Aslings Beach Rock Pool

Aslings Beach Pool is the southern most rock pool in New South Wales, about 500 km south of Sydney.

Aslings Beach is the main swimming beach in Eden and this is a natural pool retained by a concrete wall on 2 and a bit sides. The pool was created around 1904 as it was unsafe to swim at the beach due to the sharks attracted to Eden by the shore-based whaling industry which operated from the bay.

This is a most beautiful spot but unfortunately the rock pool is in a state of disrepair as there is now a large, modern conventional pool about half a kilometre away on the main highway.

Although self-replenishing, the pool leaks like a sieve. I noticed that as the tide was rising, water was flowing in through the wall from the higher tide - so it appears that holes may have been drilled in the wall!!! At low tide, the pool smells of rotting seaweed but this did not stop children on the beach still play around and in the pool (the previous afternoon).

The photos were taken on Saturday morning. It was the nicest sunrise I have had for quite a while but did not last as storm clouds came in quickly from the west and it got rather wet. All shots taken with an Olympus E-P1 and Olympus M.Zuiko 9-18mm zoom.

#1 - Pre "first light" although the sky is already quite bright.

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Aslings Beach Pool (1) by peterb666, on Flickr

#2 - there is a fabulous rock formation and small sea cave at the back of the pool.

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Aslings Beach Pool (3) by peterb666, on Flickr

#3 Storm clouds starting to build from the west.

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Aslings Beach Pool (4) by peterb666, on Flickr

#4 Sunrise to the east.

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Aslings Beach Pool (5) by peterb666, on Flickr

#5 A strong golden light from the sun as it starts above the horizon.

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Aslings Beach Pool (6) by peterb666, on Flickr

The storm clouds continue to gather but the sun is now up and bringing out the colours in the cliff behind the pool.

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Aslings Beach Pool (8) by peterb666, on Flickr

The tide is rising quickly and now breaking over the sea wall. Only minutes earlier I walked along this wall. The storm clouds are moving towards the east and it starts to rain within minutes.

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Aslings Beach Pool (9) by peterb666, on Flickr

I hope you enjoy this series, it was a fun shoot. Feedback and CC welcome.

 

Thanks guys. Actually it was raining in that last shot. I thought I was getting hit by the spray from the waves (except the timing was odd), it got worse as I retreated.

It is the best time of the day by a long shot. I encourage you to get out early (you need to be set up to go around 30 minutes before "first light", i.e. about 45 to 60 minutes before official sunrise.

Cheers

Peter