Beach Treasures photo competition

WINNER: A dull summer day on Middleton Beach, Albany, was brightened by this wrinkled bluebottle, slowly drying out. (Andrea Deegan)

RUNNER-UP: This triggerfish at Bellambi was quite fresh and colourful. As my friend Anna said, it’s like the whole cosmos has been painted on its skin. (Caitlin Woods)

RUNNER-UP: A crab on a jetty at Quarrantine Bay Eden, it was very shy and kept peeping out, I was patient and got the photo. (Robyn Collins)

WINNER SECONDARY SCHOOLS: An abalone shell on Rottnest Island. It was almost perfect! (Claire Ormond)

WINNER PRIMARY SCHOOLS: Here is a beautiful star fish, it looks like he has little spots for the particles but he doesn’t it’s just how it looks. (Asuka Hopwood)

With the HSC over, my new life began with a camping trip to Jervis Bay. This was a special time spent with my friends, and as we were relaxing on the pristine white beach we encountered an echidna, who also treasured the scenic locale. (Edward Luca)

Bubbles photographed on Maslin Beach. The sea foam bubbles magnify the seaweed lying underneath and was captured in full sun showing magnificent colours of the rainbow. (Gillian Rayment)

I love hermit crabs! When my boys were little we had many fantastic beach adventures searching for and watching these cute little guys. (Paula McManus)

Jellyfish was photographed inside a wave in crystal clear waters at Maslin Beach South Australia. Although much maligned, jellyfish are indeed beautiful marine coelenterates. (Gillian Rayment)

I used my waterproof camera to take this photo inside the magical world of a rock pool at Apollo Bay Victoria. I held my camera under the water and pressed the button. There is no way of knowing what you get until you review it. (Tina Moore)

“Hithing a ride” Cockles washed in at Vivonne Bay Kangaroo Island. (Heather Connolly)

Emerging from a sand dune into bright daylight, these green turtle hatchlings pause to wait for dusk before dashing across the beach to the ocean. (Susan Richards)

A child’s sculpture on Kilcarnup Beach at Margaret River, WA. The pretty urchin shells are irresistable to adults and children alike, and the heart design speaks of little girls enjoying their time on the beach. (Peter Donecker)

Bluebottle washed in at Vivonne Bay, Kangaroo Island. (Heather Connolly)

Barnacles, (I think!) It has beautiful aesthetic qualities quite unrelated to exactly what it is, and I don’t even know just what it is! (Michael Hayman)

These shiny little fish shelter among the seaweed, trapped in a rock pool by the receding tide. (Yinika Perston)

The rich tones of the setting sun lit this shell and its attached seaweed on a deserted pristine beach on a warm February evening. A fitting finale to a great holiday. (Rose Marie McMaster)

A mysterious pyramid and sandy moat on Cemetery Beach, near Narooma, South Coast NSW. Is this some ancient sun-dial? (Roslyn Appleby)

Seals are the ever so playful “dogs of the sea”; I always find them interesting to watch as they play, sleep and sometimes dispute on the beach – a true treasure of any beach line! (Shane Meyer)

Ospreys have made a nest in the roots of this upside down tree, on a Kimberley beach in northwest Australia. (Yinika Perston)