COAST magazine Winter 2023 issue

ANCIENT ‘ART GALLERIES’ ON THE COAST

A FRENCH CHEF’S COASTAL ODYSSEY

KNOW YOUR WHALES ON THE HUMPBACK HIGHWAY

COSY STAYCATIONS AND WEEKENDS AWAY

HAVE A GOOD DAY AT ERINA FAIR

THIS APRIL TO JULY WE’RE INTRODUCING THE GOOD DAY COLLECTIVE.

This campaign is about doing positive things with goodness and substance at the heart. And creating authentic, deeper experiences for our customers and communities.

We’re inviting shoppers to enjoy uplifting and meaningful experiences - from events that unite people, to activations that focus on the spirit of love, connection and sustainability, we’re stirring up good feelings, and leaving places better than we found them.

We want a visit to a Lendlease shopping centre to be an inspiring experience. One that’s all about being

good, kind, and caring towards people, the community and the planet.

We’re adding GOOD to everyday moments and occasions, helping customers fill their cup. Like giving them the chance to feel good by donating to their favourite local charities.

Through The GOOD DAY Collective, Lendlease shopping centres and retailers can make a genuine difference to people’s day. It’s where we can provide inspiration and opportunities for our customers to FEEL good and DO good with every interaction.

Norah Head lighthouse.

Welcome

When we first started compiling the article in this issue on Aboriginal rock engravings, local bushwalkers who knew of their locations and even photographers who’d recorded numerous sites over the years told us they couldn’t cooperate with us because we’d never be allowed to publish the information. It’s funny though, when you go to the source – in this case the elders at the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Council – and discuss the reason behind wanting to publish, a different picture emerges. They welcomed the idea of the general public becoming better informed on the significance of these ancient artworks and, it was hoped therefore, that we would likely be more respectful and protective of the engravings. The other interesting thing that emerged was the, sometimes, vastly different interpretation white people put on these engravings compared to the custodians of Aboriginal culture. A group of what was said to be ‘dancing rabbits’ was really an initiation ceremony with young men dancing in bilby-style headdresses. And an engraving of a man in a spikey headdress

COAST

EDITOR, PUBLISHER

Catharine Retter editorial@coastpublishing.com.au

DEPUTY EDITOR

Jennifer Ennion editorial@coastpublishing.com.au

SUB EDITOR Helen Hayes

ART DIRECTOR

Jude Rowe, Agave Creative Group

PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHERS

Chris Dick • Lisa Haymes • James Lutwyche • Grace Picot

PRINCIPAL WRITERS

Megan Arkinstall • Angela Bennetts • Maree Del Casale

Jennifer Ennion • Helen Hayes • Suzy Jarratt • Philippa Macken

Catharine Retter • Paul Urquhart • Tara Wells • Julie Wright

ILLUSTRATORS

Maps: Guy Holt • Lauren Merrick

ADVERTISING

Anissa Vineburg 0408 692 129 Lyndal Keyzer 0432 800 150 advertising@coastpublishing.com.au

SOCIAL MEDIA

Julie Wright, Anchor Co. admin@coastpublishing.com.au

DISTRIBUTION

became a representation of their creation god with the rays of the sun around his head.

We also found a wealth of knowledge of a different art held by an elder in our hinterland. And I hasten to say ‘elder’ is used here as a reference to her wisdom not age! Christine France has known so many of Australia’s most renowned artists personally over the decades. The artist Ben  Quilty believes Christine knows more about the way Australian artists and schools of thought have formed today’s creative world than anyone else.

While heralding our locals, we have also updated one of our most popular articles from a few years ago where restaurants, cafes and our waterside hotels remember the people who visit them year round. Look out for ‘Locals nights’ discounts and special offers!

And how could we go through a whale season without bringing you some surprising information on who’s who off our shores.

Enjoy. c

Catharine Retter, Publisher

Alex Tkachenko admin@coastpublishing.com.au

ADMINISTRATION admin@coastpublishing.com.au

COAST is published by Coast Publishing ABN 11 145 976 049 PO Box 6407 Kincumber NSW 2251

COPYRIGHT AND WARRANTIES

The editorial content, photographic content, design and graphic art (including design of any advertisements by Coast Publishing) are all subject to copyright and must not be reproduced in any form without written permission from Coast Publishing.

While we strive to ensure information contained in this magazine is correct and current at the time of printing, details may be subject to change and we recommend contacting venues or event organisers before planning your visit. The information contained in this magazine has been provided by contributors, interviewees and advertisers and their sources.

No warranty is given by Coast Publishing as to the accuracy of this information nor any liability arising from any reliance upon the information contained herein.

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We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Awabakal and Darkinjung peoples and their Elders past and present. We recognise and respect their cultural heritage, beliefs and relationship with the land.

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The paper this magazine is printed on is from sustainably managed forest and controlled sources. Recognised in Australia by Responsible Wood. pefc.org.au

by Chris Allen. Wyrrabalong National Park.

Photograph

© STUART MCANDREW

Favourite places.

Villages & Beaches CENTRAL COAST AND LAKES

ANCIENT ART GALLERIES on the Central Coast

Rock art is the oldest surviving human art form, and Aboriginal tools used in making petroglyphs (rock engravings) have been dated from 50,000 years ago. In our region, rock engravings are much more prolific than rock paintings, no doubt because they endure longer than charcoal, gypsum clay and ochre art in our climate.

8

A European interpretation of this engraving of Bulgandry man is of a man wearing a head-dress and holding a boomerang in his left hand. At his waist he carries a woomera (spear thrower). However the Darkinjung people know this motif as the story of Baiami, the creator. His extended arms reach for the sun. From his head come the sun’s rays. In his right hand he holds the moon, in his left the morning star. His belt is symbolic of the umbilical cord that connects a mother to her child, as well as symbolising the connection between the spiritual and the physical worlds.

PREVIOUS PAGE Daramulum (first eagle) is associated with Baiame the creator and his emu-wife. Indentations around him may represent star groups. The motif represents Baiame on earth during ceremonies and his raised arm is a dance pose.

BELOW Mundoes are the footprints that Baiami, the creator made and show where he walked. The five-toed footprints represent ‘man’. A three-toed emu style footprint represents ‘woman’ and would indicate that the area is a woman’s site.

There are more Aboriginal heritage sites around the Central Coast than most of us could guess, particularly in our national parks and state forests. In fact, the region has one of the highest densities of Aboriginal art sites in the Sydney basin, and they include rock and cave art, marriage ceremony sites, espaliering of branches to signpost women’s sites, tree carvings, stone arrangements, birthing sites, middens and axe-grinding sites.

The engravings by the original inhabitants of the Central Coast – the Darkinjung people, as well as the Awaba people to the north – depict wildlife, human figures and mundoes (human footprints) but can also contain images of sacred spiritual beings and ancestral heroes. In the southern end of the region, there is one mystical, human-like figure with multiple bulbous ‘heads’ that is one of only four such recorded figures in the entire greater Sydney basin.

Telling stories

Rock art is the ‘literature’ of Aboriginal culture, passing on stories of ancestors and connections to places where people gathered, and where traditions and law were handed down. The art can also convey practical information on fishing and hunting sites. Many engraving sites are found on exposed rock platforms, often overlooking valleys or waterways, and with motifs that point in the direction of another site. Axe grinding grooves are usually found close to a water source, such as at the top of a waterfall, where the water was necessary to cool the heat generated by the friction of rubbing stone-on-stone.

Locations

There are only a couple of signposted sites in our region – notably Bulgandry Aboriginal Place in Kariong (a communal gathering site) and the Mooney Mooney Aboriginal Place. The State Government has declared a number of additional sites of special significance as official ‘Aboriginal Places’: Warre Warren Aboriginal Place (a communal site in McPherson State Forest), Howe Aboriginal Place (a ceremonial site at Somersby), Calga Aboriginal Place (at Peats Ridge), and Mt Yengo Aboriginal Place (a communal site in Yengo National Park).

Although bushwalkers readily come across Aboriginal heritage sites, we have intentionally not provided other specific locations to avoid them being ‘loved to death’. A few very special and culturally significant sites also remain off limits or accessible only with an Aboriginal guide.

The natural effect of weathering has worn away engravings, but even more damage is done from foot traffic as people walk over the carvings without thinking of the harm they do. Mountain bikes and heavy machinery have also critically damaged sandstone engravings.

You would never walk on top of ancient artefacts in a museum so please respect the engravings for future generations. Sadly, archaeologists estimate that by 2060, without a greater respect for rock engravings, there will be little or nothing remaining visible in the natural environment of the engravings that we may take for granted today.

RIGHT An anthropomorphic man, one of only four similar engravings in the greater Sydney basin. He wears a multi-headed, bulbous head-dress. He is a spirit figure that interacted with Aboriginal ancestors to become shape-shifters and different creatures of the land.

BOTTOM RIGHT Woman and kangaroo. The woman’s raised arms are a sign for men to go no further for beyond this point is a women’s site.

The artistic process

Engravings were often started with a series of pittings in the rock that were then connected by grooving lines between the pits to form motifs. If you look closely, those pitted markings are still visible and can indicate authentic Aboriginal engravings. Sharp, narrow and more angular lines are more likely to indicate fake engravings made with modern tools. (And don’t be fooled by thin stripes on an older engraving of a dingo to make it into a Tasmanian Tiger!)

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Kangaroo and eel; The Rainbow Serpent representing creation; A marine creature, possibly a wobbegong; A man with head-dress, anklets, and a ceremonial belt of life. At waist level is possibly a large eel. The outstretched arms signify the man is part of an initiation ceremony.

© OLIVER DESCOEUDRES

Motifs

Animal motifs often represented the type of food that could be hunted in a particular area, or they depicted local totems. Interestingly, animals are often depicted in profile, whereas humans are usually shown face on. Some human forms have eyes, others don’t, which may indicate whether they are shown from the front or back. Some depict halfanimal, half-human forms representing the spiritual links between man and nature. The size of a motif is usually indicative of its importance at a site.

Engravings of whales, dolphins, sharks, stingrays and fish are common close to beaches, bays and estuaries, and are often shown in amazing detail with dorsal and pectoral fins, and body markings that identify the species. Among the whales, we would expect to see humpbacks but orcas were also often depicted. Dots adjacent to a fish may represent a clutch of eggs.

Some patterns are thought to resemble the southern sky at night with stars and formations significant in Aboriginal culture. The motifs depicted are important evidence of traditional culture and a past way of life and could be hundreds, even thousands, of years old.

The content of this article has been written in collaboration with and approved by the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Note, some photographs have been enhanced to better show the motifs depicted.

THE MOOLYEWONK OR HAWKESBURY RIVER MONSTER

Aboriginal rock engravings around 4,000 years old beside the Hawkesbury River (Deerubbin or Dyarubbin), depict a long-necked, fourflippered creature with a long tail that is thought to be an egg-laying plesiosaur – supposedly extinct 65 million years ago. European settlers in the 1880s were told of Aboriginal women and children being attacked by a giant serpent called a Moolyewonk, ‘a monster that lives in the water’. The most visible engravings of one are on a cliff at Wisemans Ferry and on sandstone cliffs in Woy Woy.

Stories are also told around Freemans Waterhole, west of Lake Macquarie (Lake Awaba), where the creature is known as a Rainbow Snake that killed Aboriginal people.

Aboriginal art depicted the creature at about seven metres in length but the plesiosaur could grow up to 24 metres. They were slow swimmers that inhabited the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean and tended to swim just below the surface. Fossils have been found in Queensland and South Australia, with possible sightings as far away as Loch Ness!

Around the Hawkesbury, there have been ‘sightings’ of the creature by anglers in 1945, by bush walkers in 1979 and, in the 1980s, there were tales of fishing boats being mysteriously overturned. The most recent sighting was in 2000. Slide marks have also been found on the riverbanks across the decades where the creature was thought to have exited or entered the water.

People who have made a study of the Moolyewonk are convinced they still exist.

ABOVE A large fish with footprints on its body that come from the spirit of the animal indicating its spiritual connection to humans.

© OLIVER DESCOEUDRES

LOCAL Loving A buzzing urban hotspot on the Coast

WORDS MEGAN ARKINSTALL

PRE-2011, LONG JETTY WAS IN A STATE OF STASIS. IT WAS THE TRUE DEFINITION OF A GHOST TOWN: THOUSANDS OF CARS WOULD ZIP THROUGH THE UNINSPIRING CONCRETE JUNGLE WITHOUT STOPPING. BUT WHEN TWO TENACIOUS LOCALS IGNORED THE ADVICE OF THEIR REAL ESTATE AGENT WHO WARNED IT WOULD BE ‘BUSINESS SUICIDE’ TO SET UP A CAFÉ HERE, PEOPLE FOLLOWED THE SCENT OF THEIR ROASTED COFFEE IN DROVES. LIKE A DOMINO EFFECT, OTHER BUSINESS OWNERS COURAGEOUSLY FOLLOWED THEIR LEAD. THE CAFÉ IN QUESTION WAS THE GLASS ONION SOCIETY, AND WHILE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS HAVE LONG MOVED ON, THEIR LEGACY IS A NOW HUMMING TOWN WITH A COLLECTIVE OF GREAT CAFÉS AND EPICUREAN OFFERINGS, A SLATE OF HIP BOUTIQUES, AND AN EVER-GROWING CREATIVE AND CONSCIOUS COMMUNITY. ‘THE JETTY’ MAY STILL BE A LITTLE GRITTY AROUND THE EDGES, BUT THAT’S WHAT MAKES THIS URBAN HUB SO ALLURING.

LONG JETTY 8

Stroll and stretch

Wake early for a leisurely stroll along Tuggerah Lake foreshore and catch the sunrise behind the town’s namesake long jetty. The town is actually home to three long jetties, but the 1915-built, 351-metre pier takes the limelight for stretching that little bit further into the lake. This is a brilliant spot to bring the kids for a flat scooter or bike ride, with playgrounds to visit along the way. Yogis should check out Modern Organic, a wholefood café and yoga studio, which offers casual yoga, Pilates and meditation classes – a mindful way to start the day.

