It was sunny and bright that day as I stood at Platform #7 at Flinders Street Station. The clock indicated that I had 10 minutes of waiting for the next train bound for the city of Frankston. Like my previous trips on the Frankston line, I had no specific destination. As I boarded the blue train, I looked at my map, browsed over the villages that the train would pass through, and, in a few seconds, decided that Chelsea would be it. Passing through Cheltenham, Mentone, Mordialloc, Edithvale and other villages, the train was travelling at moderate speed. Finally, I heard the voice over: "The next station is Chelsea....the next station is Chelsea."
Chelsea is a suburb of Greater Melbourne. It is about 35 kilometers away from Melbourne's Central Business District (CBD). Chelsea is famous for its beach that has fine golden sands. On an ordinary day, that coastal stretch of Port Phillip Bay is quiet as only a few beach goers, walking barefoot along the shores and wading in its cyrstal clear waters, can be seen. The place is truly serene, and breaking the stillness from time to time, are the waves pounding the seemingly impregnable posts of the long pier of Chelsea that extends farther to the sea.
A few meters away are bathing boxes that have become tourist attractions since the 19th century. Colorful and attractive as they are, these bathing boxes are owned by a selected few and cost about $250,000 each. They are used for changing clothes and storing personal items. And it is not surprising to see wedding pictorials at Chelsea Beach with the bathing boxes as backdrop.
It was about 2pm when I had my lunch at the nearby reserve. Then I was back again at the foreshore. As it has always been the case, I took out a small bottle from my back pack, knelt on one knee and scooped with my right hand some golden sand grains. I was feeling the grains with my fingers as I pressed them against the palm. Slowly I filled the bottle and placed it at the small pocket of my back pack. As a buggy passed me by, I started walking towards Nepean Highway, towards the station where the Metro train would take me back to the city proper.
- Konted
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| Chelsea Beach |
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| The long pier of Chelsea |
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| My backpack |
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| Chelsea's foreshore as one looks northward |
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| Looking towards the Mornington Peninsula |
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| Seagulls are common on the shores of Port Phillip Bay |
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| On standby for any eventuality |
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| Rescue buggy |
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| Chelsea Lifesaving Club |
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| Swimmers are advised to stay within the two flagpoles. It is a patrolled area. |
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| Bathing boxes are used for changing clothes and storing personal items. |
