never came and by the end of the week the area surrounding vineyards was in heat distress, no rain came. Given the conditions, what I was trying to capture with the Sanyo S1275, were the fumes that are released by the native eucalypt trees and give the Australian bush that unique blue/purple haze. It is ironic that this beauty also provides the bush a highly flammable fuel during extreme bushfire conditions as the super heated fumes explode in the crown of the trees and is one of the reasons Australian bushfires are so destructive.

The hot, dry weather did provide the vignerons the opportunity to continue the fruit picking without being knee deep in glutinous red clay and remove the last of the grapes for harvest, hoping that it will make the 2011 Hunter vintage one of the best on record. 


While the weather was generally regarded as a boost for the harvest, the sweltering unrelenting heat must have effected tourist numbers, as visitors stayed closer to the coast to take advantage of the cooler weather and the perfect swimming conditions. And who could blame them! No such options for us tasked to work in those searing conditions, the fruit pickers still were out in the vines (albeit finished by midday), roadwork gangs were still out repairing roads, delivery drivers were still out on their rounds and of course there was Australia Post, picking up the wine, making sure it arrived secure and delivered on time, both for domestic and international consumption.


"It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the drivers and vehicles that stand along the road, each vehicle and driver at the interval of a day’s journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat (even if its 47°) nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed."  apologies to Herodotus, Herodotus, trans. A.D. Godley, vol. 4, book 8, verse 98, pp. 96–97 (1924).

So when the temperature hits a ton, working in the sun ain't much fun ... believe me!              

Australia Day The Newcastle Way

Australia Day is so big in Newcastle these days is that they have to hold it over two days ... unfortunately we still only get one day off!

This Australia Day the Newcastle City Council decided to combine our national holiday with our annual Maritime Festival, which in some ways is a great idea, like having heaps more activities around the harbour, however it does rob us of another weekend festival on our wonderful harbour later during the year! 


So starting on Australia Day Eve, the harbour came alive as all types of water craft assembled on the harbour, from  the Police vessel 'Intrepid' right through to riders on stand up paddle boards to participate in the 'Harbour Lights Boat Parade'. Then at 9pm the sky erupted as a spectacular fireworks display from Dyke Point showered Newcastle with an awesome light display. One of the local cruise operators decided to offer a supper cruise for less than $100 to those who wanted to take advantage of the festivities but didn't want jostle with the crowds. I love harbour cruises, so I decided to spend the dollars and take part in a unique Australia Day experience on the harbour.


Australia Day itself was another picture perfect Newcastle Day and although some may contend that it was a bit on the warm side, long you kept hydrated, with plenty of sunscreen applied, there were plenty of activities to enjoy and participate in such as;


* Beach Volleyball,
* Ski Boat racing,
* Tugboat Ballet,
* Maritime Naval Salutes,
* Aerobatics,
* F/A-18 flyovers,
* Boat building competitions &
* various multi cultural stalls and displays that highlighted our unique Australian culture.


If you couldn't find something to please you in Newcastle on Australia Day, you are very hard to please.


Of course if you are planning to visit Newcastle for Australia Day next year, if possible utilise the wonderful public transport system, make sure you bring plenty of water, wear some very comfortable walking shoes and of course ... make sure you bring the most important item, your camera!      

Australia Day the Newcastle way is a unique way to celebrate everything that is great about our wonderful country ... see you next year!

When You Are Left Up In The Air

Ever have one of the lazy Sunday mornings, when all you want to do is just sit around recovering from an active Saturday night and your plans for the day are still up in the air?


Here in Newcastle when we are faced with this dilemma we can wander down to The Foreshore and the surrounds where you can guarantee that there will be some activity to take in and while away the hours. Lately Livesites has been very active in Newcastle and on Saturday 23 January was no different, with a free circus, Circus Avalon,  that featured high flying aerials on the trapeze, ring and tissue, acrobatics, juggling, hoopists.


Also, located in Foreshore Park was 'Kites Above Newcastle' where the sky was filled with all sorts of kites from the professional kites on display from the Australian Kite Flying Association to young kids just out for the day with the parents enjoying the thrill of their first kite adventure.


Of course once you have seen all the free entertainment, you can take a short stroll down to our two lovely ocean beaches (Newcastle & Nobbys), or to the wonderful ocean baths, where you can soak up the wonderful views, or go for a swim, or grab a coffee or ... oh, the list is endless and varied.  


So if you are ever left up in the air on what to do on the weekend, pack a picnic, pack a towel, pack some sunscreen and head on down to the Newcastle Foreshore where there is always something happening!