Fuel up

If you love coffee, you’re in the right place: Long Jetty is a caffeine lovers’ paradise. With a huge local following, The Green Tangerine is a cosy corner café with a nourishing menu and freshly baked goodies, right by the Insta-famous Long Jetty mural. Across the road, the former Glass Onion Society has been transformed by its new owners: now named Mr Sha Sha’s, this hip new café has a refreshing new look and energy. A couple of blocks away, The Morning Coffee Society is another popular caffeine club and brunch spot. New kid on the block, Keep Rollin Rolls is a great place to grab a delicious but easy lunch of banh mi, with vegan options available. 8

Modern Organic Yoga Studio

The Green Tangerine

Shop. Dine. Enjoy.

Lakeside Shopping Centre Your New...

Serving the local community since 1979, Lakeside Shopping Centre continues to evolve to cater for the changing needs of locals and tourists alike.

Now another substantial refurbishment and store remix is underway to provide a contemporary design and casual coastal feel.

In addition to the recent upgrade of TSG, Hollywood Nails, Amplifon and Phone Culture, we are introducing exciting new retailers Pellegrini’s Italian café and Phat Chicken.

On completion the offer will include the Coles supermarket, along with 20 specialty and service based stores, all on a single level with the benefit of convenient on grade parking.

The internal refurbishment is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2023.

Lakeside Shopping Centre thanks all customers for their patience and patronage whilst we continue to improve the Centre for The Entrance community.

Browse treasures, old and new

Long Jetty has often been referred to as the ‘Newtown of the Central Coast’ and with good reason. Like the inner-west Sydney ’hood, our very own gritty enclave exudes bohemian-style vibes, with vintage and second-hand stores and a creative culture to boot. Pop by Sorry Grandma, filled with bric-a-brac from yesteryear including kitchenware, art, a ‘kitsch cupboard’ full of oddities and handmade items made from vintage fabrics. Or say hi to the friendly folk in Tiki La La, an aesthetically chic retro store that stocks high-end pieces from mid-century furniture to ’90s grunge fashion and vinyl records. Plain Janes is the go-to for a curated mix of relaxed modern fashion and accessories, Lucky Surf Co for its surf apparel and the rotating gallery space out back, Poppy Lane for beautiful blooms and gifts, and Three Donkeys Home + Coffee Bar for premium French-style interiors and to grab a cuppa to go.

Essential shopping

Make your way to cult favourite Burnt Honey Bakery to get early dibs on artisan pastries, cakes and sourdoughs made from quality and sustainable ingredients. Stock up your pantry on the first and fourth Tuesdays of each month at Long Jetty Farmers Market held at The Clam church, where you can browse stalls of fresh produce and products grown and made by locals. For vinaceous pleasures, Upstairs Wine sources drops by small-batch wineries with a sustainable focus – keep an eye out for tasting events and masterclasses.

After dark

Dine-in dinner reservations are few and far between in the Jetty, but thankfully there’s a Tuscan newcomer to town. Enter Il Toscano, the second outpost for the authentic Italian restaurant (the other is in Terrigal), whose kitchen crafts antipasti and fresh handmade pasta served in a traditional trattoria-style setting. And don’t forget the always happening Savoy, the heritage movie theatre-turned-social venue where you can catch a flick, enjoy a tipple, grab a bite to eat and have a boogie to a variety of weekend DJs.

The Savoy

Upstairs Wine

Lucky Surf Co

Tiki La La

© JACKIELYN POWELL

KNOW YOUR WHALES on the ‘HUMPBACK HIGHWAY’

MORE THAN 40,000 WHALES MAKE THEIR WAY PAST THE CENTRAL COAST ON THEIR MIGRATION NORTH THEN BACK SOUTH ON THEIR RETURN TO ANTARCTIC WATERS EACH MAY TO NOVEMBER.

Along what is generally known as the Humpback Highway, the humpbacks and minke whales are the most commonly sighted but, if you’re far enough offshore, you may also spot orcas, blue whales, beaked whales, southern right whales and sperm whales that all prefer to travel closer to the edge of the deep continental shelf.

The southbound return journey from August to November is when you are more likely to see whales closer to shore, sometimes taking a break in bays with their calves, and teaching them the fundamentals of tail slapping and breaching.

The good news is that the whale watching season is getting longer as whale populations rebuild.

HUMPBACKS

Humpbacks cover about 10,000 kilometres during their annual round trip at a leisurely speed of about three kilometres per hour.

Scientists thought whales fasted during their migration, only feeding again on krill and small fish once they returned to their Antarctic waters. However, rare groups of 20 or more whales have been observed on their southward journey, swimming in circles to create a perimeter of bubbles that herds schools of fish into their bubble ‘net’ so they can scoop them up for a communal feast. Scientists also get an idea of the whales’ health using specialist drones to collect whale breath particles after they breach and blow.

WORDS CATHARINE RETTER AND RONNY LING

Humpback

JONAS LIEBSCHNER DPE

SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALES

Southern right whales were considered the ‘right’ whale for harpooning in the 1800s because they travelled close to shore and had a huge oil yield. They also floated when dead, making them easy to recover. They are a slow moving whale and, even today, collisions with ships are a major cause of death or serious injury for this species.

They are still listed as endangered, and in our immediate region of south eastern Australia their numbers have only increased to around 270 individuals.

Southern rights are distinguished by the white/grey toughened skin growths, known as callosities, on their heads. The patterning of these callosities is unique and is used to identify individual whales.

Their huge heads measure up to a third of their body length and their jaws hold around 250 baleen plates that hang down from their top jaw like an enormous curtain that they use to trap up two tonnes of krill and other small crustaceans a day.

Weighing as much as eight adult elephants, southern right whales make an impressive sight off the coast but, given their small numbers, usually only a few are sighted in NSW each season. Although slow to breed, if they avoid shipping lanes, they can live up to 100 years.

Southern right whales

Minke whale

© CHRIS DICK

MINKE WHALES

Antarctic minkes and dwarf minkes are the smallest of the baleen whales (about the length of a double-decker bus) and may live up to 60 years. They are very inquisitive animals and the writer has personally experienced being surrounded by curious minkes (including a mother with calf) that repeatedly swam in circles around a group of snorkellers, turning on their sides to make eye contact and seemingly as curious about us, as we were about them.

The white and grey markings on the sides of a minke are unique to each whale, making for easy identification.

Killer whales have an affinity for this little whale, and the minkes’ defence is a fast getaway speed of up to 30 km/h, making them among the fastest of all whales. And, apparently, the way to tell the age of a minke is to count the waxy layers in its ears – though this is probably not very useful information, given their speed.

Minkes were named after a young Norwegian sailor who harpooned one, mistaking it for a much larger blue whale. He was never allowed to forget it!

SPERM WHALES

Sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales and their survival is listed as vulnerable.

Males are the greater long-distance travellers, while females tend to favour warmer waters. They are known to migrate along the NSW coast where the continental shelf rises steeply from a great depth. Here, they feed mainly on squid, octopus and a variety of fish.

Although they are deep divers, often staying submerged for up to 90 minutes, they also like to remain at the surface for extended periods of time making them easier to spot.

The sperm whale is the only whale with a single blowhole near the tip of the left side of its head and is readily distinguished by a narrow and underslung lower jaw and an extremely large head – up to 35 per cent of its total body length.

considered one of the most efficient large predators in the ocean. They work in packs to hunt cooperatively to chase down or surround seals, penguins, fish, stingrays, dolphins, minke whales, and even blue whales.

They are also known to follow humpbacks on their southern migration, often preying on the newborn calves even in the presence of a protective humpback male.

Their ability to stay submerged for long periods has made them difficult for scientists to observe and knowledge about orcas’ lifestyle still has major gaps.

They communally care for calves and demonstrate unusual altruism towards the injured or sick in their pod. 8

Sperm whale, the 'Moby Dick' of whales.

Orca hunting a beaked whale

© JAN HUNTER

PILOT WHALES

Pilot whales are characterised by their round, bulging forehead and short beak-like snout. They inhabit the coast close to the continental shelf, but have also been found in deep, open ocean. There are two species, short-finned and long-finned pilot whales, with the former preferring warmer waters and the latter a colder environment.

They grow to around six metres in length, are black or dark grey in colour, sometimes with a pale, elongated anchor shape on their throat and chest.

Pilot whales are highly social and follow a leader – something that may explain why this species is often involved in mass strandings. They are called pilot whales as old, sailors’ myths told of them showing ships into a safe harbour during squalls and storms. Unfortunately, this also led many ships to their doom.

BEAKED WHALES

Little is known of beaked whales because of their elusive behaviour, low population numbers, and because their natural habitat is the deep ocean. That said, Gray’s beaked whale is the second-most common whale species to become stranded on Australian beaches, so most information has come from beached whale carcasses. Up to 28 beaked whales at a time have become stranded which scientists believe may indicate how sociable they are.

Beaked whales are named for their long, cylindrical ‘beak’ that protrudes as the whale surfaces. Adult males tend to be slightly buck-toothed, with large triangular teeth that grow 6 to 10 cm wide.

Beaked whales are also susceptible to bites from small cookiecutter sharks, which as their name implies, leave circular bite marks that become white scars. Males also often carry tooth-raked scars thought to be from combat with other males.

WHALE SAFETY

Loud underwater noises such as seismic surveys drilling, pile driving, blasting, dredging, vessel noises and military sonar, can disrupt whale communication and deter them from following migratory paths or important habitats.

For the safety of both whales and humans, people must keep at least 100 metres from a whale, and 300 metres if a calf is present. Jet skis must always stay a distance of 300 metres.

Ronny Ling: Central Coast Marine Wildlife Rescue and President of the Central Coast Dolphin Project. ccdolphins.org

Pilot whales

Beaked whale

© MONTSE GRILLO

© KAREN STOCKIN

DRINK Eat and

COOKING UP MEMORIES:

A French chef’s coastal odyssey

As he heads out for an early morning surf, Jeremy Pace, head chef at L’isle de France Terrigal, feels a warm sense of familiarity. Though he’s far from the shores of his homeland in Brittany, north-west France, the beautiful beaches of the Central Coast are reminiscent of his own upbringing in the idyllic city of Brest, nestled among rocky seascapes and rich farmlands.

It was in this bucolic town that Jeremy discovered his love of cooking and set upon a path that would ultimately lead him to work with some of Europe’s greatest chefs.

‘As a teenager, I was inspired by the incredible seafood along the Atlantic coast where I grew up,’ says Jeremy. ‘Seafood was a big part of our diet back home, with fish on the table most nights, together with great quality produce.’

Jeremy was fortunate to begin his chef apprenticeship at Michelin one-star restaurant Le Temps de Vivre in Roscoff, before moving on to Alain Ducasse’s Michelin three-star restaurant at the five-star Hotel Plaza Athénéein Paris.

Drawn to the beach lifestyle, Jeremy headed to Australia for a holiday at the age of 25 and never looked back.

‘A friend and I started our trip in Surfers Paradise and made our way to Sydney,’ says Jeremy. ‘Like typical backpackers, by the time we got to Sydney we had $300 between us and it was time to find a job.’

Jeremy’s talents were soon snapped up by lauded French-Australian chef Guillaume Brahimi, at Bennelong at the Sydney Opera House. He went on to become Senior Sous Chef at the popular Guillaume at Paddington, before assuming the role of Head Chef at Bistro Guillaume Sydney in 2016.

‘My daughter was born two months before the opening of Bistro Guillaume and it felt like I had two babies,’ says Jeremy. ‘When we visited a friend here on the Central Coast, we instantly fell in love with the region and knew this was where we wanted to raise our family.’

WORDS PHILIPPA MACKEN

Head chef Jeremy Pace

They moved to the Central Coast in 2022 and Jeremy joined the team at L’isle de France Terrigal as Head Chef, his experience and background deemed a perfect complement to owner Bernard Mallet’s French-speaking heritage and mission for the restaurant.

Born in Mauritius, Bernard established L’isle de France Terrigal in 2014 as the destination ‘par excellence’ for fine French food on the Central Coast. The menu is considered traditional French fare with a modern twist.

‘L’isle de France Terrigal provides a lot of creative potential for me as chef,’ says Jeremy. ‘For example, steak tartare is a classic French dish you’d find in any Parisian brasserie, but I give it a fun twist by using crème fraiche and horseradish instead of tomato ketchup.’

Consistency is important to Jeremy and his team holds a unified vision for the menu and the restaurant.

‘If someone comes for lunch on Monday and again for dinner on Saturday, I want them to experience the same level of service and quality of food,’ says Jeremy. ‘I spend a lot of time training the staff and I’m fortunate to have a very talented sous chef, as well as French sommelier Fabrice le Boulanger, who also hails from Brittany.’

Seasonal and sustainable produce are essential components of the menu, with vegetarians and vegans catered for.

‘I’ve changed the menu three times in the past year to showcase seasonal produce,’ says Jeremy. ‘Around 95 per cent of our ingredients are sourced locally, the remainder coming from France.’

His approach has paid off with the restaurant again retaining its AGFG Hatted rating in 2023.

As he contemplates the years ahead, Jeremy looks forward to offering his now seven-year-old daughter, Lily, a similar relaxed, coastal upbringing to his own, while instilling some French sensibilities in her, of course.

‘Lily already loves duck liver; she was trained young,’ laughs Jeremy.

L’isle de France Terrigal, 1 Ena Street, Terrigal (AKA 150 Terrigal Drive) Tel: 4382 8600 Reservations: lisledefranceterrigal.com.au

Owner Bernard Mallet

Beautiful Terrigal sea views from L'isle de France

BREAKING GROUNDS CAFÉ, Tuggerah

Whodoesn’t love to hear of a new café where the coffee is really good, the food is delicious and locally sourced, and the service is warm and friendly?

