Sunrise 14 - EDEN
This road trip was borne from a number of reasons. For the sake of this blog it was photography. But what do you do with punishing winds, shitfull light and relentless rain…..you go trinket shopping and museuming. Unfortunately Eden is renowned for neither, however if you lift enough rocks there are always diamonds to be found.
The biggest is the Killer Whale Museum established in the 1930’s. This – at the moment humble yet informative – posting is currently undergoing refurbishment and holds a plethora of local history and tales of the region across all its fortunes.
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Before knowing what damage it would cause, whaling was a lucrative source of income for the pre-great depression community. What made Twofold Bay uniquely special was a bull Killer Whale, “Old Tom”, the leader of the local pod, who’s symbiotic relationship with the whalers prolonged the harmonious longevity of the bay. You see, Tom and his pack would hunt Sperm and Southern Right whales alongside the fleet of skiffs working together to maximise the catch. The Killers ate only the fins, tongues and liver of their prey, leaving the remaining carcass for the whalers. This was ideal, because that’s exactly what they required. The oils, bones and baleen.
This partnership endured for many years and was unique throughout the world, until one morning, the bloated carcass of Old Tom was found floating in Twofold Bay. Strangely, not a single sighting of Killer Whale was made the following year and sadly the serendipitous affiliation never returned.
Recognising Tom’s importance, locals preserved his skeleton in view of creating a historical museum, and after years of fundraising, his form can be seen to this day pride of place near the museum entrance as we witnessed today.
As part of its history, fishing and forestry flourished in and around the area, but the town itself was established to serve graziers from the inland Monaro district with a better means of transporting livestock to Tasmania. Consequently, cattle-handling facilities and the township were surveyed in 1842. We walked both sides of sodden Imlay Street visiting just about every shop. A warm coffee, a few Nik-Naks as gifts, and even a couple of treats for ourselves helped pass a gloomy day. Before leaving we braved the fierce wind and horizontal rain to check out Eden Park Lookout. Facing south across Twofold Bay, a decked observation platform affords 180 degree views from the Pacific to the harbour. On a clearer day this would be spectacular. Today it was equally impressive.
The rain didn't stop all day and the sun was never seen. It was a shame really, because Fatpap had for months studied maps and Google Earth scouting special photographic locations in and around Eden. Ben Boyd National Park and its famous tower, the Pinnacles geological formations and vibrant red sands of the area. The mouth of the sandy bottomed Pambula River and the hidden rock pools of Haycock Point. All of these were planned shoots for today, but with howling winds and torrential rains, sadly none would be visited. Eden though is only 470 km from Sydney and all of these will be rescheduled for a - long - weekend in the new year.
The portfolio is a little lighter without these expected images, but Eden’s harbour, National Parks, numerous coved beaches, shopping strip, boutique stores and local kebab stand are all reasons a visit to this wonderful part of the world, despite any weather inclemency, is well worth the journey.