It strikes me at an altitude of one hundred metres above the shoreline. As I capture images from my silently hovering drone, I reflect that visitors from overseas would pay a significant sum for this very experience. The waters beneath are remarkably clear, displaying a travel brochure shade of turquoise, while the small crescent of sand glistens brilliantly in the early morning sunlight.
A Morning Ritual of Coastal Serenity
Below, two swimmers in their later years duck playfully beneath the waves, behaving with the joyful energy of puppies in the surf. At one end of the beach, a woman carefully searches around the rocky outcrops, likely looking for sea glass or unique shells. At the opposite end, a man enthusiastically throws a ball for his eager dog. This constitutes the entire morning crowd, a scene of peaceful solitude.
I have performed this ritual hundreds of times, walking the same bush track to the beach where I launch my drone. Yet, the experience never grows stale. Each day presents a different tableau, with the sea's temperament shifting according to the wind, tides, and seasonal changes. On fortunate occasions, the drone's lens captures a disciplined formation of cormorants heading out to fish, or a unified school of salmon swirling through the shallow waters. Sometimes, it even spots a humpback whale resting just offshore with her calf. The spectacle remains endlessly captivating.
A Personal Celebration of Australian Coastlines
For me, this daily practice of walking through the bush and piloting the drone over the beach and surrounding headlands serves as a personal celebration. I have witnessed numerous coastlines during my travels, but when it comes to beaches, Australia consistently emerges victorious. We are indeed girt by sea, surrounded by waters that sparkle with a brightness and purity surpassing most other global locations.
Our national narrative is fundamentally anchored in the sea. The majority of us reside along the coastal fringes of this island continent, clinging to that maritime connection. Anthropologists believe the very first human settlement occurred via ancient land bridges linking Australia to Asia. The subsequent colonial settlement arrived by ship from the opposite side of the world. Furthermore, the waves of migration that constructed modern Australia predominantly arrived by sea until the mid-twentieth century.
Remarkably, even when Afghan cameleers pioneered routes through the vast interior, we poetically referred to their resilient animals as ships of the desert. No matter how far inland we ventured, that symbolic link to the ocean persisted.
Contrasting the Heartland with the Coast
My journeys into Australia's heartland have always been exhilarating. The expansive plains of the Murray-Darling Basin, the rich wetlands of Kakadu, and the majestic spectacle of Uluru have all electrified my senses precisely because they are so profoundly different from my coastal home. These experiences have invariably been followed by a deep sense of relief upon returning to the familiar shoreline.
This Australia Day, there will be no requirement for flags, beer, barbecues, thong-throwing competitions, or duck derbies. I will celebrate my country in the manner I always have. An early morning walk through the bush to the beach, greeting fellow walkers along the path whose dogs I know by name, though I may not know their owners'. Breathing in the invigorating blend of salt air and eucalyptus, while watching sea eagles soar majestically in the distance.
At the beach, I will launch the drone and marvel at the stunning images it transmits back to me, reflecting on my immense good fortune to live in such a spectacular location. For me, genuinely, every single day feels like Australia Day.
