To the lighthouse

Well, I finally made it to the famous Byron Bay lighthouse. I went for a run up there about 2 weeks ago in the middle of a torrential downpour (which was actually a rather exhilarating experience) but most of the surrounding view was obscured by rain and fog so I although it was eerie and beautiful up there that day, I couldn't get a real sense of the place (nor could I take any pictures).

So the other day, taking advantage of this rare bout of great weather, I grabbed a bike from the shop across the street with the intent of riding it up to the lighthouse to take some sunset pictures. I missed the sunset by about 5 minutes, and then realized that I had sand in my lens and it was making an ominous crunching noise every time I zoomed in and out. Perfect. I left the lighthouse in near pitch-blackness, praying all the while I didn’t hit an invisible pothole in the road on my way back. Well, that adventure clearly didn’t work out so well, but I would not be deterred and I resolved to wake up before dawn the next morning to capture some sunrise pictures. Prudently, I mentioned my plan to the guy who drives the hostel bus and he wanted to check it out as well. So he got some people together and drove us there at 5am (saving me the grueling ride to the top...thank you Dave!)

It was a lovely morning... I didn't find myself taking that many pictures of the lighthouse itself cause while it’s beautiful, it is ultimately just a lighthouse. And there was something dark and slightly foreboding about it that I saw on that rainy day that I wanted to express even though it was a beautiful sunny morning. So I focused on capturing the place as reflected in dirty panes of glass and playing with light and shadow. Here are some of the better shots of the morning.






I'm throwing this next one in here even though I don't love it just so you can see that there is indeed a lighthouse there!


I hope I’ll be able to get back over there for another sunset before I leave next week. I haven’t made any definite plans to depart as of yet, but I think I’ll be heading up the coast early next week, as there’s no point in hanging around with no job while the weather gets colder and colder. The idea is to use some of my remaining money to head up to Cairns where hopefully there will be work available. The weather will be very warm and sunny (though you never know with this insane weather pattern) and I hear there is more work available there. I’ll be so sad so leave Byron Bay…I’ve been living here for a month and it feels homey and comfortable. I’m not looking forward to living out of a bag again, but I am excited to see the Great Barrier Reef and all the national treasures up the coast, so that will be some consolation!