Redhead bodyboarder 06-04-12

Redhead Bodyboarder 10/3/2012

Redhead Bodyboarder 10-03-12

Redhead surfer 11/3/2012

Redhead surfer 11-03-12

Horshoe Beach early morning 8/4/2012 Photo by Jo Layzell

Newcastle Harbour 8-4-12

Stormy night drive 8/4/12 Photo by Ellen Moore

Stormy night 8-4-12

 The band Zappa Plays Zappa Newcastle Panthers Club 8/4/12

Dweezil Zappa Band 8-4-12

Dweezil Zappa and the band were awsome, fun and brilliant and showcased the many fine tunes from Frank Zappa’s massive 60 plus album repertoire in a 3 hour show.

Dweezil Zappa guitar solo

Dweezil Zappa at Panthers 8-4-12

Zappa plays Zappa Band with dance contestants

Zappa Dance Contestants 8-4-12

Dweezil Zappa and Dancers

Dweezil Zappa and dancers 8-4-12

Singer Ben Thomas Zappa Plays Zappa with Dance Contestant.

Ben Thomas & dance contestant 8-4-12

Guitarist Jamie Kime

Zappa plays Zappa guitarist Jamie Kime 8-4-12

Dweezil signing autographs after the concert

Dweezil Zappa signs autographs 8-4-12

Redhead big surf 8-03-12

Dad and Grom Silhoutte Surfcheck Blacksmiths Beach 4/3/2012. The early sunlight blazing off the chop created a blinding glare. Alas the onshore wind was up already.

Blacksmiths surf check 04-03-12

Redhead Double ski 4/3/2012 Mick and Ray take a long line in.

Redhead double ski 04-03-12

Bird on watch Redhead Shark tower on a damp and gloomy morning 5/3/2012.

Bird on watch Redhead Sharktower 05-03-12

School of bream in the shallows of Lake Macquarie 5/12/2012.

Bream in lake Mac 5-02-12

Belmont Yacht races 5/2/12 These two boats pass at full throttle with not much to spare.

Belmont Yacht Races 05-02-12

Blacksmith’s Beach Litterer - the Crow.  The early bird gets it out of the bins for breakfast. Maybe we can train then to put it back in.

Blacksmiths Crow 05-03-12

Redhead sand dunes showing a bit of colour after some rain 5/3/2012.

Redhead Sand Dunes after rain 05-03-12

Redhead’s big rip 11/2/2012. There has been an awsome rip out the front of the 1st Creek for a while now that keeps you paddling the whole time to keep your lineup.

Redhead Beach Rip 11-02-12

Redhead Beach 22-1-12

Redhead Body Boarder 4/2/2012

Redhead Body Boarder 4-2-12

Redhead first Creek wind on the water 22/1/2012

Redhead 1st Creek1 22-1-12

Redhead Beach 4/2/2012

Redhead Beach 4-2-12

Redhead First Creek 22/1/2012

Redhead 1st Creek2 22-1-12

Redhead Shark Tower 21/1/2012

Redhead Shark Tower 21-1-12

Photos by Jo and Geoff from their New Zealand South Island hiking trip last week. Some beautiful landscapes, a very beautful place.

NZ South Isle1

NZ South Isle2

NZ South Isle3

NZ South Isle4

NZ South Isle5

NZ South Isle6

NZ South Isle7

NZ South Isle8

The guys who helped should get unlimited waves from now on. Many thanks to Nathan, Steve, Tony and Danny and any others who were there and helped.

From all the Redhead guys, we wish Lenny all the best in his recovery and hope he can put it behind him. Did it rattle us?  Yes … eveyone’s talking about it and going back out in the water very warily.  This is the first shark attack since the 1930′s at Redhead, so the odd’s were big considering how many people have gone into the water in over 80 years. But we know they are out there. Fifty sharks were sighted that day between Blacksmiths and Newcastle from the air.

Steve Butterworth and Col Smith with Jim Pollard Channel Boards  at Redhead 1978. This photo appeared in Sea Notes Magazine in 1978 .

Steve & Col Sea Notes Mag 1978

Surfhouse Surf Shop top of town Newcastle. A great place to browse for surf related gifts and a range of local surf photography to hang on your wall.

Surfhouse Surfshop Newcastle

Redhead Little Beach 27-09-11

Colourful Sunset Redhead 10/1/2012

Redhead Sunset 10-01-12

Newcastle Harbour and Nobbys Headland 12/11/2011

Newcastle Harbour and Nobbys

Herron looking for a feed Belmont South 14/1/2011

Herron Belmont South 14-01-12

Swans in Belmont South Bay 14/1/12

Swans Belmont Bay 14-01-12

Redhead Beach 26-12-11

Redhead beach 26/12/11 close out set.

Redhead close out set 26-12-11

Redhead surfer 26/12/11

Redhead Surfer 26-12-11

Redhead Beach 27/12/11

Redhead Beach 27-12-11

Redhead Shark Tower 29/12/11 – Sun on the water.

I was thinking of the beautiful song by Kirsty MacColl - 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDzYqJs5HMM

Redhead Beach 29-12-11 Sun on the water

Redhead Beach 29/12/11 Lone swimmer.

Redhead Lone Swimmer 29-12-11

Black Neds Bay wildlife 8/12/11 The neighbours have a big mean pets

Black Neds Bay Crocodile 8-12-11

Black Neds Bay Ducks 8/12/11

Black Neds Bay Ducks 8-12-11

All the best wishes for the new year.

Redhead sea mist 20-11-11

Saturday 26/11/11 The wind started as onshore then swung offshore and cleaned up the surf. Redhead lineup.

