Fingal Bay

16 May 2021 // Port Stephens NSW

Cold water - FRESH AIR

At 3am, the alarm sang loudly in our country home. After a 2 hour drive we would arrive at the base of Mount Tomaree, a well known hike in the Port Stephens area. An extra large coffee on the drive kept us buzzing for a sunrise over the ocean, 89.4 metres above sea level; only to find upon our arrival that the hiking trail was closed for maintenance,

The sun was quickly rising and rather than waste the morning, we drove further around the coast from Mount Tomaree in Shoal Bay, to her stunning sister-beach, Fingal Bay.

The air was fresh, far too cold for my wife who sat perched upon the rocks with a thick blanket wrapped around her. The sunrise wasn’t the magnificent show of pinks, purples and oranges that we were expecting. Instead, it started moody, the sunshine teasing through thick clouds on the horizon. The sun rose at 6:00am but by 6:30am she was throwing stunning shades of honey through the sky as though she was thanking us for waiting for the show to begin. It mornings like this, as a photographer that are the most exciting. I was picturing the morning taking photos of a sunrise from a mountain top but instead found myself being kissed by the ocean on the rocky shoreline and still created something beautiful.

I was over the moon when I found out we would be back to celebrate 10 years of my family’s riding centre, the date landed on Easter Monday and what a day it turned out to be. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, in fact it felt much more like a typical Australian Spring morning. The birds sang with excitement and joy, as all the staff and volunteers geared up for an action packed day.

It started at middy and within 30 mins the over flow car park was in full swing and every front seat was taken! We had the enjoyment of Show Jumping, Musical Rides, Horse Races and Parades, and all of this was followed by a tour of the stable yard. It was a brilliantly fun day and a huge success, with over 500 people through the gates. 10 years and KEC has developed into something more than your normal riding stable, it’s a community, a family of happy horses and happy people, a perfect harmony and you see it on the faces of the staff / clients and all those cute furry animals. It’s a credit to you all and I was delighted to be a part of it.