Fifty Shades of Port Phillip Bay

A strip of sand, a large bay of water stretching to the horizon, and a huge sky with spectacular cloud formations paint a thousand different pictures over time, even when viewed from the same vantage point.

Taking these shots on my i-phone formed my daily source of entertainment and provided soul food during Melbourne's coronavirus lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. Although for long periods we were not permitted to travel more than 5km from our home, South Melbourne Beach was luckily within this radius for me and I wore out one pair, and nearly a second pair, of woollen socks walking to the beach and back on most days during lockdown. 

As I'm about to relocate (temporarily) to Sydney, and I'll miss my regular walks to this beach, I want to share a selection of fifty of my photos showing some highlights of the last two years.

For nearly every photo, no matter the time of day, I stood by the sea wall opposite the pedestrian crossing on Beaconsfield Parade, near its intersection with Victoria Avenue, Albert Park. Looking southwards over Port Phillip Bay towards Bass Strait about 80km away, braced into the wind, you can forget the busy city sprawling behind you. By the way, the Bay was named after Australia's remarkable founding Governor, my hero Arthur Phillip, long after his time in this country.

30 Apr 2020, 10.48 am. Lockdown. 'Beach closed' notice.

19 May 2020, 3.02pm. Winter approaches. Some Sydneysiders
describe Melbourne as the gateway to the Antarctic!

23 May 2020, 12.01pm

25 May 2020, 10.49am. The end of Williamstown Peninsula
just in view on the right.

12 Sep 2020, 11.46am. Melbourne is Australia's busiest port, but
hardly any shipping moved on the Bay at the height of the pandemic.

22 Sep 2020, 2.04pm

23 Sep 2020, 10.25am. Yes, the Bay does have waves.

1 Oct 2020, 4.16pm. Everyone keeping their distance from each other.

5 Oct 2020, 4.47pm

15 Oct 2020, 9.50am

24 Oct 2020, 2.38 pm

6 Nov 2020, 4.46pm

11 Jan 2021, 7.10am. Shadows thrown by light from the east.

4 Feb 2021, 11.10am. Where is the horizon?

15 Feb 2021, 5.59pm. Shadows thrown by light from the west.

24 Feb 2021, 5.20pm. Goods on the move again.

24 Jun 2021, 11.41 am

20 Jul 2021, 4.49pm. Blowing a gale - and I did get wet this day.

9 Aug 2021, 10.57am. Container ship approaches Webb Dock.

10 Aug 2021, 4.34pm

15 Aug 2021, 4.25pm

20 Aug 2021, 5.18pm. Winter, darkness approaching.

24 Aug 2021, 11.59am

26 Aug 2021, 11.21am

2 Sep 2021, 10.38am. Spring has sprung.

5 Sep 2021, 10.30am. Jogger.

7 Sep 2021, 11.10am. Someone drew a straight line along the horizon!

10 Sep 2021, 3.50pm

12 Sep 2021, 9.47am

20 Sep 2021, 11.45am

22 Sep 2021, 11.37am. 

26 Sep 2021, 11.44am. Adults having fun with a ball.

30 Sep 2021, 11.59am

4 Oct 2021, 10.32am

8 Oct 2021, 10.19am

9 Oct 2021, 11.25am

15 Oct 2021, 11.44am

27 Oct 2021, 10.01am. School's back.

28 Oct 2021, 11.00am

29 Oct 2021, 12.16pm

2 Nov 2021, 12.04pm. Crowds are back - still socially-distanced.

10 Nov 2021, 12.11pm. Sailing races have resumed.

13 Nov 2021, 10.30am

24 Nov 2021, 11.03am, Seagull. Lone swimmer.

4 Dec 2021, 2.29pm

16 Jan 2022, 6.01pm. Hot summer's evening.

24 Jan 2022, 7.44am. Spirit of Tasmania (Bass Strait Ferry) running again.

30 Jan 2022, 10.35am. Beach volley ball competitions have resumed.

23 Feb 2022, 9.55am. Paddle-boarding.

1 Mar 2022, 12.10pm. Drizzly day.

And so I farewell my much-loved Melbourne for a while and return to my place of birth to help my daughter and her family. Hopefully there'll still be time enough to write. My Website has all the details of my nine Louise Wilson non-fiction books AND my three Louisa Valentine novels, and I post on Facebook at Louise Wilson, Author and Louisa Valentine