Journal
Pools worth a detour, the way we start a summer Saturday, and the plants holding the dunes together.
6 min read
Six rock pools between Newcastle and the Tweed that are better than any hotel pool.
Start at Newcastle Ocean Baths before the council crowd arrives, then drive north for the smaller pools at Norah Head and The Entrance. Each one has its own tide and its own regulars.
Take one towel, one hat and a thermos. Buy coffee after, not before — the best pools have nowhere to put a cup down.
4 min read
How three of our team start a summer Saturday, from the first coffee to the last set.
Our studio manager swims at 6:30am, eats at 8, and is at her desk by 9. The order never changes: one flat white, one piece of toast, and a swim long enough to stop thinking about work.
In summer, add a rash vest and a second coffee. In winter, a towel over the car seat and the heater on full.
5 min read
Banksia, wattle and the coastal scrub that holds the whole beach together.
Behind every beach is a line of scrub doing the unglamorous work: holding sand, breaking wind, feeding the birds. Banksia, coastal wattle, pigface and spinifex.
Stay on the path. The shortest route to the water is usually the one that costs the dune another decade.