Tuesday 20/01/2026 Aurora – Barrack Point – Shellharbour Village
Participants: Stephen Davies (Timelapse, Report)
With a strong aurora forecast, I headed down to Blacks Beach, Barrack Point, after sunset, chasing southern lights to the south. Thick cloud looked unpromising, but a faint purple glow teased the horizon as I reached the beach and moved out onto the rock platform.
The rising tide quickly forced a retreat to higher ground, adding a sense of urgency as the camera was set up facing south over Shellharbour Village. From 9:34 pm to 10:34 pm, the shutter kept working while the southern sky shifted between brief hints of colour and heavy cloud. To the naked eye, the aurora was barely visible, often completely swallowed by clouds, and it would have been easy to assume the night was a write‑off.
The finished timelapse tells a very different story. Frame by frame, the sensor quietly gathered light the human eye could not read, revealing a soft auroral glow above the coast, pulsing gently behind the clouds. It is a reminder that patience, persistence and a camera on a sturdy tripod can uncover moments that would otherwise pass unnoticed.
For anyone chasing aurora australis along this coastline, this night at Barrack Point and Shellharbour Village shows that even a marginal forecast and a cloudy sky can still deliver subtle magic — if you stay, shoot and let the timelapse speak for itself.
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