Movies by the Bay

When my father-in-law was here 2 years ago, he contrasted Altona with his hometown in China and was not used to seeing so few people out in the streets. He was hence surprised to see so many people flocked to the beach whenever the temperature rose, a phenomenon he humorously drew analogy to the omnipresent flies that tagged people during summer. He commented that there are more “flies” in Williamstown Beach compared to Altona Beach.

A few of my colleagues are disappointed with the relatively cooler summer this year as they would prefer the temperatures to go beyond 30 degrees Celsius. However, I do not think that air temperatures of 30-40 degrees Celsius are comfortable but I do agree that such temperatures will be necessary for seawater to be sufficiently warm for swimming and there are not so many chances in a year.

Last Friday was a very hot day, with the temperature going up to 36-37 degrees Celsius. Our family decided to go to the beach at 7.30 pm when the temperature started to subside. The beach and Logan Reserve were packed with people. It was very lucky that we were able to find a parking lot quickly.

The time edged closer to 9 p.m. The twilight sun had grown to an expanded, rounded, red lolly and eventually dropped into the seawater in the far horizon, emitting its last rays. We decided to stay behind for the open-air movie screening of Toy Story 3 at Logan Reserve. A lot of people had already congregated at the Reserve, choosing their favorite spots and fully-equipped with picnic chairs, mats, rugs and tidbits.

5-6 kids climbed the monstrous Moreton Bay Fig Tree near the rotunda and straddled the long, horizontal branch one after another. This reminded me of scenes from Tarzan and the Jungle Book.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten to bring my camera. I could only take pictures with my very low resolution mobile phone. There is another movie night on Sunday 23rd January at Logan Reserve. I hope to be able to replace the photos below with better ones.

I feel that open-air movie screenings are fantastic avenues for families and communities to enjoy an activity together. Though the experience may not be as comfortable as watching DVDs from your couch at home, nothing beats the ambience!