Some months back I created a painting of The Wreck, a popular landmark in Byron Bay. The idea for the painting came whilst walking the beach after massive storms and an unusually low tide. It was a beautiful experience, a calm overcast day with an unusual color in the sky. The boiler is the main feature of The Wreck, it protrudes out of the ocean in a powerful way and is covered with rust and crustaceans. The waves were breaking and swirling over the boiler creating magnificent clouds of spray and movement. Julian Rocks proudly standing in the background creating a visual feast!
The exposed boiler provides a physical link to the past. The Wreck was once SS Wollongbar - one of the fastest ships in Australian waters carrying up to 300 passengers and cargo. SS Wollongbar came to a grinding halt on the 14th May 1921. The ship was berthed at the Byron Bay jetty loaded with produce bound for Sydney. An easterly gale created hazardous conditions however the captain decided to release the vessel in an attempt to get her out to sea. The ship became stranded on a sand bank 500 metres west of the jetty resulting in the loss of a propeller. The anchor failed to hold the ship and it was blown inshore and received considerable hull damage making it impossible to re-float. The ninety crew were rescued and eventually the vessel was sold at auction and completely dismantled.
This short video was inspired by the many people who have talked about growing up in the Byron Shire and how The Wreck was a big part of their childhoods e.g. surfing, walking, snorkeling and sun baking around this great Byron icon. So many thoughts came to my mind on how to interpret The Wreck through video. I decided to film at roughly the same time of the day I had my original experience. I soon learnt that The Wreck offers many magical moments and if your patient the rewards come. I discovered energetic, risk taking teenagers diving from the boiler and groups of chilled out surfers patiently waiting for the next big waves.
One of the many wonderful aspects of living in Byron Bay is observing the majestic art of Surfing ! Very rarely is the connection between a human being and the power and beauty of nature better illustrated than when a surfer is riding a wave. We see many images of champion surfers taming huge waves or buried deep in a barrel. However one of the wonderful things of living in Byron Bay is watching surfers who are just beginners through differing skill levels to accomplished surfers.
Recently I was walking along Clarkes Beach on a particularly overcast afternoon when I observed a surfer doing everything in his power to stay balanced on a long breaking wave - he reminded me of a tightrope walker in high wind ! Watching this surfer moving around his board adopting different positions through a series of nimble steps, arm movements and body arches I suddenly realised it was like dancing on water !
Recently my partner and I went for a walk up to the Byron Bay Lighthouse. It was a particularly calm afternoon and as we walked from the Lighthouse down to Clarkes Beach the sky was changing from a bright blue to soft orange and purple hues as the evening approached. Nature was really on showcase here and it seemed that the stillness and the calm ocean were having an affect on everyone around me. Many just sat on the sand to watch the sunset while others walked to the ambient feel that nature had created. Across the bay the magnificent Mount Warning was silhouetted against the orange sky while the sun was disappearing over the mountains. A temporary lagoon created a mirroring effect and the characters that walked on the long strip of sand between the lagoon and ocean added to the feeling of being connected to Mother Earth.Visit online art gallery
A few weeks ago I walked to 'The Pass', a corner of beach paradise in Byron Bay to enjoy an evening sunset. I love interpreting 'The Pass ' in paintings, with all its changing moods and vibrant colours. It was also the perfect time of the year to capture some video footage of this majestic place. To spend time here is an invigorating and often meditative experience. Recently my friend’s Cliff and Catherine were on holidays from Singapore and had a magical experience swimming at 'The Pass'. They described it as 'swimming in an ocean of bliss on a warm summer night'.
I was lucky to be able to capture footage of 'The Pass' one evening when there was only a few people and the most committed surfers catching waves that rolled into the evening sunset. Looking through the eye of the video camera I was transported by the constantly changing light and ambience of this place. Nothing was still , so much movement and rhythm all rolling into each other. A seagull dancing on the pristine sand, lovers strolling along the edge of the water, dolphins playing in the golden light, surfers of all ages and experiences waiting for that perfect wave as evening falls. One guy was especially good on his ocean kayak catching waves that seem to roll on forever.
The viewing platform is called 'Fisherman's Lookout' and is loved by locals and visitors alike for its sweeping views of the bay, its rustic rock structure, and unusual bushes and trees whose branches stretch out to the sky creating a unique visual element.
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