What makes Breaking Grounds even more special is that it is the Coast’s first fully inclusive and accessible café, and provides training and employment opportunities in our hospitality industry for people with a disability or those facing challenges such as poor mental or physical health, long-term unemployment, unmet educational goals or homelessness.

For people who personally don’t need to think of access, you may only notice the café’s friendly and inviting ambience, and the happy faces and enthusiasm of the staff, demonstrating how much this job opportunity means to them. But if you’re someone who needs wheelchair access or you’re a mobility aid user, you’ll welcome the wide entryways, wheelchair-friendly heights to the tables and benches, and space to store a walker.

The same care and thought has gone into adjustable workbenches for the staff, and easy access to the Allpress automatic coffee grinder and kitchen facilities. The first class of trainees in Certificate II in Workplace Skills is already underway, where students will complete nationally accredited training.

Go there for the coffee, but we bet you’ll also enjoy providing invaluable experience for the trainees.

LINDT CHOCOLATE opens its first store on the Central Coast

There’s a new temptation at Erina Fair with the premium Swiss chocolatier, Lindt, opening the doors to its brand new store. Lindt has a long heritage in fine chocolates since the first store opened in 1845 in Switzerland, and is one of the few chocolatiers who control their quality from bean to bar. They can also boast of purchasing cocoa beans only from countries and farmers who are part of the Lindt sustainability program.

You can feast on the most extensive range of Lindt chocolates at the new store, including their Artisan Collection, hand-crafted chocolate blocks, Crema Gelata Ice Cream, take-away chocolate drinks, Pick and Mix, or personalise your selection in the knowledge that every piece has been selected and blended with the finest quality cocoa beans roasted to aromatically release their flavours.

Mariners Centre, ground floor at 1 Bryant Drive, Tuggerah

© JOSHUA COOK © JOSHUA COOK

LOCALS’ NIGHTS

The

restaurants,

SEASALT RESTAURANT, Crowne Plaza

Terrigal Pacific at Terrigal

Whether you’re a regular or haven’t been to Seasalt for a while, you know you’ll enjoy the fine dining as well as the spectacular beachfront views. To really spoil you, Crowne Plaza Terrigal has made the locals’ night special available from Sunday to Friday nights all through June, July and August. Pre-book and show your ID on arrival to enjoy a two-course dinner from a fresh seasonal menu for $60 (excludes oysters and seafood platter).

Bookings on terrigalpacific.crowneplaza.com/eat-and-drink/seasalt-restaurant Or phone 4384 9133

SUQ RESTAURANT at Wamberal

Chef Michael Guirguis has created a share-plate menu with flavours inspired by France, Italy, the Mediterranean, North Africa, Japan and parts of Asia. Everything is produced in house using fresh, local and fine imported ingredients. SUQ is currently running locals’ nights with a “chef’s selection” of share plates on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6pm. Unwind with a complimentary glass of wine as Michael presents a tantalising menu that changes weekly. Bookings are highly recommended so you don't miss out.

suqrestaurant.com.au

AVOCA BEACH HOUSE at Avoca Beach

Avoca Beach House is idyllically located upstairs, with 180-degree views overlooking Avoca Beach Its specialty is high-quality seafood, share-style platters and sensational cocktails in an airy space that offers indoor and outdoor seating. Locals’ nights are every Tuesday and Wednesday from 5pm; enjoy two courses for $49 or three courses for $63. You also get a welcome drink, with your choice of a glass of wine or beer on tap.

avocabeachhouse.com.au

Coast’s best

bars, hotels and cafes love locals. And to share the love, they’re offering discounts to those in the know. Here are some of our favourites.

SUQ Restaurant

POCKET BAR, Terrigal

Your favourite waterfront bar serves up inventive cocktails and delicious bar bites and for Monday night locals, there are discounts to be had. Anyone with a postcode of 2260 on their ID gets 20 per cent off!

houseofpocket.com.au/pocket-bar

TERRACE GRILL RESTAURANT AND BAR at Terrigal

Located in Terrigal’s most historic building, ‘The Old Terrigal Post Office’ not far from the beach, Terrace Grill is a local favourite. The menu is modern Australian cuisine interwoven with Italian and other Mediterranean flair, with fresh seafood, black Angus steak and Lachlan Valley lamb among the specialties. The restaurant also has one of the largest selections of local and imported wine. Tuesday and Thursday evening deals are two courses, including a glass of wine or beer for $59, or three courses with a glass of wine or beer for $69.

terracegrill.com.au

THE ENTRANCE SOCIAL CLUB at The Entrance Hotel

Locals are spoilt for choice here. Choose any night from Monday to Thursday for an array of locals’ specials to suit your mood and taste. On Mondays it’s games night and $20 for tender rump steak. On Tuesdays, order a $15 margarita with $15 tacos. On Wednesdays, it’s trivia and burger night for $20, while on Thursdays you can grab a bucket of wings for $20.

theentrancesocialclub.com.au

WOODBLOCK BAR & GRILL at Grand Hotel & Studios, Wyong

Most of us turn to comfort food in winter and one of the best places to find it is at Woodblock, inside a century-old building that also houses Wyong’s award-winning Grand Hotel. An inviting restaurant with friendly staff, this restaurant has a tonne of specials. Dine on chicken wings and strips for $12 on Mondays, pizza for $15 on Tuesdays and 50c wings on Wednesdays. On Thursdays from 5pm, you can grab a two-for-one burger deal, while you can feed your tribe for only $30 on Sunday family pizza night.

woodblockwyong.com.au

THE BEACHIE at Toukley

Get a full stomach and a happy heart at The Beachcomber Hotel at Toukley with a raft of great specials available from Monday to Friday. Kick off your work week with Monday ribs and rump for $35, from 5pm. On Tuesdays, you can score $5 tacos and $10 margaritas. Wednesdays are all about kids eating free; Thursdays are for a $25 burger-and-beer combo; while Fridays are extra special with $12 cocktails and a one-kilogram bucket of chicken wings and a jug of house beer for $38. With so many options, your winter dining is sorted.

beachcomberhotelandresort.com.au

Pocket Bar

The Beachie

The Entrance Social Club

Gingerbread

the way it’s meant to taste

Serendipity led Adri Parncutt to create her award-winning gingerbread

WORDS JENNIFER ENNION

Up to six bags of icing of different colours and consistencies are piped onto a single gingerbread biscuit at Adri’s Gingerbread factory in Lisarow. First, an outline is painted on. Then follows the red of a strawberry or perhaps the green of an avocado. Details are then added: dragon dots, bird’s feathers, teddy bear smiles. The result is a collection of fun, colourful, hand-iced gingerbread.

Adri Parncutt has fond memories of eating gingerbread at Christmas and Easter while growing up in the Czech Republic. When she moved to Australia for love in 2002, she searched for the flavours of her home but could only find gingerbread that was either devoid of flavour, overloaded with ginger or cinnamon, or way too hard.

‘The soft texture and fragrant taste from mixed spices couldn’t be found,’ Adri says.

Yet this search wasn’t the reason Adri started selling gingerbread. The graphic designer was determined not to commute to Sydney from the Central Coast when her daughter started school, and so she began searching for an alternate career path. She found it while selling beaded jewellery and a small selection of handmade gingerbread at Pretty Beach Markets.

‘I kind of went there just to meet the community and decided to make some gingerbread on the side and the gingerbread sold immediately,’ she says.

Adri returned, and, again, quickly sold out of gingerbread. One rainy day, when she had a few packets left over, she approached small businesses to sell them. Yet again, the gingerbread was a hit with customers. Word of the delicious biscuits spread through the Coast’s hospitality industry and Adri found herself following a new baking path, whipping up biscuits in a garage she converted into a second home kitchen.

A decade later, Adri’s Gingerbread is a huge success story, with more than 500 stockists selling the treats. The gingerbread has also 8

won a swag of awards, including gold in The Biscuit class at the 2022 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show, and Adri has collaborated with fine chocolate brand Haigh’s Chocolates.

What makes Adri’s Gingerbread different to mass-produced packets is that the ingredients list includes 10 organic spices to create a subtle and authentic flavour. Adri also follows a European-style recipe where she uses local honey over the cheaper Golden Syrup alternative. Royal icing adorns the fun biscuit designs, which range from the popular avocado and unicorn to a wine bottle and coffee cup, and every biscuit is hand-iced.

‘It takes easily three months to learn the necessary skills to be able to ice the way we do,’ Adri says. ‘It is not possible for a machine to do the intricate designs we offer.’

If you would like to try your hand at icing like Adri and her team, you can buy DIY cookie kits. If you’d prefer to taste your way through Adri’s designs, you can find the biscuits at Central Coast businesses such as The Boathouse Hotel Patonga, BamVino deli at Erina Heights, and Belle & Co. Coffee House in Long Jetty. You can also pop into the Lisarow factory on Thursdays and Fridays, and place custom orders for special occasions.

‘These days we have too much of everything and obviously there are still some tough times for a lot of people, and when you give someone a cookie, it can be a gift, it can be a simple gesture, it can bring a smile to somebody’s face,’ says Adri. ‘It is just a little luxury and I think these days it’s just so cute to sometimes bring somebody a little cookie to say I’m thinking of you.’

Check out the range at adrisgingerbread.com.au

& HOLIDAY LIVING Home Style

A house that explores ideas around materials and family life

— NORTH AVOCA —

Charmaine and Andrew bought their forever home at North Avoca in 2010, prepared to invest substantially in renovating it to take advantage of the location a block back from the ocean and Avoca Lagoon, and to mould it to reflect their love of nature and the environment. It is close enough to walk to the beach with surfboards, picnic hampers and towels but also a little distanced from the corroding impact of salt air on metals and the ocean’s occasional onslaughts.

The house has stunning views to the Avoca headland and beach, and over rooftops towards the lagoon.

‘The lagoon is a breeding habitat for the endangered green and golden bell frog,’ says Charmaine. ‘And you realise how close you are to nature on the Central Coast when one turns up in your backyard!

‘Sadly, our children – now aged seven and 11 – are terrible surfers and are much more interested in horses,’ she says.

It’s for this reason their forever-home is for sale through Adrienn Stenner at Prestige Properties, with the family moving to acreage ‘and a pony.’

‘The house had a butterfly roof and a pink front door when we bought it,’ says Charmaine. ‘It turned into one-half renovation and one-half new build. We knocked down half of the house to put in deep concrete pylons so we could build up to another level. And the other half we gutted and renovated and extended out.

‘We couldn’t have done all this without an amazing architect, Anthony Parsons from ASJP. At the time he had just graduated from university, but we could already see how good he was going to be. He spent a lot of time with us, just blending into our lifestyle and seeing 8

Timber and concrete now dominate the house and dictate the

The timber-slatted curved lines of the new exterior echo shapes in nature, from waves lapping on the shore to the undulations of a tree

Anthony Parsons refers to it as ‘A weatherboard dress around the house that softens the curves and adds privacy.’

‘Anthony and the joiner travelled to a Sydney timber mill to select a specific spotted gumtree before it was milled for internal veneers,’ says Charmain. ‘The tree was chosen on the basis of its colour and grain. We avoided solid timber in places where it may have warped in the sea air. And it means the veneers in the house have now aged

Timber has been used extensively in the kitchen together with a large stainless-steel splashback. There is ample storage with almost every wall opening up into cupboard or pantry space.

Downstairs, the climate-controlled cellar, housing 3,000 bottles of wine, has handcrafted timber joinery to form both wine racks and space for the chateau boxes for the couple’s beloved Bordeaux wines.

Concrete features in walls, ceilings, floors, rounded cantilevered pieces, half walls and garden structures. All blend harmoniously with

‘Lovingly detailed but not overwrought or precious.’

‘We had a line of concrete trucks all down the street so they could provide a continuous pour,’ Charmaine recalls. ‘We also added a rooftop garden, requiring tons of soil to be craned in.

‘We planted over 20 trees on the property including five citrus trees,’ she says. ‘They provide a green leafy outlook as well as privacy. And the frangipani on the roof provides flowers and shade in summer and lets in the sun when the tree is bare in winter. An added benefit is that the soil acts as insulation for the rest of the house too.’

The couple buried a 5,000-litre water tank in the garden to service the irrigation system and there is also a bore they can access. Solar panels provide electricity and heating.

‘Solar has allowed us to have air conditioning as well as underfloor heating,’ says Charmaine. ‘Windows are double glazed, with the frames in Victorian Ash. We’ve tried to use local suppliers wherever possible but where we couldn’t, like the double sinks in the bathroom, we sourced them from an ethical supplier in Italy.’

All mirrors throughout the house are bronze-tinged in keeping with the warmth of the colour scheme. And all door handles are of aged brass.

‘The project was an opportunity to explore ideas around materials and family life. It was also about softening angular lines to blend the house comfortably into its environment,’ says Anthony.

It is a rebuild and renovation that came in at $4 million pre-Covid –something that is unlikely to be possible at this price and with access to these materials again any time soon.

TRADE SUPPLIERS

Architect

Builders (incl. flooring, front door)

Windows and sliding doors

Electricians and lighting

Concreting

Tiling

Anthony Parsons, ASJP Architects

Gordon Haggerty, Keiran Cummings

Binq Windows & Doors

Rutherford and Doutty Electrical

Mick Seaman Concreting

ByDesign Tiling

AIA Residential Architecture Awards 2017 (Houses - Alterations and Additions), Commendation prestigeproperties.com.au/listings/residential_sale-3335883-north-avoca/

For sales inquiries please contact Adrienn Stenner on 0414 729 453. adrienn@prestigeproperties.com.au

Design matters with MAREE DEL CASALE

A focus on wallpaper

Bold colours and prints are undeniably on trend at the moment. And, with wallpaper, you can add an element of depth, style and bold design to a room without the need to add ‘things'. It’s one of our favourite design elements when working on a space. The right selection of paper can bring out a sense of one's personality within a room and can be used in a multitude of ways.

