This is my beach, a 5 minute drive from my flat or a 20 minute walk (at my pace). I went down early (7am) this morning to meet a friend for coffee. The sky was overcast but the scene was lively. People were meeting for breakfast, and groups meeting for exercise, swimming, paddleboard, and even dancing. Yes, there was an odd group dancing barefoot on the sand. It was a loose unstructured dance, each person swaying as the music moved them.
Restrictions have eased as we move from pandemic to endemic mode. Currently 93.3 per cent of people 16 and older have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 86 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated. Although case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths are down, the virus still spreads, even among the vaccinated. When will it end?
These images were taken in December of 2020, when we were in lockdown due to a COVID outbreak in the local area. Where else can you go in lockdown when it’s hot except to the beach? If people can’t go to work, or school, or shopping and it’s too hot to stay home then there has to be some relief. I don’t think anyone ever caught COVID at the beach here.
There are many beautiful beaches around Sydney but I’m especially fond of this one because of it’s friendly neighborhood culture, and the variety of walking areas. I can walk on the beach, around the lagoon, or around the rock tide pools. I can do the Dee Why Cliff Reserve hike or hike the cliff at Long Reef. Or I can stick to the board walk or the cafe’s and shops along the Strand.
Dee Why Beach and Long Reef Beach are connected at the mouth of the lagoon. Many people walk the length of both beaches daily. I tend to choose different ends on different days because Long Reef has it’s own special features which I’ll write about later.
It doesn’t always look sunny and casually busy. The water is more often full of waves than calm and it attracts a lot of surfers. I enjoy the variety of weather and the changing scenery that comes with it.
CSRoth 