Oh, and also, most importantly ... remember to pack your camera 

Fading Into Night

One the magical things you can do on Newcastle Harbour is to organise a dinner cruise and take in a different perspective of our wonderful city.


I've been on a few of these type of cruises before, one on Lake Macquarie and a couple on Sydney Harbour, but what really sets Newcastle apart is the fact that it is a working harbour. While some may scoff at the idea of cruising a working port, Newcastle is spectacular as you wend you way along the row of ships loading/unloading all kinds of products and produce, although coal is still our main export.


Although I was aching to take the Canon 400D, once again I had to content myself with the Sanyo 1275s, as I correctly predicted that the boat would be pretty full of diners and the bulkiness of the Canon would restrict where I would be able to move around. So armed with the compact Sanyo 1275s we departed Newcastle Marina at Wickham just before sunset. The day itself wasn't a typical Newcastle summers day, which is normally warm and clear and usually tempered with a nor' easterly in the late afternoon, this day had a lot of cloud, with a light southerly, which was, initially, a bit disappointing..


But as they say, every cloud has a silver lining!


The cloud cover wasn't 100% and so as the sun sunk, the broken cloud reflected this wonderful event, changing from purple, to a spectacular golden glow, then finally to the most intense display of orange I have seen in quite some time. It was truly amazing and although I only had the little Sanyo, it picked up every colour nuance perfectly.  


As the sun slowly sunk away into the west taking its wonderful display with it, the harbour then took on a different perspective as the arc lighting begin to take effect and began reflecting off the water in shimmering hues of orange, red, silver and blue. As well as all this there were also the lights of Newcastle itself  including Christ Church Cathedral, Fort Scratchley, Nobbys, Queens  Wharf and the lights of the CBD all glittering like a thousand jewels on the shoreline.


So if you ever want to see a different side of my wonderful city, book a dinner cruise with either Moonshadow Cruises - http://www.moonshadow.com.au/ or Nova Cruises - http://www.novacruises.com.au/ and enjoy a wonderful night on our very special harbour.


Oh, and as I always say .... make sure you take your camera!  

When the bikers rule the town

Do you remember the scene in the 1970 movie 'Black Bikers From Hell' when the bikers take over the town and cause mayhem? You know the movie, it has that famous tageline "God forgives. The Black Angels don't!" Ok then, what about that immortal line "This time I'm gonna kill ya, Frenchie. You filthy, no good, egg-sucking, finger-licking, snot-picking scuzzy faced rat!"  .... still not ringing any bells?


Ok then, lets start over again, remember the 1954 movie, starring Marlon Brando,  The Wild One, where bikers take over the town and has the best biker dialogue ever on the silver screen  "What are you rebelling against?" "What have you got?" Priceless!

So with all those infamous scenes in mind I headed down to Newcastle, arming myself with my Sanyo S1275 for self defence to watch the 33rd annual Newcastle Bikers for Kids Toy Run. This is a charity event held to help with donations of toys, food and cash, through the Salvation Army, to assist those less fortunate in our Hunter Valley community.


This year proved to be another stunning success with thousands of bikes (some estimates were up to 4,000!) doing the pilgrimage from Sandgate Markets through to the Newcastle Foreshore. The streets of Newcastle were just a mass of colour, movement and noise, as the bikes came through bringing cheer to the assembled crowds. I even seen one thing that I thought I would never see, one of the visiting coal ships (Sincere Pisces) almost slowed to a halt to observe this great event and that in itself is a very rare event indeed ! While events of this type are not exclusive to Newcastle, it is a continuation of the many free community fun days that are bought into Newcastle to provide the city a weekend spectacle and more importantly, a chance to raise funds/awareness to those that are less fortunate in our community.

Part of the crowd along the Foreshore

If you are thinking of heading into town to capture some of the excitement and colour of one of these events, my advice is to go the early, know the route, visit a couple of vantage points and stake your claim, because the once the crowd moves in it is hard to jostle for a good photographic position. Also, plan a fallback position as well, just to get a different angle of the parade as it passes, even if it means climbing on a seat, or even bringing along a step ladder, anything that will help give you a different perspective and, most of all be patient.  


Once again Newcastle was the place to be on a Sunday to take in all the city has to offer and if you do  come to visit one of these wonderful events always remember to pack your camera (with fully charged batteries), perhaps even bring a picnic lunch, just  to make a day of it.

thanks for the effort guys!

"A picnic? Man, you are too square. I'm... I... I'll have to straighten you out. Now, listen, you don't go any one special place. That's cornball style. You just go.... " - Johnny Strabler 'The Wild One ' (1954)


- as long as it's Newcastle Johnny, as long as it's Newcastle!