The most common areas we currently use wallpaper are in bedrooms, hallways, living/dining and powder rooms. If you have a bold design in mind, I always tell my clients just go for it and lean into your creativity. Powder rooms have certainly been one of my favourite spaces to have a bit of fun with. In smaller spaces you can opt for large patterned paper to bring the illusion of a larger area.

Wallpaper is no longer restricted to just a single feature wall. I've loved working with some really bold and interesting prints used across several walls – or all walls – combined with other wall finishes like panelling and sometimes even on the ceiling!

When selecting a wallpaper design, always consider the visible space and scale in the room. For instance, applying a mural paper

behind a bedhead would not be in scale as you don’t see the majority of the image.

Wallpaper also adds to the longevity and durability of your walls. That said, avoid applying wallpaper in wet zones like shower areas or areas that are subject to moisture.

Prices can vary from $98 a roll to $600 a roll, so I’d strongly recommend having it professionally hung (especially for expensive paper). When hung correctly in dry spaces, wallpaper can last up to three times longer than paint.

At Stone Arc, we help our clients design and decorate their space holistically by offering access to a range of wallpaper designs, materials, furniture, decorative pieces and more. Our specialty design room is available to all our clients, by appointment, to discuss your ultimate aesthetic goals. Or, if you're a builder or designer, book our room, free of charge, to meet with your clients and have access to all of our pieces.

Located on Cochrone Street, Kincumber, opposite Loo Loo's Coffee Warehouse, pop in at any time, we'd love to see you!

Two of our latest design projects. Left: The bedroom wallpaper compliments the natural and white theme in Oz Design’s Willow bedside table. Right: A darker colour scheme beautifully offsets more traditional furnishings.

The largest kitchen showroom on the Central Coast

Draw inspiration from our range of In Vogue Kitchen Styles. Our expert designers will turn your dreams into reality.

Our winter wishlist for a Staycation

The Central Coast and surrounds are spoiled for choice when it comes to beautiful holiday spots, so you don’t need to travel far to have a winter getaway. From familyfriendly options to luxurious retreats, there is a winter staycation for everyone.

WORDS JULIE WRIGHT

LUXE AIRBNB

It’s no secret the Coast has a seemingly endless supply of high-end holiday homes. Here are two of our favourite super-luxe options.

Le Booker Beachfront is an architecturally-designed threebedroom beachfront villa that has unobstructed waterfront views. Not only is it steps away from the sand, but it also boasts a heated magnesium plunge pool. Ettalong Ferry Wharf is only moments away so you’ll have plenty of dining and shopping options to get your fill.

Over in Killcare, Beachviews@Killcare is what dreams are made of. Your breath will be taken away the moment you step foot through the doors of this flawless five-bedroom home. It's perfect for a winter getaway with a wood burner fire inside, plus a big deck to bundle up on and watch the humpback whale migration – a flawless winter experience.

airbnb.com.au

©

OUT OF THE ORDINARY Kookaburra Chateau, Wyee

Into the Wild Escapes is a company specialising in holiday spots where you can unplug from your day-to-day life and get back to nature (sorry folks, there’s no WiFi). They offer a range of stunning tiny home experiences across the country, but the Kookaburra Chateau, a luxurious glamping tent, is a must-try here on the Coast in Wyee. Immerse yourself in nature at the chateau, which features an outdoor bathtub, plus all the essentials you need to cook, with hot water and linen included. It also has children's books and toys on hand, making it an excellent choice for families.

Whether you're looking for a romantic weekend away or a family adventure, the Kookaburra Chateau offers an unforgettable glamping experience. And with Into the Wild's commitment to sustainability and ethical tourism, you can feel good about your staycation choice too.

The chateau is just one half of the glamping experience. If you book the second glamping tent nearby, you can get back to nature and connect with friends and family as a group.

© AIR BNB –LE BOOKER BEACHFRONT

PLAN YOUR NEXT COASTAL ESCAPE TODAY

Our broad range of holiday homes will accommodate all your holiday needs. Select from properties with ocean views, water front access, a short stroll to cafes and shops with Bouddi National Park on your doorstep or direct access to Palm Beach ferries.

THE TOP LOCAL TREAT Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific

If you’re looking for a local staycation only a hop, skip and jump away, consider Crowne Plaza’s “Local Treat” winter package, which includes a special locals' rate and everything you need for a relaxing and indulgent night away.

The offer includes one night's stay, with underground parking included. You’ll wake up to a delicious buffet breakfast and top the day off with a two-course dinner for two at the acclaimed Seasalt Restaurant, known for its fresh menu options, including local seafood, Riverina beef and vegetarian options, like glazed eggplant. There truly is something for everyone.

With its prime location overlooking stunning Terrigal Beach, Crowne Plaza is the perfect destination for a winter staycation. And if you decide to bring the kids along, be sure to check out the kids’ club during the school holidays. A win win for the whole family.

terrigalpacific.crowneplaza.com

FAMILY FRIENDLY Chateau Elan, Hunter Valley

Looking for a perfect family getaway during the winter school holidays? Look no further than Château Élan at The Vintage in the Hunter Valley. Within two hours’ drive of Wyong, you could be enjoying its Winter Family Fun Package, packed with activities (for a minimum of two nights).

Upon arrival, parents can unwind with a complimentary bottle of local wine while the kids dive into cupcake decorating. The package also includes a family pass to Hunter Valley Zoo, where you can get up close and personal with the local wildlife, as well as enjoying a McLeish premium wine tasting with complimentary cheese.

chateauelan.com.au

© CROWN PLAZA TERRIGAL

A Country Garden

THE BATH HOUSE, OAKHAMPTON HEIGHTS

FROM

From paddock to paradise

Sue’s garden was planned to blend with the seasons. Masses of deciduous trees bring luscious autumn colour, while roses, hydrangeas, lavender and easy-care perennials provide colour through spring and summer. Even in winter, the tracery of branches coupled with the strong structure of hedging let in light, air and sunshine – and architectural interest.

The garden covers 1.6 hectares and the hard landscaping, including the paving, stone edging and stone walls, was completed in about three years by Sue and Ben. The structures were contracted to builders and these include an outdoor kitchen, garden dining room and accommodation space. Given that the garden covers the entire area, it’s a remarkable achievement.

Motivated by a desire to share the garden with as many people as possible, the couple opens the garden to visitors once a month. Group visits from garden and social clubs are encouraged too. The pair also host weddings, photography sessions, memorial gatherings and private dinners.

The garden

Designed as a stroll garden with intimate seating and borders of flowers and deciduous trees, the structure of the garden means it never seems crowded. Hedges provide privacy, opening up in areas to afford tantalising glimpses of the different features. For instance, the lake and gazebo are not visible from the garden gates. Instead, the visitor is directed on a circuitous route to the citrus orchard and vegetable gardens interspersed with fragrant roses and perennial groundcovers.

A BLAND HORSE PADDOCK TO A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY GARDEN NEAR MAITLAND, THE BATH HOUSE GARDEN HAS BEEN A 23-YEAR LABOUR OF LOVE. NAMED NOT FOR AN EXOTIC TURKISH HAMMAM OR HOTEL SPA, IT IS THE BRAINCHILD OF SUE AND BEN BATH.

The Mediterranean courtyard offers views of the vineyard

Ben and Sue Bath

Roses in abundance

Sue has kept the palette restricted by choosing a few varieties all in the pink to mauve range. Among them are white and burgundy ‘iceberg’ roses, because they grow well in just about any climate.

‘Seduction’, a floribunda type, is a free-blooming rose with pale pink flowers with seven to 10 blooms a head. Floribunda roses generally do not last well or keep their shape in the vase but Seduction is an exception.

Another favourite is ‘Pierre de Ronsard’, which thrives in the drier conditions of the Hunter, but not so well in coastal humidity. It’s a large-flowered climber with creamy white outer petals graduating to a deeper carmine pink. This rose has few thorns and a light perfume.

‘Fragrant plum’ is a tea rose with deep lilac blooms that darken to purple on the edges. As its name suggests, it is perfumed and, like so many of Sue’s choices, it continues to bloom in the warmer months. Another hybrid tea is ‘the children’s rose’, light powder pink in colour with robust growth and an intense fragrance, again with few thorns.

A secret garden and gazebo

The productive area leads to the front of the house with large spreading Chinese elms that lead through a secret garden with narrow paths (Ben’s handiwork) to an open parterre, with tables and chairs, a wall fountain and seating with umbrellas. From here, you get a view of the vineyard that grows table grapes, both red and white, and follows the natural slope of the grounds. The whole area is paved with earthy

brick paving and box hedging, which contain the view and enhance the Mediterranean feel. An opening leads to the gazebo that overlooks the lake. The path is bordered by flowering shrubs that include plumbago and hydrangeas. In sunnier spots, Sue has included a very free flowering polyantha rose, ‘the fairy’, which has small pink flowers cascading over a spreading bush. It never stops in the warmer months so it’s a pretty addition.

The lake was originally a much smaller dam but is now edged with stonework and plants. By following the shrub border, another major feature opens up: a formal lavender garden with massed French lavender, Lavendula dentata, the best choice for warmer East Coast gardens. It’s a favourite spot for wedding photos.

Just reaching a suitable maturity are the trident maples, Acer buergerianum, that colour well in the climate. Ornamental plum ‘crimson spires’ and the ornamental pear ‘capital’, with birches and Chinese elms thrown in for good measure, all compete for dominance in the autumn display. And don’t forget the ornamental and fruiting grapes, and crepe myrtles.

The Bath House is a garden that has been carefully designed to provide interest throughout the year with special attention paid to plants that will thrive in the conditions found in this particular part of the Hunter. This cuts down maintenance dramatically and ensures few failures, an inevitable part of everyone’s garden experience.

www.thebathhousegarden.com.au

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The front garden is a blend of formal elements shaded by Chinese elms; The lake was originally a much smaller dam but is now edged with stonework and plants; Iceberg roses

IF YOU’RE A LOYAL BANK CUSTOMER, COULD YOU BE PAYING A ‘LOYALTY TAX’?

WORDS LUKE TALBOT

Rising interest rates are in the news and it can be easy to just take the pain and think you can’t do anything about it. The disheartening fact is that the longer you’ve been loyal to your bank or lender, the greater the difference tends to be between old and new home loan interest rates. The very thought of refinancing your loan can be daunting, conjuring up images of huge amounts of paperwork, the hassle of filling in forms and even long meetings with banks. But, by doing nothing, this ‘set and forget’ mindset could be costing you.

Recent data from the Reserve Bank shows the gap between the variable interest rates being offered on new loans compared to established loans –often called a ‘loyalty tax’ – is approximately 0.5 per cent.

That may not appear significant initially, but it could lead to a variation of tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars throughout the duration of a loan.

If you haven’t reviewed your mortgage recently, you may be paying more than you need to.

WHAT IS A LOYALTY TAX?

Lots of businesses use price promotions to attract new customers. Essentially, long-standing customers are subsidising the special offers

provided to new clients. However, once these new customers become established, rates or fees gradually increase.

This was pointed out by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) in the February Statement on Monetary Policy, highlighting that borrowers with older mortgages might be paying substantially higher interest rates than those with new loans. The RBA has urged customers to seek better deals on their home loans, particularly if they took out their loans a while back.

HOW A MORTGAGE BROKER CAN HELP

It’s too hard – Most paperwork can now be submitted digitally and, at Coastfin, our online portal can streamline the process with simple digital forms you can fill in at your leisure. We can even retrieve the required bank statements digitally for you.

Lack of time to find the best deal – We do the hard work searching lenders and can even meet via Zoom or at your home or office to save you time.

Still unsure if it’s worth doing? Or simply just want your finances reviewed before you decide to change? Just let us know. We’re happy to help. coastfin.com.au

Capturing stories through

Grace Picot’s path to becoming a professional photographer was a rapid one. At just 19, she went from being a hobbyist to booking paid jobs, following in the footsteps of her photographer father, Jim Picot. Although she had always imagined herself as a musician, she fell in love with storytelling through a lens.

‘Music was probably the biggest part of my life and then photography took over,’ the now 30-year-old says.

‘Having grown up with cameras and photography all around me –even though I wasn’t doing it as a child – it just felt really familiar.’

Grace’s photography journey started with her father by her side, literally. The pair would rise in the dark and head to the beach to capture the sunrise. For Grace, it was just for fun. She loved being outdoors in nature, and spending time with her dad, and she found mornings almost meditative.

‘There’s just such a stillness that early and it feels like the air is clean with good thoughts. There’s no bad thoughts or energy,’ she says.

During these sunrise sessions, Jim imparted his knowledge of composition – and his passion for landscape photography. Over time, Grace discovered her own style, her own framing and preferences for light. Take a look through her portfolio now and it’s clear she’s fond of the golden hues the sun casts across Central Coast beaches as the world wakes up. Her photographs epitomise ocean living, and you can almost smell the sea salt dancing across currents to the sand. It’s subliminal storytelling that evokes the senses and conjures up memories of childhood at the beach.

In her landscape photography, Grace’s connection to the sea is dominant. She’s captured mauve moonrises over Blue Bay (where she grew up); sunrise over Terrigal Lagoon; dusk at Toowoon Bay; and even fog-shrouded waterscapes at Patonga. She has also worked in the travel industry, and has photographs of Hawaii’s infamous Sunset Beach, and limestone karsts in Papua New Guinea rounding out her portfolio. Her favourite shoots, however, are those in which she goes beyond ‘getting the shot’ to tell a deeper story of people and place.

‘That is my most satisfying passion, to work with a writer where they’re interviewing someone and to hear their story first, and connect,’ Grace says. ‘Then, after that, be able to capture their picture and their environment.’

