A regular sight on our seascape: the 'Iron Monarch'

Of all the shipping that passes by our seascape, the Iron Monarch is my favourite.

This ship, with its distinctive white funnels and black hull looks dramatic against the steel blue water of Western Port Bay. At night, the throb of its diesel engines alerts us to its presence, and on foggy autumn mornings, its eerie fog horn warns shipping of its bulky presence.

This ship travels between Port Kembla (New South Wales) and Hastings in Western Port Bay, carrying blocks of steel to the rolling mill at Hastings where it is converted into steel used for roofing iron, rods, pipes and flat steel.