Catherine Hill Bay

This former mining community on the coast north of Sydney is being threatened by large-scale, unsympathetic development as a result of the mine closing and the owners planning to sell off their prime headland property. We went to see it while it is still untouched.
The cloudy, rainy day hadn't daunted half a dozen surfers in wetsuits on the beach beneath the old pier.

Out at sea, under a stormy sky, freighters rode along the horizon awaiting a berth at the nearby port of Newcastle. It was in this vicinity last year that storms forced one freighter onto a beach where it lay stranded for a couple of weeks, making worldwide pictorial news.

Michael took advantage of a clear spell to do a quick sketch looking along the beach towards the pier.

I strolled along the edge of the beach, where this lovely old sign caught my eye.

And this wattle, just bursting into bloom.