MacMasters Beach

Artwork by Kathy Evans

This place, this beach has had me in its grip for over 40 years. Ever tranquil, its essence remains the same, and yet it changes daily with the ebb and flow of the seascape.

Originally a city girl from Melbourne, I set off on the Aussie Rite of Passage to England and ended up living in London, a sprawling metropolis of many different cultures, foods, smells and sounds, which I embraced with vigour. But after 8 years, and many treks to Australia House buying up their supplies of eucalypt incense, I began to hanker for the Australian landscape.

I came to settle on the Central Coast for work and stumbled upon Macs Beach. So began my affinity with the place; it embodied Australia to me. Back then, the Coast’s beachside suburbs were quiet backwaters compared to Sydney, and I loved it! I needed it! Separated by the mighty Hawkesbury River, we were largely isolated from the fast-paced trends of urban life. These were slowly infiltrating the suburbs, but never at Macs!

I walk the coastal track each afternoon and welcome the fresh air. I love the feel of sand under my feet. The path rises from the road and slips down to the beach. At first, greenery, then different colours on the horizon, layers of yellow sand, deep azure blue blending into the pinks of the setting sun at twilight. All this splendour washes over me, cleansing me of the stresses of work.

I sit on a boulder meditating, eyes closed, breathing rhythmically, listening to the sound of the ocean and evening birdsong. I have this, all of this, to myself most evenings. It’s why I have such a love affair with Macs compared to the other more developed beaches. Here I am rejuvenated, lighter, ready to take on the next phase of my day: winding down, letting go, ready to do it all again tomorrow, the next day, and the next.

Never bored, always inspired, I capture the lagoon life with my iPhone: the shapes, shades and colours keep me returning day after day at different times, in different lights. Just being and observing. People ask, “Why the fascination?” I say, “Come, feel for yourself the natural rhythm of life, never the same.” I feel it passionately. But do I really want them to discover Macs, come in their hordes and spoil it?