Pittwater Life February 2018 Issue

The Local Voice Since 1991 

LAP 

LAND 

OUR OCEAN POOLS 

& THE PEOPLE 

WHO USE THEM 

FEBRUARY 2018 

FREE 

pittwaterlife 

BUSY SAVING 

THE PLANET 

ROBBI NEWMAN’S 

ENVIRO QUEST 

ARE YOU 

CONNECTED? 

DON’T GET 

CAUGHT OUT BY 

THE NBN CUT-OFF 

ROBO-SURF 

MAN-MADE WAVES 

... RAD OR FAD?

Editorial 

Take a bow, local achievers 

This month this space is 

dedicated to congratulating 

the wonderful local achievers 

awarded Australia Day 

honours for their service to 

community. Take a bow all! 

Member (AM) 

John Kinsella (Mona Vale) – 

for significant service to the 

international community 

through healthcare and 

educational programs for 

vulnerable children in 

Cambodia; Dorothy Isaksen 

(Narrabeen) – for significant 

service to the Parliament 

of NSW, as an advocate for 

gender equality in politics, as a 

mentor, and to the community. 

Officer (AO) 

Emeritus Prof Russell 

Lansbury AM (Avalon Beach) 

– for distinguished service to 

industrial relations education 

as an academic, researcher 

and author, and as a mentor 

of young academics; Angus 

Gordon (North Narrabeen) – 

for service to environmental 

management and planning, 

and to the community (former 

general manager Pittwater 

Council 1996-2005). 

Medal (OAM) 

Dr Kenneth Hughes AFSM 

(Bilgola Plateau) – for service 

to the community, particularly 

through emergency response 

organisations (was Pittwater 

Council Citizen of the Year, 

2002); The Reverend Ivan 

Roberts (Mona Vale) – for 

service to the Uniting Church 

in Australia, and to the Myall 

Creek Memorial. 

Meanwhile NB Council 

announced its own Australia 

Day Awards Winners. 

Outstanding Community 

Service award winners in 

Pittwater region (a total of 15 

were awarded) were: Kellie 

Carroll (Mona Vale) and 

Lorraine Clarke (Narrabeen). 

If you know a local who 

deserves to be acknowledged, 

we urge you to nominate them 

next year. – Nigel Wall 


FEBRUARY 2018 3

FREE LOCAL 

MONTHLY 

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Delivered to householders 

& businesses throughout 

the Pittwater area at the 

beginning of each month. 

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DISCUSS 

YOUR AD! 

Tel: 0438 123 096 

PO Box 170 

Mona Vale 1660 

Email: 

info@pittwaterlife.com.au 

Website: 

www.pittwaterlife.com.au 

Publisher: Nigel Wall 

Managing Editor: Lisa Offord 

Graphic Design: CLS Design 

Photography: iStock 

Contributors: Rosamund 

Burton, Gabrielle Bryant, Brian 

Hrnjak, Jennifer Harris, Nick 

Carroll, Sue Carroll, Dr. John 

Kippen, Janelle Bloom, Geoff 

Searl. 

Distribution: 

John Nieuwenhof & Gill Stokes 

pitlifewalkers@gmail.com 

Published by 

Word Count Media Pty Ltd. 

ACN 149 583 335 

ABN 95 149 583 335 

Printed by Rural Press 

Phone: 02 4570 4444 

Vol 27 No 7 

Celebrating 26 years 


LAP 

LAND 

OUR OCEAN POOLS 

& THE PEOPLE 

WHO USE THEM 

BUSY SAVING 

THE PLANET 

ROBBI NEWMAN’S 

ENVIRO QUEST 

ARE YOU 

CONNECTED? 

DON’T GET 

CAUGHT OUT BY 

THE NBN CUT-OFF 

ROBO-SURF 

MAN-MADE WAVES 

... RAD OR FAD? 

FEBRUARY 2018 

FREE 

pittwaterlife 

26 

38 

44 

WALKERS 

WANTED 

To deliver Pittwater Life 

once a month. 

Permanent and casual runs 

are available now in: 

Palm Beach, Avalon, 

Newport, 

Bayview & Church Point. 

EARN TOP MONEY PAID PROMPTLY! 

Email: 

pitlifewalkers@gmail.com 

thislife 

COVER: Many of us don't give them a second thought 

but Pittwater's seven ocean pools have their own little 

micro-communities of swimmers and supporters (p26); 

We made enquiries to ensure you don't miss the NBN 

connection cut-off date in your suburb (p8); Read about 

the background of local marine environmental group 

Living Ocean and its co-founder Robbi Newman (p38); 

Nick Carroll details what it's like to surf Kelly Slater's 

man-made wave pool in inland California (p44); and 

catch up with the latest on the local health front (p46). 

