The Adventures of Steve and Allie: Storms and Beaches

I’ve never had the experience of spending a lot of time near the beach. I’ve read the “Outermost House” by Henry Beston who wrote of his years experience of living on the beach of Cape Cod but this is the first time I have spent mornings and afternoons walking the same beach for two months now. I have found it amazing. I think that Tallow Beach, “our” beach, is one of the more beautiful beaches on New South Wales north coast. It is nestled between Byron Head and Broken Head, and it is just a long expanse of clean white beach.

I know that beaches come and go, I know that many municipalities spend a fortune trying to retain their beaches by building sea walls and all of that, but not here, and it has been fascinating to see the daily movement of our Tallow Beach.

At the north end of the beach is Tallow Creek, a wonderful place for birdlife and photography, Steve has spent much time there taking stunning sunsets. But Tallow Creek when we arrived was land locked. The beach blocked its entrance into the ocean. The water levels were high, almost up to the bridge. You could walk the beach without any problems past the creek and on up the beach towards the lighthouse. Going south towards Broken Head, there was a similar creek that had created a beautiful lake what was home to much birdlife.

Then last Thursday, we had a terrible storm, many waterspouts were seen out on the ocean, one touched down in Lennox Head, the next town south of us, and destroyed about 30 homes. We were lucky, we were driving back from the Byron farmers market when the heavens opened up. And I mean the heavens opened up. Anyway, the storm ripped openings in both creeks and the water from the creeks cut the beach in six places. You could no longer walk the beach unless you were barefoot, you had to ford the cuts. Tallow Creek wasn’t

even fordable, way too dangerous. Today, one week later, the sand has again filled the beach in, the creeks are no longer running through to the ocean, and the lakes have returned. I find this absolutely amazing.