March 27 - April 2, 2016: Issue 257
Rock Pools: Adventure Grounds for the Young and Those Now Grown
Found by our intrepid three year old fossil-cker!
School Holidays begin for our younger readers on April 9th and run until April 26th. For the next two Issues we'd like to share a few ideas fun activities that are absolutely FREE and all that's required is some legwork, in walking there or catching a bus there, some water for a drink along the way, and maybe a hat of its really sunny, and a spirit of adventure!
The brilliant photographs that run on this page are all by Adriaan van der Wallen, a Nippers Age Manager at Avalon Beach SLSC, surfer, wonderful teacher, (great to be have something by a current teacher during the weeks we're looking at earlier Pittwater schools in our History Pages) and a dad who just loves going to the places his children love going and having some fun in the elements.
"They look for all sorts of things, Saskia catches fish by hand, find shells and love heart rocks. We call the rock pool at South Av. the "Mermaid Pool" -
At North Avalon Rocks they also find fossils!" Adriaan tells us.
Our rock pools are great places to explore and build things on - you will find all sorts of sea creatures with their homes, their shells!
There are also some sheltered little pools where children can have a splash, build things, with mum and dads help of course, and find out about the world they live in - fossils tell of times long gone and that rim of shell hubris tells about the storm swell that just finished or what the tides are doing - all you need is your feet and some curiousity...
The Mermaid Pool: South Avalon Beach
Avalon Beach Rock Pool: Many Seasonal Moods
Xavier playing with my board South Avalon Beach pool
North Avalon: Rock that Art!
Avalon Pool: Storm Swells
THE ROCK POOL.
God in a delicate mood parted these headlands,
Bade His unwearying waters fret Him a bay.
All the bright breakers sang at the chance to adore Him,
All the blue breakers rolled from His feet to obey.
Cream as the clouds curves the sand where the light foam races,
Green, all a-patterned with grey is the gown of the land,
The land stepping down, austere, from the hill-top places
The sky in her hair and her silver feet in the sand.
There is a pool by the cliffs that the waves wash over,
A clean-cut pool where a child may dive and play.
Low on the rocks it lies, like a sky-dropped mirror,
Never a light but it catches the live-long day.
For I have waked with the sun not over the headland,
All of the sea sun-grey, with one thrust of jade,
And in the heart of the pool, like a jewel lying,
One point of light from the cold green thrusting made.
Nearer the top of the hill, the slow sun struggles,
Primrose drifts on the sea with one purple stain,
And now in the pool's pale silver, is lying, lovely.
Violet, amethyst, amethyst, violet again.
Wild rose in the pool, white clouds and the sunset's rainbow,
A moon in the pool, a shy moon, bathing alone,
And, as I sleep, the stars sown in millions around me,
One shoots down and drowns in it like a stone.
God, in a delicate mood, parted these headlands,
God let the breakers fret Him this delicate bay,
Man made the pool, the clean-cut pool in the boulders,
God, in a delicate mood, glances its way.
ETHEL TURNER.
PALM BEACH. (1926, February 6). The Sydney Morning Herald(NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved fromhttp://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16265379
Pictures by Adriaan van der Wallen, 2016.