I continue walking along the lakeside estuary path, almost to the Ocean Street intersection. Before getting there, I take the wooden, cliff-side stairs to the top of the cliff. The stairs are firmly fixed to the heavily wooded cliff-face, making several twists and turns before reaching the top.
At the top of the cliff, I come to an overgrown path.Though it can’t be seen through the dense foliage, I am aware from the sound of the surf pounding on the reef below, that the sheer drop of the cliff is not far away. It’s peaceful here, protected from the biting sea breeze by the surrounding vegetation, the air warm and heavy with the scent of eucalyptus. The hearty, cliff-top scrub has the characteristic look of all such coastal flora – gnarled, bent, windswept, tough.
I come to a grassy clearing and walk towards the cliff-top lookout. I take a seat on the park bench to catch my breath, while I enjoy the beautiful view of the coast below.
East: The next four photos, commencing with this one, were all taken from the lookout seen in the previous photo and should be viewed as a complete panoramic sequence, reading left (east) to right (west). This first photo is looking due east, straight out to sea. Far below, the ocean waves break on the reef at the base of the cliff. Over the distant curve of the horizon is New Zealand; beyond that, Peru.
South-East: The estuary, where the lake waters pass over the reef and empty into the ocean. Way off in the distance, across the water, can be seen Long Reef, stretching out into the Pacific Ocean. It was there that I first set-up house with George, back in the 1970s. Long Reef holds so many wonderfully happy memories for me. On a more somber note, Long Reef is where my ashes will be scattered one day. They are to be cast upon the waters on the night of the full moon, as the moon rises out of the ocean and the tide rushes out to sea. But not yet!
South: The beautiful Narrabeen coastline. North Narrabeen in the foreground. South Narrabeen, where I grew-up, in the middle distance. Collaroy in the far distance. Long Reef off camera, to the left. It is said that everyone of a certain age remembers exactly what they were doing when they heard of JFKs assassination. I’m no exception. I was on that stretch of golden sand in the immediate foreground when I heard. I was studying for my life saving certificate, practicing resuscitating a classmate. A fellow student rushed up to us on the sand, excitedly declaring, “Someone shot the American President?”
West: Narrabeen Lake estuary, with the coastal waters of the lake visible beyond the Ocean Street bridge and causeway. The waters of the lake proper stretch off camera to the west. A large building with a light-colored roof can be seen on the distant shore of the lake, close to the right of the photo (may be necessary to scroll to the right). It is my Alma Mater.