Redhead surf 26-11-11

Redhead surfer dogging thru behind the tower.

Redhead surfer 1 26-11-11

Redhead Surfer inside a nice left

Redhead surfer 26-11-11

Redhead body boarder on a nice clean one.

Redhead Bodyboarder 26-11-11

Redhead surfer on one starting to wall up.

Redhead surfer 3 26-11-11

Monday 5/12/11

A week of rain pushed lots of fresh water out to sea, then a raging southerly whipped it up to make some serious froth. Redhead shark tower.

Redhead foam 1 5-12-11

The foam was pushed into the Redhead Bluff painting it white.

Redhead foam 2 5-12-11

A close up of the thick goo whipped up by wind on fresh water, maybe with some additives the compliments of 20th century living.

Redhead foam 3 5-12-11

Blacksmiths same day the other end of the beach, clean as.

Blacksmiths 5-12-11

Blacksmiths, minutes later than the sunny shot above, a rain cloud parts and sun shines through onto the water.

Blacksmiths sun through clouds 5-12-11

Redhead Beach Clouds 30-10-11

Early Sunday Morning 30/10/11 Redhead surf check showed an overcast day coming, but within seconds the sun seared a hole in the clouds and it came out sunny.

Redhead Beach sunrise 12-11-11

Redhead Surf 6/11/2011

Redhead surf 6-11-11

Redhead boardriders comp 5/11/2011

Redhead Boardriders comp 5-11-11

Nobbys Beach 12/11/2011 a fully loaded ship exits the harbour while kite surfers have a ball in the stiff North Easter and clear water.

Nobbys Ship & Kiteboards 12-11-11

Newcastle Harbour 12/11/11. 3 tugs make their way back home after pushing another loaded ship out to sea.

Newcastle Tugs 12-11-11

Nobbys Beach 12/11/11. A very idyllic Beach Volleyball competition venue.

Nobbys Beach Volleyball 12-11-11

Sandy’s Chooks. 3 Broody chooks, on strike having a sit in November 2011.

3 broody chooks 30-10-11

Black Ned’s Bay entrance from Swansea Channel

Black Neds Bay entrance 27-10-11

Pelicans on a sand spit at Black Ned’s Bay

Black Neds Bay Pelicans on sandspit 27-10-11

Boats moored at the entrance

Black Neds Bay Boats 27-10-11

There are lots of islands to explore

Black Neds Bay Islands 27-10-11

The mangrove trees reflect into the glassy water

Black Neds Bay Mangrove reflections 27-10-11

A Ski paddler comes the other way, a smile and a wave is common place

Black Neds Bay Ski Paddler 27-10-11

There are lots of pelicans here as the bottom is shallow and they can see their dinner

Black Neds Bay Pelican 27-10-11

The shallow water has some sharp oyster clusters to beware of. I suggest you don’t jump in, maybe wear booties in case

Black Neds Bay the sharp things on the bottom 27-10-11

Another spreading Mangrove tree with its reflection in the water

Black Neds Bay Big Mangrove 27-10-11

I took a  run under the Swansea Bridge and I noticed a bloke looking over with interest. I recognised it was Kevin Harman – the Lake Macquarie areas master of all things to do on water and a great bloke, I stopped for a chat. Kevin is an icon in our area having built and ridden surfboards in the 60′s, windsurfed in the 80′s then became the World Champ Masters ski paddler as well as winning Aussie State and Branch titles.

Kevin Harman at Swansea Bridge 27-10-11

Dudley Beach 25-6-11

Newcastle Big winter swell 13/7/11

Newcastle Beach Big and cold 13-7-11

Newcastle Harbour Tug 14/6/11

Newcastle Harbour Tug 14-6-11

Blacksmiths Surfer 4/6/11

Blacksmiths Surfer 4-6-11

Redhead surfer 4/6/11

Redhead Surfer 4-6-11

Redhead  Surfer 2 4/6/11

Redhead Surfer 2 4-6-11

Newcastle Beach Big surf close up 14/7/11

Newcastle Beach big surf close up 14-7-11

Redhead Bluff up close 10/6/11

Redhead Bluff 10-6-11

Redhead Beach early morning right hander 14/10/11

Redhead Beach early morning right hander 14-10-11

Saturday morning 22/10/11 around 7:30 am.

The surf was very ordinary at 2 foot with a light onshore starting up, but it was the best place to be to watch the local dolphins throw a party. Dozens of dolphins gathered just outside the break in what appeared to be an introduction of the new young  calves to the extended dolphin clan. The young ones were accompanied by adults as they cruised around and around, meanwhile the young adults cavorted further out getting some serious air. They threw some awsome stale fish moves but without grabbing a rail. They stayed for almost an hour in the same area while the few surfers out watched in awe a few metres away.

2/10/11 Another Sunday surf check you don’t get out of the car for.

Redhead Beach bad weather 2-10-11

Saturday early Redhead surfer 1/10/11

Redhead surfer 1-10-11

Redhead Surf 1/10/11 A left from behind the shark tower.

Redhead surf 2 1-10-11

Redhead Surf 1/10/11 A right down the beach a bit.

Redhead surf 1-10-11

The swell jumped up quick and this one had the guys scrambling for cover.

Redhead surf 3 1-10-11

Jimmy Lewis HP98

Jimmy Lewis HP98

Behind the scences at the beach girl contest Rehead 1985

Redhead Beach Beauty contest 1985

Arial view from out of a Cessna Redhead Beach around 1978

Arial view Redhead Beach 1988

A 2 headed choock? No just a fluke photo – 2 of Sandy’s chooks 1/10/11

2 headed chook 1-10-11