Photo of the Week: Sunrise at Burleigh Heads

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Kristin

In amongst the rocks at Burleigh beach just after sunrise.

On Saturday evening, I was slowly flipping through Facebook posts as I watched Goldeneye on the TV (I know, I’m a party animal). One post caught my eye — it was a call for photographers to come out and join a sunrise shoot the following morning. The only catch? That shoot was at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast, which is over an hour’s drive away from my home in Brisbane. I nearly wrote it off before I realised that I couldn’t actually remember the last time I’d gone out with my photography buddies on a proper shoot. So I asked for more details, cautioning that I probably wouldn’t make it.

3am the next morning rolled around way too quickly. I couldn’t figure out why my phone was making noise at first, and then it dawned on me that I’d volunteered to get up well before dawn on one of the few days that allowed me a sleep in. Yet somehow I crawled out of bed, gathered my things, and was soon on the highway.

I reached Burleigh around 30 minutes before sunrise, which gave me time to find my friends, trip over a few rocks on the beach, and get set up to watch the sun come up over the horizon. All of my exhaustion was forgotten as I watched the first rays of light peek over the ocean followed by the giant red ball of sun. The colours were enhanced from the recent wildfires, giving it an almost CGI effect. Birds squawked and swooped above our heads and the waves crashed into the rocks below. That, in itself, was worth the drive down there. The whale breaching in the distance as we sipped coffee and chatted about anything and everything was just a bonus!

Posted under Australia, Photo of the Week with the tags beach, burleigh, burleigh heads, gold coast, queensland, rocks, sand, sunrise

About Kristin
I'm Kristin, a Texan born to an American father and English mother. I've been living in Australia since 2008. My first plane flight was when I was three weeks old and I've been hooked ever since. I never feel quite right unless I have a plane ticket (to anywhere, whether it's Sydney or Sweden) booked in my name. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook.
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