STORY
The late afternoon air carries the scent of salt and the hush of rippling water. I watch as a pelican sweeps in from the sky, its vast wings slicing through the evening light. Every movement is measured, each feather catching the breeze just so. The stillness of Lake Illawarra stretches beneath it, darkened by the fading sun, the surface momentarily broken as the great bird slows, dipping its bill in search of the evening’s first catch.

There is a moment of perfect symmetry - wings fully extended, droplets scattering, eyes locked in quiet focus. These birds have mastered the delicate balance between motion and stillness, gliding effortlessly where air meets water. Standing on the shore, I feel the calm that comes with their presence. The lake is theirs, the sky is theirs, and for this fleeting moment, I am simply an observer, caught in the beauty of their flight.