WORDS JENNIFER ENNION

PHOTOS GRACE PICOT

For Grace Picot, photography is about connecting with people and being entrusted to tell their stories.

a lens

Grace Picot photographed by her father, photographer Jim Picot.

© JIM PICOT

As I interview Grace on a grassy knoll overlooking Toowoon Bay Beach, sandals cast aside, fresh juice in hand, it’s not hard to see her putting clients at ease. Although humble about her photography skills, she has an air of quiet confidence and contentment. We could sit and chat for hours.

‘Gaining people’s trust is a really big part of my job, even when it’s not them I’m shooting but their business that I’m shooting for,’ Grace says.

Visual storytelling may be her most-loved assignment, but you’ll most likely come across Grace’s more commercial work, her photography of some of the Coast’s most beautiful homes and homewares brands. When she’s not at Toowoon Bay coffee shop Flour & Co. (which she co-owns with her husband and parents), she’s working with builders, architects and designers, capturing their projects in stylish fashion. She also creates images for websites and helps with rebranding.

Although happy with the work she’s producing at the moment, down the track Grace would love to do more high-end architectural shoots, as well as telling people’s stories through her art.

‘I’d love to master shooting houses and feel really good at that,’ she says. ‘(But) I’m in a season right now, being in one place at the cafe, and I think I might end up weaving back into past things. I’m pretty open but content.’

To see more of Grace’s work, go to @gracepicot on Instagram and shotbygrace.com.

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE The home of renovators, Kyal and Kara, at Toowoon Bay; Blue Bay in the morning; California mountains; Toowoon Bay; Moody interior.

Well being

If you were able to design retirement living for yourself, what would you put high on your wish list?

For retirement village director Mark Kamper who is also a down to earth sheep and cattle farmer from Bathurst, it was vital to have a sense of community and the comfort of village living. Being tucked between the pristine Kincumber Broadwater, which is perfect for boating and fishing, and Kincumba Mountain with its forest trails and abundant wildlife was also a pretty good option. And that’s where Mark and a group of long-time business colleagues and friends opened Waterford Retirement Village in 2001.

To Mark, the personal touch is also very important and he visits Waterford regularly, making sure he meets any new residents, ‘so they know we are real people – not a big corporation’ and chats

to the people he already knows to see how they are doing. ‘We are as flexible as we can be, although sometimes a resident might want us to do something but the legislation does not allow it,’ Mark said.

Waterford is pet-friendly. ‘Pets are really important, especially when you’ve lost a partner,’ says Mark. ‘A large percentage of our residents have cats or little dogs that provide that companionship.’

The boutique property is now home to 128 people in 99 apartments and villas. There are one-, two- and three-bedroom options in a variety of configurations and styles – some with courtyards, that suit those who have dogs.

WORDS HELEN HAYES

The Waterford lifestyle

The leafy surrounds ensure a peaceful ambience for the village residents, with birdsong a sweet soundtrack to the day in this gated community. The residents are aged from their 60s to mid-90s, and are quite active.

‘Depending on their age, quite a few of them ride their bikes around, others play golf, or bowls, or there are several great walks to enjoy.’

Mark and his co-directors’ retirement wish list also means that Waterford has a large community centre, Katandra Lodge, that is the heart of the village. ‘The centre is much bigger than other retirement villages of a similar size and is such a loved hub,’ he tells COAST. ‘It houses an indoor pool and a main lounge where we run Healthy and

Active classes, a gym, and a café, as well as an art room and meeting spaces. We have massage therapists, podiatrists and hairdressers who come in, you can watch movies, and if residents want to go somewhere, like Erina Fair to do some shopping and they don’t drive, we have a minibus that can transport them. We also have some volunteers who can take residents to medical appointments and so on when required.’

When Mark and his friends decided to take on Waterford, their vision was to provide a quality and friendly village for people to live an enjoyable and fruitful life. They’re pretty proud of having achieved this goal on their wish list.

waterfordretirementvillage.com.au/

When you are trying to conceive, fall pregnant, or as you first become a mum, it can be a daunting idea that your skincare products are possibly unsafe for you and your child. Products with synthetic or harsh chemical components, as well as some pregnancy hormones, can cause your skin to become extremely sensitive.

When COAST magazine spoke to Lauren Harrison, one of the mother and daughter founders of Pod Organics, we discovered a range of bespoke skincare products that is 100 percent natural, luxurious and organic – without compromising their efficacy. We couldn’t wait to try them.

The Pod Organics night cream, for example, uses bakuchiol, an incredible natural alternative to retinol. Blueberry extract is used in creams and serums to provide the vitamin A needed to regenerate skin cells. You will also find lilly pilly extract to safely provide an anti-ageing effect in the skincare range. Pod Organics also uses hyaluronic acid in their hydrating face mists and serum, where you’ll also find the magic of colloidal silver and rose hydrosol.

And here’s an unexpected bonus. With the (lavender-free) gender-neutral range that both mum and dad can use, bub will get a consistent scent, further strengthening the bonding experience for both parents with their newborn.

Everything in the Pod Organics range has been Safe Cosmetics Australia certified, which means it is toxic free, allergy friendly, vegan, and cruelty free.

podorganics.com.au

A SKINCARE RANGE that’s designed to be pregnancy and breastfeeding safe

WORDS TAYLOR HOPKINS

In the age of social media, we are constantly bombarded with beauty advice on the latest trends and it seems there’s another one every week. How do you know which are worth investing in and which are just a gimmick?

There is one trend in particular that has stood the test of time, and we are here for it! Low maintenance, minimalist beauty can be seen across the board in the beauty industry and can keep you looking great without breaking the bank.

Brows and lashes

Goodbye lash extensions. An increasing number of lash addicts are opting for a lash lift instead. Not only does it take less time, but your results will last six-to-eight weeks on average, saving you money and those fortnightly trips to the salon for infills.

For brows, hybrid brow dye is our newest obsession. It gives you a crisp, filled-in brow look, and the colour will last twice as long as a traditional brow tint. Working with your natural brow shape and adding a hybrid dye means you can stretch your regular three-week brow appointment out to four-to-six weeks.

Hair and makeup

There’s been a major switch in the makeup world over the past few years. Full glam, layered-on looks are out, and we are seeing more and more Insta pics featuring healthy, dewy skin, individual lashes and a bronzed glow.

A focus on skincare, too, has meant that people are opting for less makeup. Tik Tok and Instagram have branded this look with many different ‘trending’ names over the last year but, ultimately, we  are talking about the good old ‘no makeup’ makeup. Our favourite products to achieve this look are a light coverage foundation with a dewy finish, cream blush and bronzer, brown mascara and a high shine lip gloss.

For hair, 2023 is the year of effortless waves. There’s less demand for intricate up-styles, and more salon clients wanting a textured livedin style for their big occasions. Try this at home using a dry texture spray or sea salt spray, to give your curls body and texture.

No matter your age or experience with makeup and beauty, this low maintenance approach is for everyone.

Holidai Beauty, Gosford holidaibeauty.com.au

With so many beauty trends, knowing which ones to follow can make your head spin!

BE INKED BY BRON

COSMETIC TATTOO

Cosmetic and paramedical tattooing after reconstructive or mastectomy surgery

Meet Bronwyn, a highly skilled and popular tattooist, who offers a variety of procedures in her luxe and private Erina studio to recreate natural looking results in the areola and 3D-nipple area. This life-changing service is often the final step for a breast cancer survivor. She also caters for those whose nipples are faded or light in colour or too small.

For further information or a private consultation - 02 4367 3723 Inked by Bron at FACE ON BEAUTY SALON Shop 3, 30 Karalta Road Erina 2250

www.beinkedbybron.com.au

LOCAL Loving LOOK GOOD, FEEL GOOD

BE INKED

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ECO CHIC HAIR BOUTIQUE

Look good, feel good and do good!

Eco Chic’s bright new luxury salon is environmentally conscious – both for your hair and for the environment. Clean hair colours and styling products are Australiansourced. 95 per cent of salon waste is recycled. Eco taps on all basins save water.

0410 661 311

Shop 26, 269-299 Brisbane Water Drive, West Gosford

hello@ecochichairboutique.com

GLAMAZON BEAUTY

Owner, Karen, has 30 years of experience in skin and beauty care and offers a genuinely caring, holistic approach to skin health.

Glamazon provides skin education sessions for teen skincare. And supports Australian owned and made skincare products.

‘Your skin is our thing!’

Mon-Sat 02 4382 3995

Shop 6, 179-181 Avoca Drive, Avoca Beach

HOLIDAI BEAUTY

A space to unwind, regroup and celebrate you. Our light-filled oasis nestled in the heart of Gosford specialises in a range of treatments including brows, lashes, spray tanning, event makeup and hair styling. Our friendly and experienced team can’t wait to treat you!

0497 203 231

1/156 Mann St, Gosford 2250 www.holidaibeauty.com.au

LIP TATTOO I EYELINER TATTOO I BROWS & 3D AREOLA/NIPPLE TATTOO

PILATES for couch potatoes as well as for athletes

Once upon a time it seemed exercise was mainly for athletes in training but perhaps it’s our sedentary lives that have now made us more conscious of the state of our bodies and our fitness – or lack of it.

Jenna Salvaterra started as a high performance athlete but, after having babies, she realised how difficult it was to drag a two-yearold and a newborn along to training. So she tried Pilates and found it ‘unbelievably good’. So good, in fact, that she became a qualified instructor and opened her own Belle Movement studio in Ettalong, then a second studio in Umina.

‘Pilates is very accessible whatever your fitness level or goals. Our youngest client is a 14-year-old ballet dancer and our oldest is my nan who is 85,’ says Jenna. “You may be an athlete or a long-time couch potato, a mum getting her strength back after having babies, an office worker with a stiff back or knees or hips. Or you’re over 60 and realise you are losing the flexibility you once had.

‘Pilates differs from yoga in that as well as stretching, it adds strengthening and conditioning,’ she says. ‘With Pilates Reformer, you do a lot of the exercises lying down which means you are not fighting gravity. And that allows your joints to have a greater range of movement.’

‘More and more men are getting into Pilates,’ says Jenna. ‘Football clubs now incorporate Pilates, as are surf clubs and gyms.’ At Belle Movement, they offer ‘Bro-lates’ in a six-week course especially for men. With so much on offer, the Ettalong studio has outgrown its original premises in the Galleria and has moved to a new studio on the corner of Picnic Parade and Ocean View Road in Ettalong. You’ll find Jenna there, as well as long-time instructors, Emma, Annaleise and Danica, three of the qualified instructors who started as mere beginners in Pilates, once upon a time.

Conditioning Community Run Club

JOY THROUGH MOVEMENT

24 hours in... SYDNEY

WORDS JENNIFER ENNION

A long-time hub of cool cafes, bars and boutiques, Surry Hills is a great choice for a one-night city fix.

Day One

2pm Within moments of leaving the recently revamped Central Station, you’ll be pressing the buzzer at the cleverly hidden 202 Elizabeth hotel. This designer boutique property is one of the hippest to open in Sydney this year, and, located on busy Elizabeth Street in Surry Hills, it’s only a stroll from plenty of big-smoke action. Despite its location (I can see Central’s clock tower from my window), the hotel is as quiet as a meditation room in an ashram, but you’re not deprived of little luxuries here. The 38 suites are adorned in fine art wallpaper, the bed is dressed in soft linens, and the furniture has old-world African vibes. Look closely and you’ll notice gorgeous details such as a kitsch vintage water jug and dried mini pineapples as a table centrepiece. The bath robes are the prettiest I’ve seen in a hotel, while the bathroom is surprisingly spacious given you’re in the city. Another fab discovery is T2 tea (with a stylish kettle at hand, not hidden in housekeeping), and complimentary mini bar sodas, all delicious flavours and organic. It would be easy to while away the entire afternoon in your room, or at least in the foyer bar surrounded by modern wall art, but, alas, it’s time to explore.

202elizabeth.com.au

3pm

Stroll around Surry Hills and pop into its collection of fabulous boutiques. If you’re handy on a sewing machine, don’t go past The Fabric Store (Cooper St), which stocks a large range of ethically-sourced modern material, including ‘deadstock fabric’ otherwise destined for landfill. You’ll find everything from winter classics denim and corduroy to Japanese-woven cotton for that special theatre outfit. If homewares are more your jam, head to Mud Australia (Crown St), where shelves showcase handmade porcelain bowls and plates in pretty musk, lemon and duck egg blue. They make thoughtful gifts and souvenirs. For artisan homewares handmade in Japan, Provider Store (Riley St) has a seriously lustworthy collection. Spruce up your balcony greenery with bonsai nippers, add a little luxe to your bathroom with organic cotton towels, or style-up mid-week dinners with a cedar bento box.

wearethefabricstore.com

Interior of 202 Elizabeth boutique hotel. All photos this page © Mauro Risch Photography.

6.30pm

After ducking back to 202 Elizabeth for a refresh, make your way to Beau Bar, a new laneway restaurant creating plenty of buzz. From the folk behind NOMAD restaurant, Beau is a sleek, industrial and sophisticated enclave on Fracks Lane. Start with oysters and granita, move onto West Australian marron or spatchcock, and finish with yoghurt sorbet or one of the numerous delectable cocktails. Book well in advance to secure a seat.

beau.sydney

Day Two

7.30am Enjoy your 202 Elizabeth suite before heading downstairs to the hotel’s private garden courtyard for a light breakfast. The garden menu features the kind of artisanal coffee you’d expect to find in Surry Hills, as well as cold-pressed juices and local pastries.

