Anna Bay wedding photographer: Dunes to the horizon
For an Anna Bay wedding photographer, the drive from our Cooks Hill studio is about fifty minutes along Nelson Bay Road. Anna Bay is where the sand takes over: the town sits behind Birubi Point, and from there the beach and the dunes run south for more than thirty kilometres toward Stockton.
What an Anna Bay wedding photographer plans around
Anna Bay is the one corner of Port Stephens where the view is mostly sand and sky, and the pictures look like nowhere else on this coast.
Gan Gan Road brings you into town off Nelson Bay Road, and the streets run down to Robinson Reserve and Birubi Beach, where the sand begins.
Above the beach, Birubi Point is a declared Aboriginal Place within Tomaree National Park, a site of deep significance to the Worimi people.
To the south, the Worimi Conservation Lands stretch along Stockton Bight, owned by the Worimi and managed together with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. North of the point the coast turns rocky, with small bays along the walking track toward One Mile Beach.
Where the sand starts at Anna Bay
Birubi Point
The headland above the north end of the beach, with low coastal heath and a long view down the curve of Stockton Bight.
It's a declared Aboriginal Place, so we work from the paths and the lookout area and set nothing up on the ground.
The Stockton Bight dunes
Pale, wind-shaped dunes rising behind the beach, with rippled crests and nothing in the background but sky. From the Birubi end the first big dunes are a short walk over soft sand.
They sit within the Worimi Conservation Lands, and we arrange the NPWS consent a commercial shoot needs.
Birubi Beach
The northern end of the long surf beach, below the point. Wide, flat sand at low tide and lines of white water make simple, open portraits, with the dunes rising behind.
Four-wheel drives use this end to get onto the beach, so we walk a little way clear of the track.
One Mile Beach
A curved ocean beach a short drive north, framed by rocky headlands, at the far end of the walking track from Birubi Point.
Smaller and greener than the bight, it's a good change of scene if the wind on the dunes gets too strong.
Birubi Beach faces south-east, toward the open ocean, and the sand behind it is close to white. On a summer evening the sun drops toward the far end of the bight, so the low light comes along the beach and turns the dune crests gold.
In winter it sets inland, behind the town, and the beach falls into soft shadow while the tops of the dunes hold the last of it.
All that pale sand throws light back up like a reflector, which softens faces but makes for squinting, so we save the open dunes for the final hour.
Before an Anna Bay wedding, you might ask
How far do we have to walk to reach the dunes?
Not far from the Birubi end: the first big dunes are a short walk over soft sand from the car park. Soft sand is hard going in heels and a long dress, so we bring a bag for your shoes and choose a crest near the edge rather than heading deep in.
Can we drive a four-wheel drive into the dunes for photos?
Driving on the beach needs a Worimi Conservation Lands vehicle permit, which is bought online, and some areas are closed to vehicles. If you'd love the drive, a local tour operator can take you in; otherwise walking in from Birubi Point gets us onto the same sand.
What should we wear when the sand is blowing around?
Something that moves: a skirt that catches the wind looks wonderful on a dune crest. Leave long trains and heavy beading for the ceremony, keep hair pinned, and expect fine sand in every hem. Bare feet are easiest on the crests, but the sand gets very hot on summer afternoons.
Is Birubi Point a respectful place for wedding photos?
It's a place of real meaning to the Worimi people, declared an Aboriginal Place. We keep to the walking tracks and the lookout, never climb on or move anything, and keep the group small. If you'd like a Welcome to Country at your ceremony, the Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council is the place to ask.
Does the tide change Birubi Beach much?
Yes. At low tide the beach is very wide and flat, with wet sand that mirrors the sky; at high tide the water comes much closer to the dunes. We check the tide times for your date and, where we can, line up the beach portraits with the lower water.
Can we do the dunes and then a reception in Nelson Bay?
Easily: the two are only about fifteen minutes apart by road. We'd do the dunes in the afternoon while guests make their way to the reception, then drive across and finish with a few frames by the water there if the light holds.
Nothing up here but sky.
Let us know the date and how far you're happy to walk in the sand. We'll plan the dunes, the beach and the time in between.
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