Nowra Trip

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7 APRIL 2002
I started the day explaining to my girlfriend about how hard I'm finding taking photo's of little children, even after six years getting good shots of little children is not easy, what with dirty noses to wipe, children either love or hate strangers. When you get the good child in front of the camera, there might be a bunch of children standing in the background. What parent wants a picture of their child with somebody's leg or arm in the corner of the photo. I can't rely on the old saying, "If it’s a picture of my child, I will buy it"
The Hume Freeway starts in the inner suburb of Coburg and finishes in Liverpool on the outskirts of Sydney. Its been said to be the most boring trip between two capital cities. In fact many years ago it was a narrow dangerous highway, which has claimed more then its share of lives, including many truck drivers.
I joined the freeway at Seymour almost one and half-hours from home. On the nine-hour journey the road by passes many towns that I have worked in over the last few years. It is these bypassed towns and widening of the road that has made this journey safer.
I was ready for a break when the border town of Albury was reached and the fast food franchise, called Hungry Jacks was my usual stop. Half an hour break is all I need.
The further I travel into New South Wales the more I'm greeted with panoramic views. The thought of how much this landscape had changed since Oliver Hume first explored this area. Much land has been cleared and the typical Australian scene beside the freeway is now Marino sheep grazing in sunburnt paddocks or sheltering under solitary gum trees near to dry dams is common.
The hours pass and I start to count down the kilometres as the car gets closer to leaving the Hume and the twisting road starts descending to the low lands. Closer to the coast the colour of the paddocks change from a dull brown to a lush green, all within eighty kilometres, the contrast is remarkable. Nearing my destination, the light is fading and now the effects of nearly six hours behind the wheel are taking its tole.
In Nowra I booked into a Best Western motel. A daylight saving is finished and it was dark when I leave my unit and drive down the road to the local bowling club for a meal. Fish of the Day was very nice and was washed down with a glass of beer. Had no problems sleeping that night.

8 APRIL 2002
Every now and again a centre actually requests I return and this centre was one of them. The session go off to a slow start, I photographed the children where they played and only moved them onto another activity when It looked as if they are going to stay in one spot all morning.
I was finished by 11am and was doing the "tourist run" an hour later. I revisited most of the bays in the area but this time I had the video to use. When the afternoon sightseeing was finished, I watched TV for a while then returned to the club for an evening meal.

9 APRIL 2002
Paid my accommodation and drove down to Nowra township passed over the river by means of a gurder bridge. I was welcomed inside the centre with a cup of coffee, while I set up. What a difference how some centres treat photographers. By time the morning session had ended I had exposed seven spools of film. It was time to leave Nowra and move onto my next destination. Before I left one more thing had to be done a trip to the post office to mail this weeks films back to the studio.
I travelled north out of town and took the coast road. Along the way I passed through picturesque towns with names such as Berry and Kiama where the road branches towards the west. A steep climb up to the highlands, which was sealed, it passes through sub tropical rainforests; eventually arriving at the waterfall called "Carrington" a magnificent sight. An hour later I was driving into the town of Robertson. It was mid afternoon and had plenty of time to visit "Belmore Falls" which is not more then fifteen minutes out of town.

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