9am Make your way to Bionik Wellness on Crown Street, where you can look after your mind and body with a rejuvenating open floattank session. Bionik’s day spa-like float rooms are all about allowing yourself to slow down during an experience known to reduce chronic pain and stress, and boost concentration and creativity. You can also sweat out toxins and improve your sleep with a treatment in Bionik’s infrared sauna.

bionikwellness.com.au

11.30pm

The Art Gallery of New South Wales has a new State of the Art tour of its impressive new North Building. Hail a taxi or bus and head further into the city for this small-group architectural tour. The North Building was sustainably designed by award-winning architects SANAA and is a series of pavilions and outdoor terraces that lead to Sydney Harbour. Special features include a beautiful rammed earth wall and a reclaimed underground WWII fuel bunker. After the tour, grab a bite to eat at the new North Building kiosk, with a takeaway menu of native Australian ingredients created by Indigenous elder Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo.

artgallery.nsw.gov.au

1pm

Before heading back to the Central Coast, round out your day with an aerial yoga workshop at Surry Hills’ light-filled Sky-Lab studio. Increase your core strength and improve flexibility, while learning key aerial techniques, in a 90-minute beginners’ session.

sky-lab.com

© PETRINA TINSLAY © DESTINATION NSW

© ART GALLERY OF NSW–ZAN WIMBERLEY

© ART GALLERY OF NSW–IWAN BAAN

© PETRINA TINSLAY

© PETRINA TINSLAY

Beau Bar

National Parks & State Forests CENTRAL COAST

Munmorah State Conservation Area bushwalk

SNAPPER POINT TO WYBUNG HEAD VIA FRAZER BEACH

5.5 KM RETURN. 3 HOURS WITH STOPS. RATED GRADE THREE AND IS SUITABLE FOR MOST FITNESS LEVELS. THE TRACK HAS SHORT STEEP SECTIONS AND A ROUGH AND SOMETIMES SLIPPERY SURFACE. FOR YOUR SAFETY, IT’S ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO CHECK FOR TIDE LEVELS AND ROUGH SEAS BEFORE STARTING THIS WALK.

It had been quite some time since I’d headed north, and I’d forgotten just how majestic the drive into Snapper Point is. Stands of classic Hawkesbury bushland, grass trees and Sydney red gums give way to littoral pockets of coastal rainforest featuring burrawangs and cabbage tree palms.

The road had been recently resealed, except for the last few kilometres to Snapper Point but it’s well graded and in good condition.

When you arrive at Snapper Point, the amazing ‘wave carved’ sea cave is visible and commands a decent look. The scenic coastal beauty of the deep blue water and pebbly beach is accentuated by the smell of the salt air, the sound of the waves crashing, and the rolling of pebbles back and forth across the shore.

The track we took heads east towards the ocean and we then made our way down the escarpment past the life buoys and memorial. The panoramic views of the surrounding coastline are breathtaking. Descending the escarpment, the unusual conglomerate pebbly outcrops give plenty of points of purchase and handholds for the intrepid coastal sea cliff walker. We managed it with our eight-year-old easily.

WORDS AND PHOTOS JAMES LUTWYCHE

The rock platform during high tide is quite accessible, with lots of ravines to peer down into, rock pools to explore, rock fishermen to yarn to, and best of all, we found a ‘mermaid’ pond. On a warm day, it’s hard to resist jumping in for a cool off.

From here you travel south along the rock platform and end up at North Frazer Beach. Resist the urge to swim here as it is unpatrolled and has strong rips. Continue heading south and cross the rock platform at the southern end of the beach.

The next beach is Frazer, a popular swimming, camping and picnicking spot with toilets and showers. You can book the campsite online.

Along the beach there is a small lagoon and a few spots where brackish water bubbles out of the dunes from hidden springs. It’s a great spot for beachcombing. We found a couple of coconuts that had washed up in search of a place to sprout. As we walked along the beach, the children were kept entertained wondering which faraway land the coconuts had drifted from.

Continuing south, rock hop around to the next bay, the appropriately named Gravelly Beach,. At the far end, another rock platform beckons. It was here that we rudely interrupted a giant male Australian fur seal. He was a great sight to see as he slipped off the platform and dived in and out of the waves … but we could have done without the strong smell.

This is the spot to turn around if you have young or inexperienced walkers, as the next section goes up a level and there’s a fair bit of rock scrambling required.

For those planning on continuing, you can traverse, rock hop, skip and jump along the rock ledges and strewn boulders and it’s possible to get all the way around Wybung Head and grab a view of the Norah Head lighthouse. We were hoping to get all the way around to Little Birdie Beach but a huge rock chasm and waterfall marked the end of our coastal walk and gave us a clear point to turn for home.

There are plenty of sea caves to explore along the base of the headland. It’s a great walk and can easily be done in smaller sections by just completing a loop from Snapper Point down to North Frazer. Or you can park at the Frazer Beach carpark and just do a spot of beachcombing.

There are plenty of short walks in this area, and each of them is unique, diverse and worth visiting a few times to explore all of them.

Happy travels.

James Lutwyche is a horticulturalist, and a local and experienced bushwalker who has led or been part of expeditions in the Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains, Kosciusko, Tasmania, New Zealand and Mongolia. He lives and works in Yarramalong and is married with four children. James is also the local Scout leader at Peats Ridge Scout Group and spends his time between work at Paradise Botanical Gardens and exploring and enjoying the great outdoors.

© STEVE PASSLOW

VIBES Coast

Nicole de Mestre

It takes an artist’s eye to imagine creation in destruction

WORDS TARA WELLS

Apile of kerbside rubbish outside a gutted Long Jetty fibro shack was just that: rubbish. A hodge-podge of discarded building materials, drawers spilling over with lace doilies, even a kitchen sink. But a scrap of vintage lino flooring had caught artist Nicole de Mestre’s eye. It was blue with pink and yellow flowers and reminded her of her grandma’s house. More than a decade ago, this was the moment that changed Nicole’s creative direction forever.

‘I grabbed the lino and some bits of wood and put it all together out on my back porch,’ says Nicole. ‘I just felt so at home using these old found objects in new works. It all just morphed from there.’

In doing so, Nicole added her artistic voice to the environmental art movement. Around since the 1960s, environmental art uses natural and urban materials to prompt viewers to consider the human impact on our planet.

Nicole’s back porch is now a storehouse of creativity. There are corroded tin wash tubs stacked with driftwood, reels of salvaged fishing line and oversized rusted circus tent pegs. Baskets hang from the roof, full of marine debris, giant seed pods and an assortment of weathered bones. Her corrugated iron-clad shed – a purpose-built backyard studio – is chock-full of ephemera: jars of feathers, broken tool pieces, patinated bentwood. A stand of wooden crutches, a clutch of rusting metal bakeware and nine wooden tennis racquets (not manufactured since the late 1970s) point to the changing nature of what society owns and discards. Even before these raw materials become part of an art piece, it’s clear a discerning eye has collected for colour, shape and texture.

But it’s what Nicole makes with these resources that draws people in, first to admire the whole piece, then the detailed sum of its parts, like a series of boats created from timber off-cuts, old piano screws and a scrap of metal fan cover. Or a crab with kitchen tongs as pincers, Allen keys and coat hanger hooks for legs. And limpets, those cone-shaped shells stuck fast to rockpool sides, appear from woven coloured twine, copper wiring and disused building materials.

Coast life has inevitably influenced Nicole’s creations, but regionspecific flavours can also be found in the materials she uses. Like a locavore who eats only locally-sourced food, Nicole sources potential treasures between Macmasters Beach and Lake Macquarie. The area’s

OPPOSITE Repurposed hammocks, security fencing and shade cloth create 'Street Urchins' and 'nglorious Baskets'.

THIS PAGE (left to right) Nicole in her studio; 'Crossed Wires'; rusted guttering in 'Bush Baskets'.

OVER PAGE (clockwise from top left) metal baskets; 'Abstract Composition #3'; a work in progress; 'Tales of the Sea'.

© TARA WELLS

© TANIA PARTRIDGE

changing streetscape – modest fibro cottages being replaced with double-storey kit homes – is reflected in what people dump.

‘It's not just throwing away physical things, it's throwing away memories. That's why I like those rusted, weathered, decaying pieces of metal and wood because they hold narratives that I'll never know.’

It’s often this hint of a story that appeals to viewers admiring Nicole’s art. A larger environmental message is evident in the artwork’s unusual ingredients. It's a message Nicole hopes will catch on.

‘I'm not going to change the world by using a few bits of recycled

materials. But if I can just change one person’s thoughts or stop them from throwing away one thing, or help them accept that it's okay to recycle and reuse something, then that's the statement.’

You can find Nicole’s work in temporary exhibitions up and down the NSW coast, with a permanent home at KAB Gallery ( kabgallery.com) in Terrigal (Crowne Plaza Hotel, 40 Terrigal Esplanade) and Pymble (977 Pacific Highway). Her work is also part of the 5 Lands Walk (5landswalk.com.au) on Saturday 24 June 2023.

© TANIA PARTRIDGE

© TANIA PARTRIDGE

© NICOLE DE MESTRE

© NICOLE DE MESTRE

Designer fashion hire, vogue style

For three friends, solving the Central Coast’s fashion problem while re-evaluating their careers had to be squeezed in around their children’s commitments. But this squeeze helped Ange Eastwood, Jazzie Kolev and Libby Mahoney come up with the perfect solution, Vogue Style Hire (aka VSH).

In their pre-kids era, an upcoming social event might have prompted the cofounders of Vogue Style Hire to jump in the car to drive to Sydney’s designer boutiques in search of the perfect dress. But post-kids, they had neither the time nor money to do so, plus a growing awareness of the environmental impact of a wardrobe full of barely-worn clothes.

Sure, there was already a boom in designer dress hire they had tried to utilise, but for size 14 Ange in particular, hiring a dress online often resulted in the wrong fit. And although the Coast had a few small boutiques emerging, there were still a lot of designer labels that were not accessible..

Vogue Style Hire was created to fill this gap: a Central Coast designer dress hire business with the advantage of a local try-on

service. It’s this extra benefit that’s creating the most interest for the new business, even though dresses can be posted Australia-wide.

‘Customers are loving that they can come in, try the dress on, feel it and go, “yes, this is the one for me”,’ says Ange.

Potential hirers simply head online to book a try-on appointment with a $10 deposit. If they like what they see and end up hiring a dress the $10 comes off the rental price. Being a small business, it’s likely either Ange, Jazzie or Libby are attending the appointments, putting customers directly in touch with the business owners.

The three co-founders meet weekly to discuss the next buy, keeping up with the latest trends in dresses that range from sizes 6 to 16. They’re already gearing up for spring’s re-emerging social scene, school formals and weddings.

‘We are always looking on (clothing brand) websites for new arrivals to snag them before they get sold,’ says Ange.

The team’s dedication doesn’t stop there. While customers can already find designer names like SIR The Label, Shona Joy, Camilla and Marc, Aje and more, Ange, Jazzie and Libby are constantly sharing social media posts asking what they should get in next. They’re listening to what sizes women want and if there’s a particular style that’s in demand.

‘Tell us what you want and we'll get it,’ Ange says. ‘We're always looking for the next dress.’

Check voguestylehire.com.au for the full range of dress styles and try-on locations, or follow @voguestylehire on Instagram.

WORDS TARA WELLS

Owners, Jaz Kolev, Ange Eastwood and Libby Mahoney.

Vogue Style Hire's range of dresses

© LAURA-JANE

© LAURA-JANE

CHRISTINE FRANCE of Kulnura

is art world royalty’ – Ben Quilty

‘‘The scissors were blunt. People were watching. Will I ever be able to cut the ruddy ribbon? I hacked away and eventually got through it,’ recalls Christine France. ‘Finally, the Margaret Olley was launched. I sighed with relief and off we all sailed.’

The vessel was one of 19 bearing the names of celebrated Australian authors, athletes and artists. As Olley’s biographer and co-executor of her will, Christine had been asked to christen the new River Class ferry last November. With her at Barangaroo was Ben Quilty, who had won the Archibald Prize in 2011 with his Olley portrait, art dealer Philip Bacon, and Barry Humphries with his wife, Lizzie Spender.

‘At the end of her life, when Margaret was painting the harbour triptych, she spent a long time looking at the water from Humphries’ balcony,’ said Christine. ‘Back in 2000, I’d coordinated an exhibition where they selected their best-loved paintings and sculptures from Australian collections. We called it Favourites and it proved very popular with the public. Barry loved visiting her Paddington studio and they were very close for many years.’

Christine, now in her early eighties, still spends days in Sydney but her home is in Kulnura, on just over 10 hectares. The beautiful country house is a welcoming space where high-ceilinged rooms feature an eclectic display of paintings in ink and oils, and sculpted pieces in wood and stone settle comfortably on the timber floors. It is light and airy and there are mountains of books. Art is everywhere.

Her family lived in the eastern suburbs and Christine went to Sydney University – on two different occasions.

‘I mucked around during my first time there. Then I was a reporter on The Daily Mirror’s social rounds. I wanted to study fine art but had to wait until the ‘60s when a generous bequest from Dr John Power was instrumental in setting up a proper art history course.’

She returned to Sydney Uni as part of its first intake into these courses. Christine was finally doing what she loved.

‘I studied with Catherine De Lorenzo, who became an eminent historian; Joan Kerr, who was to write the first dictionary of Australian art; Neil Moore, a splendid draughtsman and cartoonist now living

WORDS SUZY JARRATT

‘She

in Italy, and many other students who were to make significant contributions to this country’s contemporary art scene.’

Throughout the coming decades, Christine, as a curator and historian, was to meet thousands of creative men and women from around the world, and she has witnessed the rise and decline of painting styles and methods.

‘I’ve seen work go from figurative to abstraction (dominant in the ‘70s), back to figurative, and watched Australia’s artists go to one country or another in search of inspiration.’

Christine tutored in contemporary art at the University of NSW, lived for a year in London undertaking a course at the National Gallery, married businessman Stephen France at 22 (they were together until he died last year), and had a baby named Harriet.

The France family has always had ‘escapes’ in the country. One of those ‘escapes’ was Baerami in the Upper Hunter Valley, surrounded by Wollemi National Park.

‘It was a lovely Georgian-type sandstone house on hundreds of acres where we agisted thoroughbred mares and foals,’ said Christine. ‘Then Stephen got the damned Parkinson’s and we had to move closer to a hospital.

