You'll never guess where I am..

[iceman (Mike)]

In the middle of the sand dunes up at Anna Bay at the end of Stockton Beach, taking star trail images

I'm hearing 4WD's cruising by, hearing the shutter on my camera every minute, and enjoying hearing the sounds of the crashing waves on Birubi Beach just a few hundred metres away.

I'm also sitting here with my laptop with a half full battery, NextG wireless modem and cruising IceInSpace catching up on the hundreds of posts i've missed since I've been gone.

My family and I are here on a camping trip and having a great time.. lots of relaxing in the pool, on the beach, back at the pool, back to the beach.. a bit of sandboarding today and hopefully a visit to Tin City or maybe the wreck of the Sygna in the next few days.

I charged one of the batteries for my 350D today but not the other one, and found it was almost flat as soon as I turned the camera on. Anyway switched to the charged battery and will hopefully get an hours worth of exposures before this one runs short. It's a fairly warm night so it shouldn't drain too quickly.

It's a lovely spot up here.. I think we'll definitely come back again next year. Tonights sunset was just beautiful with the lovely crescent moon.

When i'm not staring at the laptop screen and ruining my night vision, the view of Orion and the Pleiades in the North, and Crux and Eta rising is just beautiful out here in the middle of nowhere but so close to civilisation.

Anyway i'll be back online more regularly early inthe new year but had to take this opportunity to check in and say g'day.

Hope everyone had a great xmas and is planning safe and fun new years eve celebrations!

[GeoffW1 (Geoff)]

Anna Bay, good for a few abalone, if you feel like a snorkel. There is a little protected spot just up from where the beach ends, a small drop-off and they are under the rockshelf.

Cheers

[h0ughy (David)]

hows the mozzies Mike? Lucky person you!! i am off in 5 hours..... enjoy your week and i hope the star trails are brilliant Mike. happy new year mate!!

[wasyoungonce (Brendan)]

Ahhh Anna Bay..knew it well...is the nudie beach still there

I was at Williamtown for 10 years, lived at Tanilba bay.

Used to rent the old "Tanilba House" with a few other RAAFies...veritable "lords of the manor" we were.

Edit:
oooops the nudie beach was at Fingal bay!

[Octane (Humayun)]

Mike,

I love that place!

Hope the star trails turn out for you. I've tried a couple of times over the last two months at the Pony Club. Epic fails both times thanks to the disgusting weather.

Enjoy your break, dude.

Regards,
Humayun

[WadeH (Wade)]

Just one question, wheres Stockton Beach?

Sounds like you and your family are having a great time. Have a great New Years Eve.

[Rick Petrie]

Stockton Beach is the long beach that runs from Stockton just on the northern side of the Hunter River at Newcastle all the way north to Birubi Beach at Anna Bay in the Port Stevens area. Used to sail at Port Stevens and surfed at Birubi and can relate to everything you have said Mike.
Gday Mike and family. Sounds like your having a ball up there. Enjoy and happy New Year to all. Cheers.

[vindictive666 (John)]

good for you Mike


regards john

[33South (Chris)]

Dont know the place but sounds great - Happy Trails

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

G'Day Mike - happy New Year!

As a keen 4WD'er I know Stockton very well. It's the largest area of shifting sand anywhere near Sydney, and the grain is partiularly fine. It's said that if you can drive Stockton dunes after the sun has heated them for a few days and the sand is perfectly dry - then you can drive any sand, anywhere.

I haven't been there for a couple of years now, but used to conduct 4WD trips there quite often. Before anyone goes off at 4WD'ing at Stockton, it's a great place to go because it regenerates itself constantly. There is no vegetation at all in or around the dunes - just on the western (land) side and along the beach itself.

How are you getting around Mike? It's pretty tough in a soft-roader (read: impossible on the dunes but OK along the beach - maybe) so you must be in a reasonable fourby...

[leon]

Well some people have a good life, don't they, enjoy.

Leon

[Ric]

Have a great holiday and New Years Mike.

It sounds like a lovely area your in.

Looking forward to seeing the star trails as well.

Cheers

[Jen]

is green wif envy hope you enjoy ya holidays Mike and bring us back some awsome shots cheers

[iceman (Mike)]

Thanks guys, it was a great holiday. Got back this arvo, still haven't completely unpacked everything but i'm getting close.

Chris, we don't own a 4WD or do any 4WD'ing - I just parked in the carpark at Birubi Beach and walked into the dunes.

We did go on a 4WD trip to do some sandboarding on the dunes but didn't get time to make it to Tin City or the Sygna shipwreck. That'll have to wait. It was 35deg the day we were going to go there!

I've transferred all the photos to my computer but haven't gone through any yet.. will try and get through them in the next few days.

Camping is a funny old thing.. we got a bit of all types of weather, including a very gusty southerly last night that kept us up for 3 hours in the middle of the night thanks to the tarp blowing up and down on the tent..

Anyway glad to be home!

[Ian Robinson]

Been a while since I've taken the pajero up along Stocton Beach, it's a magic place in the dune field and near the Sygma Wreck at first light.

Plenty of mozzies there at this time of the year too , especially at dusk and dawn. Pretty much the mossie capital of NSW I reckon and those Hexam Greys really pack a sting if you get clobbered by one of them. Especially a couple weeks after rain or king tide.

Most convenient entry point for me has always been one of the unofficial entry points (like near the south side of the Metal Hospital or in near the old rifle range - a km or so south of the roundabout at the entry to new beachside estate just north of Fullerton Cove).

The officially allowed entry points were all too far north for me and too much bother to use.

[koputai (Jason)]

If I knew you were there Mike I would have waved as we sailed past on New Years Day. We sailed up from Pittwater a few days before, and spent New Years Eve in Newcastle harbour. Newcastle has boomed since I was there last, about 18 years ago!
As we sailed along Stockton Beach, I was amazed by the number of 4wd's on the beach, it was like a highway, continuous traffic, not really "getting away from it all"!!

Cheers,
Jason.