We were up at Forster and just south there is a beach called Seven Mile Beach.
I used to think that the reason so many beaches in Australia have a name that reflects their length is that there are too many to name, but I realise now that it?s because when people were settling the coast 100 years ago, the beaches weren?t something they focussed on. They were flat out scratching a living out of what was often some pre scrubby country. Not many people would have swum at beaches back then, so there wouldn?t have been much of a need to name them.
I can imagine the conversation:
'I reckon we should give that beach a name.'
'What beach?'
'That one out of town. The seven mile long one.'
'That'd be the name, then.'
There is also a One Mile Beach closer to Forster.
Anyway, on Saturday, we took a drive along a dirt road that took us to the very northern end of Seven Mile Beach. I noticed a path that lead around the headland, so we went for a walk. It would have been impassable at high tide. After about 500 metres, we came to a beach that I bet doesn?t have a name. There was nobody there ? not even any footprints.
I was tempted to go for a swim, but it?s a deep beach and though I couldn't spot it, I thought there would be a bit of an undercurrent. The headline of Sunday?s newspaper flashed in front of my eyes: ?Sydney father of two (and idiot) drowns at unnamed beach.?
I've been coming to this part of the coast for many years and never knew about that beach.
Scott
I used to think that the reason so many beaches in Australia have a name that reflects their length is that there are too many to name, but I realise now that it?s because when people were settling the coast 100 years ago, the beaches weren?t something they focussed on. They were flat out scratching a living out of what was often some pre scrubby country. Not many people would have swum at beaches back then, so there wouldn?t have been much of a need to name them.
I can imagine the conversation:
'I reckon we should give that beach a name.'
'What beach?'
'That one out of town. The seven mile long one.'
'That'd be the name, then.'
There is also a One Mile Beach closer to Forster.
Anyway, on Saturday, we took a drive along a dirt road that took us to the very northern end of Seven Mile Beach. I noticed a path that lead around the headland, so we went for a walk. It would have been impassable at high tide. After about 500 metres, we came to a beach that I bet doesn?t have a name. There was nobody there ? not even any footprints.
I was tempted to go for a swim, but it?s a deep beach and though I couldn't spot it, I thought there would be a bit of an undercurrent. The headline of Sunday?s newspaper flashed in front of my eyes: ?Sydney father of two (and idiot) drowns at unnamed beach.?
I've been coming to this part of the coast for many years and never knew about that beach.
Scott
