Seaside Living
I have always loved the sea! It has been my joy living by the sea and have done so for much of my life. I spent my childhood days a few short kilometres (or miles in those days) from the sea at Brighton in South Australia. It was not far and I could catch the train from home or later ride my bicycle.
It was at Brighton in the sea that I learned to swim in was a government-sponsored program to teach us how to be safe in the water. Brighton is in St Vincent’s Gulf. It would have been easier to learn to swim in a pool, but there were few around in those days. Most days the sea was calm, but some days we had to swim in water that was a little rough. And we had to look out for sharks. I do recall seeing the fins of several, but don’t recall if it was on swimming lesson days. Someone would blow a whistle and we would all hasten out of the water.
I like to See the Sea
Most of my life we have lived close to the sea. In New South Wales, we lived for some time in a house on the Esplanade. The children were very little, and we just had to enjoy the scenery and ambience of seaside living. We’d go down to the beach and paddle or play on the sand, but I don’t recall swimming there.
I feel that we have been lucky to enjoy seaside living. And I can look out from my balcony where I am now living and see the sea and I drive along the esplanade often.
The Hornibrook Highway Bridge – Photo taken by me on 21/09/2019
The Bridges over Bramble Bay
Back in the early ’80’s I travelled from the northern suburbs to Redcliffe to work. I always picked up a co-worker along the way and we crossed on the first bridge the Hornibrook Highway Bridge, which was built in the 1930’s. It closed in 1979, when the first Houghton Highway Bridge was built. These days there are two bridges, one for northbound traffic and the other, the last one to be built, the Ted Smout Bridge, for southbound. Luckily, I cross here around twice a week and I always love the scenery.
The Remains of old bridge on the southern end
There’s good riding and walking pathways, and at low tide, you can walk out on the sand. It is interesting to stand between the two bridges. The left-hand one heads north, and the other is southbound. I get my “fix” of the sea whenever I cross.
In the Middle of the two bridges.
