We miscalculated the tide.
Balnarring Beach, which we had imagined brimful and reflective, met us instead in retreat, the sea drawn back into itself, exposing long bands of wet sand and the quiet ribs of the shore. The pylons we came to photograph at high tide stood more naked than expected, their purpose momentarily suspended between water and air.
In the distance is Joel. As always, he has rushed ahead, pulled forward by instinct or impatience, it is hard to say. Seen from afar, his figure becomes a measure rather than a subject, offering scale to the frame and reminding the eye how wide this coast really is. Against the vastness of the beach, a single human presence sharpens the sense of space and time.
Balnarring Beach has long been shaped by such rhythms of advance and withdrawal. For thousands of years, the Bunurong people knew this shoreline intimately, reading tides, winds, and seasons as living knowledge rather than variables to be checked. Later, European settlers arrived along Western Port’s fringes, drawn by fishing, grazing, and the promise of a gentler bay. The weathered pylons and scattered maritime remnants along this coast speak quietly of those eras: utilitarian structures built to serve trade, boats, and labour, now repurposed by photographers and walkers as anchors for memory.
Low tide reveals what is usually hidden. It flattens the drama but deepens the story, exposing textures, scars, and distances that high water conceals. Standing there, camera in hand, with Joel already ahead and the sea momentarily absent, the scene becomes less about the image we planned and more about the place asserting itself—patient, indifferent, and enduring, waiting for the tide to return.
Sony A7RV
FE 20-70mm f4 G
Linking Water H2O Thursday
The patterns in wind blown sand are endlessly fascinating.
ReplyDeleteThe sand does look striking when we visited
DeleteI love low tide and its exposure of all the bones beneath the water. Beautiful photo and lovely narrative.
ReplyDeleteA day of nature therapy
Delete...Mother Nature sculpted the sand.
ReplyDeleteLove the scenery
DeleteI like that :-D
ReplyDeleteNot much water in the image lol
DeleteWith Joel adding perspective, I can really get a sense of how enormous this is. The water itself is gorgeous as well.
ReplyDeleteIt smelt seaweed
DeleteTota l'ànima del mar al descobert per una estona.
ReplyDeleteSalutacions.
Rather bizarre wind
DeleteLooks like a lovely beach for a walk. Take care, enjoy your day and the week ahead.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful beach
ReplyDeleteI think id nice for Joel to provide you with a sense of scale. 😊
ReplyDeleteI like the patterns and shapes in the sand.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
I love the formations in the sand. And Joel in the distance gives a real sense of scale.
ReplyDeleteThe low tide makes the water look much less threatening.
ReplyDeleteParece un paisaje lunar.
ReplyDeleteAbrazo
Still, there is much there to see.
ReplyDeleteInteresting pattern in that low tide, nice shot.
ReplyDeleteAun así la foto el resultado es una bella imagen.
ReplyDeleteSaludos.
Nature has its own schedule.
ReplyDeleteJoel's image provides a revealing scale to this sculptured shore. I always worry about tidal waves when the tide gets unusually low. Some of my earliest dreams were tidal wave nightmares when I was a small child.
ReplyDelete