West Coast Days

I want to share with you the following series of 17 photographs. They aren't garden photos but do focus on the natural world.

They were taken at Christies Beach, Port Noarlunga and O'Sullivan's Beach in outer-south Adelaide.

'West Coast' is a misnomer. In South Australia the West Coast = western half of Eyre Peninsula and land around the Great Australian Bight. This is certainly what the Bureau of Meteorology's Forecast Area 11 looks like.

In surfing terms the Christies & Noarlunga area is known as the Mid Coast. That seems about right. A slice of '70s cream-brick mid-Australia, with mid-strength surf & pace of life.

Regardless of name, with these photos I wanted to capture the essence of 'Australian Mediterranean' stripped of cliché, brand and tourism – the warm, dry, sparse air with whiffs of seafood; the vivid blue sky; the yucca & agave plants; sand everywhere; time stretching out.

The photos date from December 2002 (yes). I'd almost call them 'vintage'. They are in digital terms. I took them with a first-wave digital camera. It was the first year I remember them coming into widespread use. I won't say what I paid for mine. Let's just say I took a 12-month payment plan – that's what you did in 2002 to get 3.9 megapixels.

I selected the 17 shots from a batch of 150. They've had a slight crop or two but nothing more. Consider viewing while listening to late-’60s Beach Boys (Pet Sounds, Friends, 20/20 etc) or Brian Wilson’s Smile. Full individual photos are on my Instagram page.

I dedicate the images to my late wife Marlies. She is from Christies Beach (at least as a migrant). Her parents lived there. In December 2002 she was looking after our six-month-old son, so didn't have much time, energy or opportunity to work on photos. Thank you for everything Marlies.