Photography by Karolina Russell

The Magic of a Regional Australian Town

This photo essay features a selection of images I captured during an early summer evening, revealing the hidden gems of Moruya and Batemans Bay on the far south coast of NSW, Australia.

Reminiscing recently on how we’ve all driven through a sleepy country town somewhere across Australia during our holiday travels, we’ll drive in and find a welcome sign that defines the locality: the name of the town, a Tidy Town winner sign from 1986, perhaps a tagline making the town famous, as well as the obligatory Lyons Club logo. One is often met by a centrally located Visitor Information Centre positioned in a manicured park.

The buildings on the main street might feature a sun-bleached mix of revamped 19th Century architecture peppered with post-war weatherboard creations and post-modern concrete structures. There’s always some corrugated iron thrown in somewhere. As you get out of your car you can hear magpies and currawongs singing from the shade. This is typical Australia, right? But if you wait just a few hours, you’ll see a completely different world emerge: welcome to the blue hour.

Photography by Karolina Russell