Chasing Light by Chris Lane

Como Tidal Baths in Spring

Name: Como Tidal Baths.

Where: Como Pleasure Grounds, Como, Sydney NSW

Type of Pool: Netted

Car parking: There is a car park at the Pleasure Grounds but it can get pretty busy on a sunny day, but there is a good amount of street parking.

Tips: Right next to the pool is the Como Bridge that is well worth walking across for some views of the river.

Como Tidal Baths

I’ve been working away on a cool little project over the past few years called Pools of the Sea. Where I’m attempting to photograph 100 pools that are connected to our beautiful Oceans.

Some are rock pools, some are tidal baths in netting bays or beaches. Some are a classic outdoor pools but on the coastline and some are just natural wonders.

It’s been great to research and explore some of these locations and hopefully one day I’ll hit the magic 100 mark and put it to bed with a book.

With all of these lockdowns we’ve had here in Sydney it’s been put a little on the back burner, but it has also given me the chance to explore a little closer to home.
So in saying that, here is number 5 on my list and one the closer pools to where I live, the beautiful Como Tidal Baths. It’s a netted pool located on the Georges River in the Sutherland Shire.

Surround by the family friendly pleasure grounds of Como, some great looking yachts and just underneath the historic Como bridge lies this sweet 50 meter swimming spot. Also not far from the historic Como hotel as seen here https://chasinglight.photo.blog/2021/11/06/jacarandas-in-como-nsw/

It’s also right next to a great cafe and a more traditional pool run by the local council if you preferred it to the saltwater variety.

A beautiful scenic pool to dive in at and do a few morning laps before you grab a coffee. Perfect for swimmers and family days with the kids alike.

It’s really a great location and has some nice angles for some pictures. Especially with such a scenic view of the bridge and railway. More from the bridge here https://chasinglight.photo.blog/2021/11/08/the-bridges-of-sydney-series-como-bridge-como-nsw/

I’ve always enjoyed my trips to Como and this part of town and it’s well worth a coffee and some exploration. If you are looking for places to swim in Sydney then add Como to the list.

Til next time!

Chris

The Bridges of Sydney Series: The one and only Sydney Harbour Bridge

Name: Sydney Harbour Bridge

Where: Sydney CBD, NSW

Opened: 1932

Length: 1,149 meters

Tips: Best viewpoints are, The Rocks, Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and near Luna Park.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

It would be pretty hard to have a Bridges of Sydney photo series without including the remarkable Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Joining the Sydney CBD on the south side to the North Shore. Stands this amazing steel structure known as “The Coathanger” aptly named due to its giant arc.

With an amazing length of 1,149 metres and 134 meters high, you can really see it from almost anywhere in the region. Opened 1932 after beginning construction in 1923 the 9 year wait was well worth it.

There are so many great views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge it’s really hard to pinpoint what is the best for a picture.

Starting at the Mrs Macquarie’s Chair side (top picture) which also incorporates the iconic Sydney Opera House, https://chasinglight.photo.blog/2021/02/26/mrs-macquaries-chair-and-sydney-blue/ then to the south side view from down near the beautiful Rocks.

Or anywhere on the north side from near the North Sydney pool or the just as awesome Blues Point reserve. With more at these links https://chasinglight.photo.blog/blog-feed/page/4/ https://chasinglight.photo.blog/2021/03/25/north-sydney-blues/

It’s really hard to just have a favourite. But I do really enjoy the view from The Rocks as it takes in my favourite part of Sydney, but that could just be my bias as I’ve had great great times in the historical area.

It’s just a great view from there tho, but you really can’t go wrong with any view of the bridge as it looks great from everywhere, including the view from Taronga Zoo as shown below.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge view from a ferry

I’ve shot the bridge from pretty much every angle over the years, but the one I’d really love to get to one day would be from the air. As a Sydneysider there’s nothing like returning from overseas by plane and sneaking a look out of the window.

That feeling of seeing your home city as you start to decent and catching a glimpse of the awesome bridge upon hitting the Sydney airport is worth the price of traveling alone.

You really can’t go wrong with any angle of the bridge, and when you add in different lenses and different times of day with sunrise and sunset. Add in your own exploration and you can’t go wrong.

Til next time!

Chris

Photos: Bronte and it’s Awesome Pool

As we get a little closer to getting out of lockdown here in Sydney, I thought I’d go through the files of one of my favorite beaches to photograph.

The beautiful Bronte beach is just a little bit south of the more famous Bondi Beach with some of my favorites of the Bondi coast here https://chasinglight.photo.blog/2020/12/21/beautiful-bondi-beach/ and it’s just as picturesque as it’s neighbor to the north. Bronte is just a great spot all round and one of the best beaches and cafe strips in our city.

With photo worthy sandstone rocks surrounding both the beach and the famous Bronte pool. The landscape of Bronte offers plenty of great pictures from either ground level or from up high with so many great vantage spots it’s hard not to take a great picture of the awesome coastline in the East.

Sydney and NSW will be out of this lockdown pretty soon and if you’re looking for things to do in Sydney, particularly on the coastline then I definitely recommend a trip out to the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney for a swim and a picture or two.

Til next time!

Chris