Before continuing the Round‑the‑World 2006 series, I wanted to take a brief detour to something much closer to the present — a few images from Coolangatta, where we spent a few days by the water last week. After writing so much about long‑haul flights and distant cities, it felt good to stand on a familiar coastline again and watch the light move across the sea.
It was also my first time travelling with the Fujifilm X‑T5 and the 16–80mm f/4 — a compact, flexible setup that felt perfectly suited to this kind of slow, coastal wandering.
These four photographs trace a simple arc: from the view from our apartment, to the lookout above the headland, to the warmth of late afternoon, and finally to the edge of the rockwall as day fades.
View from the apartment
The first image looks out over the surf beach from our apartment. From up here, the curve of the sand stretches toward the headland, the waves rolling in under a sky brushed with late‑afternoon colour. A few people walk the shoreline, small against the scale of the beach and the clouds. It was the kind of view that quietly set the pace for the trip — unhurried, open, and always shifting with the light.
Kirra Hill Lookout
The next photograph was taken from the Kirra Hill Lookout, looking down on surfers along the shore. Below, they wait at the water’s edge; beyond them, the distant silhouette of Surfers Paradise rises on the horizon.
The scene feels layered — the intimacy of the beach in the foreground, the abstracted line of high‑rises in the distance. A reminder of how close the city always is, even when you’re standing in the salt and sand.
Towards the setting sun
The third image looks toward the setting sun over Kirra Beach. The light is low and warm, catching the wet sand and softening the edges of everything it touches.
A few people walk toward the water, their shadows stretching behind them as the day thins out. A simple moment, but one that carries that familiar late‑afternoon stillness — the day slowing, the light deepening.
From the Kirra rockwall
The final photograph is taken from the Kirra rockwall, looking back toward the line of buildings at Surfers Paradise. Children play at the water’s edge, their movements small against the sweep of the coastline.
A stream of water cuts through the sand toward the sea, tying the foreground and background together. An everyday moment, but one that holds that mix of play, distance, and light that makes a place stay with you.
A brief interlude
This short Coolangatta interlude sits between chapters of the Round‑the‑World series — a reminder that while I’m revisiting 2006 on the page, life is still unfolding in the present, one coastline, one evening, one frame at a time.
Keywords:
Coolangatta, Kirra Beach, Kirra Hill Lookout, Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise skyline, Queensland coast, Australian beaches, coastal travel photography, ocean waves, shoreline reflections, beach sunset, golden hour light, evening coastline, surf culture, beach lookout views, family at beach, coastal headland, seaside apartment view, Fujifilm X‑T5, Fujifilm 16‑80mm f4, travel with Fujifilm, Australian seaside landscapes, warm coastal colours, beach holiday Australia, scenic coastline photography, ocean horizon, coastal city backdrop, Queensland travel inspiration, beach photography Australia
Add comment
Comments