‘Harriet found our Kulnura property on Springs Road. It has an enormous number of privet hedges, and just one of their white flowers can set you off sneezing for ages! I don’t like them very much, and they continually have to be trimmed.’

Unlike privet, Christine and her daughter both love horses.

‘One I would ride, who recently died, and I used to have a pony and trap, and would take out visiting artists. [Celebrated artist] Jeffrey Smart would always come over when he was home from Italy. He just loved it.’

Christine’s journey as a writer began in the mid-’80s when she wrote Justin O’Brien – Image and Icon, which covered his youth, war experiences and expatriate years in Rome. In 1994, Form and Clay, about ceramicist Marea Gazzard, was published, and the Olley biography in 2002.

Much she wrote in longhand, ‘like David Malouf, who was a great friend of O’Brien’s and Smart’s’.

‘I can’t think on a typewriter,’ she said. ‘I use a pen and I conduct interviews on an old-fashioned little tape recorder; I don’t trust digital things. And I do heaps of initial research.’

Christine didn’t know Margaret Olley well at first. ‘I’d just see her at parties, but we developed a close friendship when I started writing the book and I became aware of the artist’s philanthropy, and her special affection for Newcastle.

‘She lived there in the late ‘60s-early ‘70s, and still owned a house in that city until her death at 88. She donated more than 48 works to the Newcastle Art Gallery, many of them by well-known internationals, as well as younger emerging artists she deemed worthy of recognition.’

As co-executor of the painter’s will, it was Christine’s role to assist in creating a replica of Olley’s studio after she died in 2011. She started working with the Tweed River Art Gallery & Museum cataloguing the artist's Paddington home, the subject of so many of her paintings.

‘The replica looks like a great big mess but it’s actually very organised. Margaret would set up a still life and she might leave it there for years,’ explained Christine. ‘She never liked dusting and when a bunch of flowers died, she’d leave its dead leaves on the floor.’

The 75,000 items taken from her terrace house in Duxford Street were laid out to scale, guided by thousands of photos and hours of video. Included were countless ashtrays, complete with butts.

Since finishing the re-creation, Christine has not been idle. She has curated other exhibitions, is working on her Kulnura property, and is also keen to arrange a show about the late Heather Dorrough who made innovative pieces in fabric, as well as creating paintings and sculptures.

‘There are some significant artists very close to home,’ she added, evidenced by the stunning Trevor Weekes horse picture on the wall of her living room.

‘This area is bristling with talent.’

‘Christine is not only my friend and mentor, she is art world royalty. There is nothing she doesn't know about the way characters, relationships and schools of thought have formed the creative world we live in today. She was also Margaret Olley’s closest friend and confidante.’ – Ben Quilty

A recreation of Margaret Olley’s studio at the Tweed Regional Gallery was curated by her friend and biographer, Christine France.

© ROBERT BELL

Actor Heather Mitchell on writing Everything and Nothing.

People write memoirs to pass on family history to the next generation, or to understand more about a loved parent or grandparent’s farfrom-ordinary life. Some might write for publicity, or in the belief that the world is waiting breathlessly for their life story.

For acclaimed Australian actor, Heather Mitchell, who has appeared in hundreds of film, television and theatre productions, you would think that at least one of the above may apply. (You’d recognise her from The Great Gatsby, Strictly Ballroom the Musical, The Harp in the South, The Usual Suspects, Rake, A Place to Call Home and so many more.) But she’d never considered writing a memoir before the journalist and author Malcolm Knox invited her in for coffee one day in 2021 when she was performing at the Sydney Theatre Company.

‘He asked me if I’d be interested in writing something,’ she says. ‘I was very surprised by the request and had no idea why he was asking me.’

Malcolm suggested that she just write a short story from her life and then send it to him. Still a little mystified, but intrigued, Heather did as he suggested.

‘Then he said, “write another”. So I did. His gentle encouragement continued throughout the entire memoir.

‘It was a very organic process. I wrote directly from memory. I never planned what I would write about. Each memory presented itself and would lead to the next story.

‘I could recall each story in vivid detail and simply wrote it down. I was not trying to link the stories nor offer any opinion about them but simply present them as I recalled them.’

It was Malcolm who suggested the three sections ‘Girl /Woman/ Mother’ as a way of structuring the stories.

‘In preparing for a role, I initially do research,’ says Heather. ‘In this case my memory was my area of investigation. I then look at what the character believes to be true, what is fact and what is created in the mind. Creating a character also requires complete belief in their story and a commitment to it. I discovered the process of writing was very similar.’

As an actor, Heather is also a natural storyteller. For her, writing her memories was akin to a live performance: she did not edit the stories and nor did she re-read them.

There are wonderful behind-the-scenes details in Heather’s memoir: insights and snippets people love to read. How was she able to balance the need to be honest and authentic with the need to protect her privacy and that of others?

‘I did not consider protecting my privacy when writing. I did however very much consider protecting other people’s. I was only interested in sharing my stories and keen not to share anyone else’s,’ she says.

‘I avoided including stories which may have caused hurt to someone. I did have one very funny story; it involved a person who may have found it offensive so, out of respect, I omitted it. I also

changed the names of people who I wished not to be identified,’ Heather confides with a hint of mystery.

Writing the memoir made Heather reflect on moments in her life that had significant impact on her. One of the things the memoir made her acknowledge was the realisation – the fact – that her mother was dying.

Heather uses haiku in her memoir, ‘Don’t weep insects –Lovers, stars themselves must part.’ (Kobayashi Issa)

‘The Haiku’s significance is connected to my mother’s ill health and death. She became a Taoist in her approach to death and the haikus encapsulated her thinking. They helped me, almost through code, to acknowledge she was dying.

The title of Heather’s memoir, too, is taken from a haiku.

‘In my ten-foot bamboo hut this spring, there is nothing there is everything.’ (Yamagushi Sodö)

‘In the title I was exploring the idea that writing about one’s life or experiences cannot possibly contain everything. I hope the reader might also contemplate the opposing ideas of everything and nothing, and their similarities. Even when there seems to be nowhere to turn, opportunity presents itself. In a single moment of stillness there is everything and nothing.

‘Dealing with people’s expectations of what might be in the book is occasionally confronting and I know people may feel disappointed that they are not mentioned. As I chose to focus on particular personal experiences, if someone – no matter how important they are to me – was not in that story, then they are not mentioned. My apologies to all those people. They will be in my next book!

‘In the end, what this memoir is about … maybe … an actress and mother reflecting on some of the defining moments in her life with candour and humour.

‘I’d love the reader to feel engaged and hope that someone might identify with some of the experiences. I have attempted to explore through stories, my take on love, loss, illness, parents, parenting and acting. I simply hope somewhere in there someone might say “ah yes…. I feel like that too.” ’

Heather Mitchell is appearing at the Words on the Waves Writers’ Festival, May 31-June 5.

WORDS ON THE WAVES Writers’ Festival

WHAT WE’RE READING

Catch up with all the authors listed here at the 2023 Words on the Waves Writers Festival, May 31 to June 5. For more information head to wordsonthewaves.com.au

THE BOOKBINDER OF JERICHO

BY PIP WILLIAMS

Review by Mandi McIntosh

The Dictionary of Lost Words was a word-of-mouth bestseller during Covid from a little-known author. Her next book, The Bookbinder of Jericho, has entered a post-Covid world to great fanfare and is worthy of the hype. This novel is also set in the book-bindery in Oxford, but you don’t have to have read the earlier novel as Williams’ new title is set later and follows different characters.

Peggy and Maude live on a canal boat and work in the bindery. Peggy is enthralled by the books with a love passed on by her mother. Despite her mother’s involvement with the suffragettes, and the involvement of the fabulous Tilda, Peggy realises that the fight for the vote, like so many things in society, will still see her excluded on the basis of class and wealth. The benefits of being a Gown, rather than a Town are highlighted in her desire to gain access to study at the university and even in gaining entry to the library.

This is a wonderful read with insight into those whose lives were devastated in WWI as you share the heart-breaking stories from the Belgians arriving in London as war breaks out, as well as the dispatches from Aunt Tilda at the Front. There is a beautiful love story, but it isn’t the centre of this book which revolves around the love between two sisters and the struggles to change one’s station in life.

RATING: Brilliant

‘There is satisfaction in sewing the parts of a book together. Binding one idea to the next one, one word to another, reuniting sentences with their beginnings and end. The process of stitching can become an act of reverence…’

IRIS

BY FIONA KELLY MCGREGOR

Review by Angela Bennetts

Iris Webber arrives to the hardscrabble slums of Sydney in the midst of the Great Depression, and immediately sets out to survive any way she can: busking, stealing, sex work. Her world is one of ‘angie’ (cocaine) and standover men on the swill, of rats scurrying in back lanes and corrupt coppers on the prowl.

In the deft hands of award-winning writer Fiona Kelly McGregor, Iris (a real person) becomes an utterly unforgettable character. Jostling with her for attention are other real life characters such as madame Tilly Devine and grog queen Kate Leigh, names we know from inner-city bar life.

Enigmatic and charismatic, Iris is dubbed ‘the most violent woman in Sydney’ after being charged for the pea rifle murder of Slim Maley. It is through the prism of her court case that the story unfolds. We learn of her past brushes with the law and why she can deftly handle a gun. We gain insight into her steely intelligence and wry black humour as she sits during her trial reading The Inequality of Man

This book writhes with a bawdy vernacular and an unrelenting stream of storytelling peppered with gritty period detail. It’s a deeply compelling, at times uncomfortable insight into a hard-knock life at the bottom of the social ladder, exacerbated by the double disadvantage of being a woman.

But more importantly, Iris is a love story. Despite everything and everyone around her telling her she doesn’t deserve it, Iris seeks love like heat. Miraculously, she finds it.

RATING: Unforgettable

‘Sometimes I burnt so bright with wanting I thought I would explode.’

FOR THE SPORTS-LOVER: Willowman

by Inga Simpson

FOR A HEARTWARMING FORAY INTO HUMAN NATURE: Kindness

by Kath Koschel

FOR A TWISTY, STOMACH-TURNING THRILLER: Taken by Dinuka McKenzie

HAPPENINGS FOR WINTER

WORDS ON THE WAVES WRITERS FESTIVAL 31 May to 5 June

Whether you enjoy penning words on paper or devouring the words written by others, the Words on the Waves Festival will nurture the storyteller and reader within. For the third year, the country’s best authors and journalists will gather across the Peninsula for this literary festival. Hinging on the theme ‘The Mind Swims’ – a nod to the human urge to move and explore, both real and metaphysical – the festival will host close to 75 speakers across 45 events including author talks and writing and editing workshops.

Highlights for 2023 include a conversation with best-selling author of Honeybee and Jasper Jones Craig Silvey at Naughty Noodle Fun Haus and a family fun day featuring storytelling, book launches and roving performers at Everglades Woy Woy. Two new events have been added to the program this year, including an Opening Address featuring acclaimed Noongar writer Claire G Coleman (Enclave), best-selling novelist Diana Reid (Love & Virtue) and Walkley Award-winning journalist Tracey Spicer (Man-Made), and Story Club hosted by writer, presenter and comedian Zoe Norton Lodge at Ocean Beach Surf Lifesaving Club.

wordsonthewaves.com.au

LAKE MACQUARIE DOBELL FESTIVAL all of June

This annual month-long festival celebrates the life and work of Newcastle-born artist Sir William Dobell, who called Wangi Wangi home for almost four decades. His waterfront house and studio are open to the public during the festival, along with the private studios of other local artists, allowing glimpses into their creative spaces. You can enjoy live music, such as classical vocal group the 7 Sopranos performing at Rathmines Theatre (8 June) or La Boheme presented by Opera Hunter (9–17 June), take a Sunday Session cruise on the lake (18 June), join in some family art-making every Sunday at ARTSPACE, and boaties can decorate their vessels in lights to take part in the two-night Float Your Boat evening spectacular. Budding artists can participate in events and workshops, too.

arts.lakemac.com.au

WORDS MEGAN ARKINSTALL

© DANIEL GRANT

© ELOUISE_VAN-RIETGRAY

Craig Silvey

Claire G Coleman

7 Sopranos

HARVEST FESTIVAL

various locations – 10 and 11 June

Head into the hinterland this June long weekend for the annual Harvest Festival to celebrate all things food while exploring our local rural communities and heritage villages including Peats Ridge, Somersby and Yarramalong. More than 30 different venues and hubs will host events including fresh food and country markets, pick-your-own fruit and veggie experiences, bush tucker tours, foodie workshops, restaurant experiences and more. Taste local produce and enjoy live music and free entertainment at the event hubs, including at Glenworth Grazing Food & Wine Festival, which has a massive musical line-up and more than 80 local food vendors.

facebook.com/harvestfestivalcc

5 LANDS WALK

24 June

Thousands of locals and visitors alike will strap on their walking shoes to trek 10 kilometres along our breathtaking coastline. This epic annual journey traces the coast and links the five villages of MacMasters Beach, Copacabana, Avoca Beach, North Avoca and Terrigal. Held close to the winter solstice, when whales – a totem of the Darkinjung people – are migrating north, the festival’s theme for 2023 is ‘unity in diversity’ with a strong focus on Indigenous culture through storytelling, movement and more. There will be ample activities throughout the five villages, celebrating local arts, music, dance and history, including the unique Scottish heritage of MacMasters Beach.

