“Burwood Beach” was taken back in August 2005, atop of Burwood Cliffs, in Merewether, Newcastle.
Newcastle has the most beautiful beaches and relaxed lifestyle, something that is becoming obvious to a lot of Sydney siders as we see droves of them coming up here either to relocate or just visit the Hunter Valley and Pokolbin for a weekend getaway.
“The Newcastle Ocean Baths” were first opened to the public in 1922. They are located along The Esplanade, which winds it’s way around Newcastle’s city beaches. The large circular pool you see is the babies pool, which features a map of the world under all that sand.
This series of shots of The Bogey Hole was taken in April this year. As a child I used to come swimming here with my brothers… although I was never brave enough to hang onto the metal rope when the waves came crashing down on us.
The Bogey Hole was constructed by order of Commandant Morisset in about 1820 for his own personal use. There is no exact date for the commencement of construction nor is there a record of how long it took. Morisset was Commandant of Newcastle from 1819 to 1822. It was known, originally as the “Commandant’s Baths”. The name “Bogey Hole” was applied afterwards and comes from the indigenous word meaning “to bathe”.
The Newcastle Breakwall is one of the cities major landmarks and as a child my parents used to take us into town and let us walk along the breakwall… Today the big cement blocks are mostly gone and it has been tidied up, but it has an interesting past… This shot was taken last October, 2005.
Nobbys is the enduring landmark of Newcastle. First described by Captain Cook in May 1770 as “a small clump of an island” it has evolved into a symbol recognisable to all in the Hunter.
Nobbys remained an island until work was completed on the breakwater in 1846. At that time the breakwater only extended as far as Nobbys and was known as Macquarie Pier. The breakwater had a troublesome history. Construction commenced in 1818 largely with convict labour however the ballooning cost of the project caused frequent disruptions and work would often stop leaving the partially completed structure at the mercy of the sea. The original constructions were fairly poor and the breakwall was frequently breached by heavy seas. The breakwater did make the entrance to the harbour safer (slightly) and by funneling the water out through one entrance the continual problems of siltation were alleviated
