This photograph has been in my head a lot lately. It’s the coast road at Lennox Head in NSW from when I was there in late 2019. It’s probably living in my mind for a few reasons.

At one level it offers a glimpse of the future, almost as a visualisation exercise. My mind often thinks about my son as he grows up, from the 3 year old he is now, to becoming a teenager, and then a grown man. I imagine taking surf trips with him down the coast exploring the waves. I’m not sure that he’ll be a surfer but he’s even now he’s active and energetic and loves being outdoors in nature so I think that as he grows up by the beach, there’s a good chance he will be. I hope. But it’s okay if he’s not.

It also says freedom to me. The current pandemic situation, being largely stuck in a city without the means to really get into open spaces and natural surrounds is doing my head in a bit. There is nature around that I can get to, but I’m craving wide open spaces and we don’t really have any of those anywhere nearby. I want big sky, clean air and few people. Currently living in one of the most densely populated parts of the world is becoming too claustrophobic, and with international travel off the cards for now, my usual means of refresh aren’t possible.

There’s also a bit of “what if” to this. Back in the 90’s when I was still at uni, working at an RSL and living a stones throw from North Avalon beach, the Lennox Head area was part of my plans. This was the general place I thought I’d be living by this time. Once I started traveling earnestly in 1997, those dreams got left behind, or at least back-burnered. No, if I’m honest, they were pretty much forgotten. I don’t know why - around 2000 when life was a little off course, escaping up the the north coast never even occurred to me, instead heading overseas again at the first opportunity. But now it’s back in my mind, especially after a short road trip around Byron in 2019. When we’re living in the Sunny Coast in a couple of years, this part of the world will only be 3-4 hours drive away. I have a feeling we may be spending a few long weekends exploring around here.

The photograph is now my desktop background, replacing one of Pumicestone Passage at sunrise. An area I’ll be spending a lot of time exploring after we move, not least because we’ll be living a five minute walk from it. Happy times await.

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The Coast Road