5landswalk.com.au

© HILDA BEZUIDENHOUT

© HILDA BEZUIDENHOUT

FROZEN JR, Laycock Street Community Theatre

4 to 8 July

If you have Frozen fans at home, add these dates to the school holidays calendar. The Gosford Musical Society presents an adaptation of the modern Disney favourite that will feature songs from the animated film and some original music, as it tells a new story about sisters Anna and Elsa with magic, adventure and humour.

ccclaycock.sales.ticketsearch.com

CAT IN THE HAT, Laycock Street Community Theatre

12 July

The classic Dr Seuss tale The Cat in the Hat will also come to life on the Laycock Street Theatre stage during the holidays, showing for one day only. Follow the tongue-twisting story of two children and one crazy cat, a performance that will entertain young and old alike.

ccclaycock.sales.ticketsearch.com

BURN THE FLOOR, Art House Wyong

10 August

Igniting the stage at The Art House, this dance production is a collaboration between world-renowned Australian ballroom dance company Burn the Floor and Indigenous performer Mitch Tambo, a traditional dancer, didgeridoo player and singer. Mixing international dance styles, Australian rock classics, Mitch’s own musical compositions and Aboriginal culture, this one-night-only production is unlike anything you’ve seen before.

thearthousewyong.com.au

The beauty of closely guided Pilates is that a highly experienced teacher analyses your individual muscle movements and what your body needs to become stronger, fitter and more flexible.

Our fully equipped Pilates studio lets you gently re-awaken your body and helps repair the damage life does to us all. Visit us for an initial consultation.

We have a group studio for Reformer classes, Clinical Pilates Studio, private or small group classes and Pilates mat classes. We also offer government accredited qualifications in Pilates teacher training.

Pilates is for every-body.

0415 504 520 Unit 6, 11-13 Cochrone St Kincumber info@phoenixpilates.org phoenixpilates.org

ON THE COAST Families FUN FOR KIDS

KEEPING THE LITTLE ONES OCCUPIED, REGARDLESS OF THE WEATHER, CAN BE A CHALLENGE. BUT NEVER FEAR, THERE ARE PLENTY OF WET-WEATHER AND INDOOR OPTIONS TO KEEP THE FAMILY ENTERTAINED DURING WINTER ON THE CENTRAL COAST.

STEP INTO A VIRTUAL REALITY

Virtual reality has taken the world by storm, and it's not just for the tech-savvy. Perfect for all weather, Central Coast Virtual Reality at Erina Fair and The Entrance has the most extensive range of experiences in Australia.

It's not only the impressive range that sets them apart, the team is a passionate and lively bunch, genuinely excited to welcome everyone who walks through their doors so they can experience the delight of immersing themselves in another world.

Once kids slip on the headset, the most popular experience (for all ages) is the Job Simulator, where they enter the world as a chef, mechanic or other worker.

For the Minecraft obsessed, they can play with their friends in real-time.

Whether you’re looking for a weekend activity or a unique kids party idea, Central Coast Virtual Reality is worth checking out.

ccvr.com.au

WORDS JULIE WRIGHT

JUNIOR CHOCOLATIER FOR A DAY

The Factory at Gosford needs little introduction. Locally renowned, it’s a sweet spot for chocolate lovers from across the Coast and beyond. They have a café on site, a huge retail store – like something you’d imagine a chocolate shop to look like in a storybook – and house-made ice cream.

They also offer workshops for kids. The fun, hands-on experiences run just over an hour, and cater to eight junior chocolatiers per class. Not only do participants enjoy chocolate making, they also learn a lot about chocolate too. The workshops are open to five- to 14-year-olds, making it the perfect activity for little ones in any type of weather.

chocolatefactorygosford.com.au

JOIN THE LITTLE LEADERS MOVEMENT

Since Little Leaders burst onto the scene last year, it has fast become one of the hottest tickets in town for kids' school holiday activities – and they're on rain, hail or shine.

Founded by local dads Bryce Holland and Matt Ahearn, the program is based on four pillars: mindfulness, teamwork, resilience and gratitude, with a focus on self-development and inclusiveness. Starting with camps at Kincumber High School, they have since expanded into Cooranbong and Green Point, with plans to add more locations across the Coast.

All ‘Little Leaders’ get their own mindfulness journal, take part in craft and sport activities over the two-day program, and finish it off with a colour run. Above all else, the camps provide children of all abilities the opportunity to grow and have a ball in an inclusive environment. Book in quickly for the July school holidays.

littleleadersaustralia.com

LITTLE LORDS AND LADIES HIGH TEA AT CROWNE PLAZA

Looking for a unique family activity during the school holidays or winter weekends? Look no further than the Little Lords and Ladies Kids' High Tea at Crowne Plaza Terrigal.

Treat the kids to a multi-level tray of delicious delights including mini beef pies, sausage rolls, ham and cheese finger sandwiches, cakes, fairy bread, and a special milkshake, all while you indulge in a glass of bubbles and your own sweet and savoury treats.

Set against the stunning backdrop of the Terrigal coastline, this high tea experience is perfect for the whole family. Snuggle up inside on a cosy winter’s day and enjoy the panoramic views while your kids nibble away at their own selection of delectable treats.

terrigalpacific.crowneplaza.com

© SUPPLIED BY LITTLE LEADERS

CLIP ’N CLIMB CENTRAL COAST

For adventure-seekers, there are few activities better than indoor rock climbing. Clip ’N Climb Central Coas space with a theme-park feel.

With an automatic belay system, rock climbing in this Gosford spot has never been easier. The system takes care of everything, so this exciting indoor activity is more accessible than ever, regardless of age and ability.

With over 40 climbing challenges to choose from, there's something for every skill level. From the classic Climbing Tree to the challenging Twister, you'll be able to test your limits and push yourself to new heights.

Straight from the horse’s mouth HORSE RIDING SCHOOLS AND CAMPS

It is the dream of so many children to ride a horse; to spend time with these fascinating animals and, along with other like-minded young people, discover how to interact and care for them.

COAST magazine’s specialist equestrian writer took a look at riding schools around the Central Coast and Lake Macquarie that offer individual and group lessons, as well as many that hold clinics and camps during the school holidays.

GLENWORTH VALLEY OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

69 Cooks Road, Glenworth Valley

• Lessons and riding tours through Australian bushland.

• School holiday camps, catering from the complete beginner up to advanced pony club riders. Kids will learn new skills and meet new friends.

‘At Glenworth Valley you’ll discover the timeless adventure of riding horseback through Australia’s awe-inspiring wilderness,’ says owner, Barton Lawler. ‘With over 1,200 hectares of natural bushland, you’ll idle down spectacular trails and splash through pristine creeks. With 250 horses, we are Australia's largest horse-riding centre, and you'll hand-pick your horse to match to your size and riding experiencing.’

THE OUTLOOK RIDING ACADEMY

Gate 2, 256 Scenic Highway, Terrigal

• Set on more than seven attractive hectares bordering extensive natural bushland and Avoca Lake.

• Combines well-schooled, calm and sound horses and ponies, with an expert team of professional instructors. The Academy offers private and group lessons for all ages and abilities. Accommodation is also available at the Outlook Cabana.

• This family-run business is known for its lessons, pony parties, school camps and picnic hampers. It also provides psychology services and corporate programs.

‘We value horsemanship and horse wisdom as much as mounted learning so riders will be provided with opportunities to learn with, from, and on the horse,’ says owner Sarndie Remond and her daughter Lucy.

WORDS SUZY JARRATT

The Outlook Riding Academy

Glenworth Valley Outdoor Adventures

BENSVILLE RIDING SCHOOL

8 Bula Place, Bensville

• Everything from trail riding, private and group lessons, pony rides and birthday parties.

• Holiday camps for all levels and ages with swimming, games and a lot of riding and horse care.

• Pupils can also have a safe sleep-out with their favourite pony.

‘We also have a great individualised NDIS program,’ says the school’s owner, qualified instructor and show judge Chantelle Allaries. ‘We provide equine-assisted therapy for all ages and unique abilities.’

YARA BALBA STABLES

102 Midway Road, Mandalong

• Yara Balba in the Darkinjung language translates as ‘Gum Tree Hill’ and lies on the western side of Lake Macquarie.

• The Stables, on 23 hectares, offers after-school lessons, specialist clinics and activities.

• It has a covered arena, show jumping area, a long grassy riding track and a cross-country course.

• Also has a farm stay, art studio and gallery. A place for both horses and creativity.

‘We run a small boutique accredited riding school with EA/Pony Club Australia-qualified coaches, and we cater for all levels,’ says Margrete Erling, managing director of the stables.

COAST KIDS HORSE RIDING

4km north of Sparks Road, off Hue Hue Road, Wyee

• Instruction for all ages and abilities, and lessons in horsemanship.

• For tiny tots: Introduction to ponies. Children are led on quiet

child is different, instructors progress slowly, building confidence by playing games on horseback and introducing fun into their lessons.

• Adopt a pony for the day is an opportunity for children to learn what it is like to own a pony.

• They also supply ponies for parties.

‘At Coast Kids, all riders are supervised and instructed by experienced

Bensville Riding School

Yara Balba Stables

EQUINE SENSE

32 Dicksons Rd, Jilliby

• Private and group lessons for young and old.

• As well as holding kids’ camps, Equine Sense runs an adult riding club and working equitation clinics.

‘Instructors with world-class experience teach all levels of riders here in the beautiful Dooralong Valley,’ says accredited EA Level One coach Sandy Langsford. Sandy is her own best advertisement, having competed very successfully in a number of disciplines including dressage, hacking, eventing, Western and sidesaddle, as well as having been an instructor for the mounted police and has broken-in and trained the police horses.

FOXHILL EQUESTRIAN CENTRE

142 Pacific Highway, Ourimbah

• Caters to complete beginners through to competitive riders.

• Beautiful facilities and surroundings, and indoor and outdoor arenas.

• Sound, safe training and care are our priority.

• They also run EA Horse Management Courses and Train to Teach sessions.

‘Foxhill Equestrian Centre has a holistic approach to training horses and riders,’ says BHSI (UK) and EA Level Two instructor Jacquie Baker. ‘Emphasis is on the whole horse and rider, including emotional, physical and mental wellbeing to produce the best outcome.’

BLUE GUMS EQUESTRIAN

79 Baileys Road, Ourimbah

• For riders of all ages, Blue Gums offers a wide range of lessons from basic horse handling on the ground, learning to become a competent rider, through to riding at competition level.

• All-weather indoor arena.

• All aspects of horse handling and training can be explored with school master horses or BYO. ‘The horses are your teachers, the instructors are your interpreters.’

‘Children’s Saturday morning lessons are an opportunity for kids to be with other children and horses to experience the fun of riding,’ says owner and Equestrian Australia Coach (NCAS) Irene Gavenlock. ‘To be able to groom their horse, become aware of saddlery and where it goes, learn to ride and understand basic control requirements, and to know that this can all be so much fun.’

EMERALD PARK EQUINE

200 Crooks Road, Mandalong

• Set on 45 hectares, offering lessons, camps, clinics and other equine activities with the Watagan Mountains as a backdrop.

• It has two arenas, a jump area, 24-hour care, camping and glamping.

• One of its features for children and/or beginner riders is that Horsey Helpers is held regularly from 7am to 4pm.

‘Horsey Helpers activities include feeding all the animals at Emerald Park, learning about horses and their care, interacting with the horses, exploring the hiding places where ponies go during the day and having a picnic lunch in the bush,’ says owner, Jade Baglee.

Emerald Park Equine

Foxhill Equestrain Centre

Equine Sense

How to get your kids into physical activity.

Many of us know we should be moving more and sitting less, and that includes our kids. But how much physical activity do kids need? In this tech age of 24-hour entertainment, social media and thumbs on screens, how can we encourage them to be more active?

WORDS VANESSA GREEN

Welcome to the ‘Movement’ movement where fitness isn’t framed by how much exercise we do but by how much we move.

Kids are dynamic learning and moving machines. The health benefits of movement for kids are not just better sleep and concentration but also a better ability to handle physical and emotional challenges, from running to catch the bus, to studying for a test.

There are things that can be done to reinvigorate our kids, so let’s focus on small adjustments that help them get the movement they need and will eventually want for themselves.

Kids need a healthy movement ‘diet’. Our bodies, especially our kids’ bodies, need a healthy movement regime or ‘diet’ and a diverse range of ‘movement snacks’ is key.

Parents, you first. Our kids might not be listening but they’re always watching (and looking for our inconsistencies). Do you ever wonder what they see? Because that’s the start to getting kids, and the whole family, moving more and moving together. This is where the traditional exercise model betrays us. Our exercise sessions at the gym are something our kids never see so, like the tree falling in the forest, it never happens.

Exposure. Don't give up the first time that you and they try something new. Just as you would continue to serve vegetables in small serves to avoid overwhelming your children, apply small ‘bites’ to movement too. Teach kids the health benefits of physical movement and how it reduces stress and improves pretty much everything else.

Make activity a family event. Build a family obstacle course, introduce them to old-school games like handball and elastics and nothing gets them running like water fights. Go on a bushwalking

adventure, have a scavenger hunt with a list in your local area to tick off as you go, play indoor balloon tennis, let them have their own garden no matter how small, and go on a family picnic even if it’s right by your house. Dollops of cringing, rebuttal and excitement are all inevitable. So don’t pressure them but let them come to it with activities they enjoy when they’re ready.

Get them involved. Give kids the opportunity to be active – bring friends, let them choose and lead the adventure.

Remove distractions. One-to-two hours screen time per day is the recommended amount but, as more and more study is now done online, that isn’t always a realistic target. Just make sure it’s not getting in the way of healthy social behaviours and physical activity.

Think of ‘movement snacks’ throughout the day. There are big advantages to moving throughout the day. When you keep sitting to less than 30 minutes at a time, it significantly lowers your risk of heart issues (and those stats are for adults, imagine what they mean for your kids’ lifetime). It’s not just your exercise time that matters, but how much you move through the rest of your day.

Include fruit and vegetables. By that I mean outside and during play, daily.

For picky movers – just as it is for picky eaters – remember exposure to activities counts. So keep trying. Fill in the gaps in your kids’ and your own, movement diet.

Vanessa Green is a nutritional therapy practitioner and Fitness Australia registered trainer. @fit.by.nature on Instagram.

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