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Redhead Beach and Awabakal Nature Reserve Drone Photography

Recently I came to the good fortune of purchasing a drone in the hope that I could use it for cool stuff on the blog. I hope to share more of this with you in the coming years. Last weekend, I took my son out to Redhead Beach — which is just a 5 minute drive from my house — to take it for a little test drive. While it wasn’t the first time I’d taken it out, it still does feel a bit like a novelty.

Bear is only 3 and was so enamoured with Daddy’s “plane!” He watched intensely as it took off and hovered 30 or 40 metres above us. Obviously, it would be no fun to just leave it there, so when it was out of sight he did lose interest a little bit and I had to chase him. But in saying that, I took two batteries with me that last 15 minutes each and when the first one came back I asked him if he wanted to go again or go to the park he told me he wanted “more plane!”. It was quite cute.

Anyway, when a blog post is all about images, there’s only so much you can write about, so here are a few of my favourite shots from the day out of Redhead beach. One of my favourite beaches in Newcastle.

This first one is the Redhead Beach bluff. The bluff provides the only shade on the beach on those hot summer days. This is the north end of the beach.

Redhead Beach bluff by drone
Redhead Beach bluff from the air

The next one is taken from pretty well the same place, but angled out to the east and down at the waves. One thing you can never really appreciate from the ground but is beautiful from the air is the patterns that the wave trails make as they roll into shore.

Redhead Beach waves by drone
Redhead Beach waves

Redhead is known for its rocks that divide the beach in two. The rocks are awesome for kids (and adults!) to climb on and climb through. What I said about the waves above, the opposite is true for the rocks from above: they are actually much bigger from the ground. The rocks also have an old wooden lifeguard’s tower, you can actually see it better from the image after this one.

Redhead Beach rock and lifeguard tower by drone
Redhead Beach rock and lifeguard tower

The last one of Redhead beach is the entire beach from the south looking north. It took a good few minutes to fly the drone this distance. That patch of grass to the left of the photo (next to the car park) is where I was standing.

Redhead Beach by drone facing north
Redhead Beach facing north

The thing that amazed me so much when I took out my DJI Spark is the colour of the water. Australia is not generally known for its clear, azure waters (except in certain places like Jervis Bay or Whitehaven Beach), but these photos prove otherwise. Yes, the image has been lightly edited, but that turquoise blue is real. I mean, I’ve always known our beached in Newcastle are beautiful, but I was just astounded by this colour.

I’m going to be taking the drone out more and more as I explore my country (and others!) from the air. Subscribe below to be notified of new posts, and I’ll be sharing the best ones on my Instagram @backstreetnomad.

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