Life's a Beach !

Where   : Nobby's Beach, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
When    : 1-35 pm, Monday, 25th June 2007
Weapon : Sony Cybershot P72

I am away at the moment, down in Wagga Wagga - to pick up my daughter from Charles Sturt University and bring her home for Christmas.  Great - I get 5 hours with her in the Honda - time for a long chat.  Dad and Favourite Daughter - I only have one. 

Wagga is 500 Kilometres from Sydney and this is too far for me to drive there and back in one day.  So, I am in my usual motel, where the wireless internet is not too foul, so I have been looking at some older photographs.  This one made me smile.

SWMBO {She Who Must Be Obeyed}, yes that's her, mother of fave, rave daughter, is wondering why the Captain of the Pasha Bulker ignored the red "NO STOPPING" sign.

Very strange, as the Captain seemed to understand the sign on top of the post, "PARK ONLY IN THE BAYS", plonking his vessel in this nice bay at Nobby's Beach, well right on the beach actually, well 100 metres up the beach to be honest, high and dry.

This bulk coal carrier ran aground in June and was right up on the sand at the bow and on a rock reef under the stern. Mind you, horrendous seas and gale force winds didn't help - but if he had stood further out to sea as he was advised to do by the Australian Meteorological Bureau and Coastguard, this would not have happened.  Some very skilled, very brave and highly organised salvage experts boarded the ship after the crew had been winched and helicoptered off and they dragged her out and floated her on a high tide a few days later, fortunately.

Ah well, he will just have to pay a rather hefty parking fine and pay the tow-away fee - two ocean going tugs and all the divers who had to check out the hull, plus all of the other costs including the very hefty payment to the salvage company and the Port of Newcastle.  He won't do it again.