COVER IMAGE: James Knight / aeroaus.com 

also this month 

Editorial 3 

Pittwater Local News 6-25 

Special Feature: Our Ocean Pools 26-36 

Life Stories: Robbi Newman 38-39 

Art Life 40 

Boating Life 41 

Surfing Life: Riding in Kelly Slater's Wave Pool 44-45 

Health & Wellbeing; Hair & Beauty 46-52 

Local Call 53 

Money 54-55 

Law 56-57 

Food: Super seafood dishes 66-68 

Crossword 69 

Gardening 70-72 

the goodlife 

Restaurants, food, gigs, travel and gardening. 

Also find our regular features on beauty, health, surfing, 

art, local history, our guide to trades and services, money, 

law and our essential maps. 

ATTENTION ADVERTISERS! 

Bookings & advertising material to set for 

our MARCH issue MUST be supplied by 

FRIDAY 9 FEBRUARY 

Finished art & editorial submissions deadline: 

FRIDAY 16 FEBRUARY 

The MARCH issue will be published 

on WEDNESDAY 28 FEBRUARY 

COPYRIGHT 

All contents are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced except with the 

written consent of the copyright owner. GST: All advertising rates are subject to GST. 

4 FEBRUARY 2018 

The Local Voice Since 1991

News 

Bus lane conversion ‘spells disaster’ 

The NSW Government has 

come under friendly fire 

from local Federal MP 

Jason Falinski over its conversion 

of sections of T3 lanes to 

bus-only lanes between Manly 

Vale and Neutral Bay, which 

the Mackellar Liberal member 

said would spell disaster for 

Pittwater commuters. 

Mr Falinski told Pittwater 

Life he is outraged by the 

decision that will significantly 

increase travel times for 

Northern Beaches residents 

who drive the corridor. 

T3 lanes are now bus-only 

lanes along Burnt Bridge Creek 

Deviation (from Condamine 

Street to Sydney Road) and 

along Spit (pictured) and 

Military Roads (from Ourimbah 

Road, Mosman to the Neutral 

Bay interchange), operating 

during the morning peak 

period from 6am to 10am 

weekdays. 

“These changes are detrimental 

to our community,” Mr Falinski 

said, adding he had written 

to State Minister for Transport 

Andrew Constance urging him 

to delay his decision. 

“January is the one time of 

the year where traffic is reasonable, 

and the commute to the 

city during peak hours is bearable. 

The conversion has made 

the traffic just as bad as during 

the worst time of the year, with 

many rightly asking me: how 

bad will it get in February and 

beyond when everyone is back 

at work and school?” 

Mr Falinski said that since 

the 1970s, the State Transit 

Authority (STA) had argued 

that the T3 Lanes along the 

road corridor from the Northern 

Beaches to the CBD should 

be converted to bus-only lanes 

to reduce bus travel times 

and encourage greater use of 

public transport. 

“Unfortunately, all the evidence 

I have seen – including 

modelling from the RMS – disputes 

this claim,” he said. “And 

who is going to be hurt most 

by this? It’s people who are carpooling 

(doing the right thing), 

or families taking not just their 

children, but their neighbour’s 

children to school.” 

He said the Northern 

Beaches already had three of 

the worst-congested roads, 

with Warringah Road rated the 

third worst-congested road 

in Australia by Infrastructure 

Australia. He added traffic 

congestion currently cost NSW 

$6.5 billion a year. 

“These figures hide the human 

misery that congestion 

causes to our citizens, communities 

and their families,” 

Mr Falinski said. “Transport 

continues to be the number 

one issue for people on the 

beaches – it’s what I get asked 

about the most.” 

He said better infrastructure, 

like the beaches Link tunnel, 

Mona Vale Road upgrades 

and French Forest roadworks, 

should be given a chance to 

work first, before any other 

changes made the local transport 

situation even worse. 

“I urged the Minister to delay 

this conversion, so life wouldn’t 

become unbearable for commuting 

families, and workers 

who choose to carpool on the 

Northern Beaches.” – Nigel Wall 



News 

Don’t get caught by NBN cut-off 

Around 10,000 homes 

and businesses in 

Pittwater will lose 

their internet connection 

over the coming months 

unless they migrate to the 

new National Broadband 

Network (NBN) by their 

part-of-suburb’s designated 

disconnection date. 

An approach by Pittwater 

Life revealed approximately 

5,200 premises in parts of 

Avalon and Bilgola will reach 

the end of the 18-month 

migration window in April – 

and a further 2,700 premises 

in parts of Avalon and Palm 

Beach will follow in June. 

More homes and businesses 

in other parts of Avalon and 

Bilgola will be cut-off in 

October. 

While some parts of 

Pittwater suburbs are 

already serviced and 

connected by the NBN, others 

are not, or have yet to be 

scheduled for connection – 

which is causing considerable 

confusion in the community. 

NBN spokesperson 

Marcela Balart explained 

that where possible, NBN Co 

looked to upgrade existing 

technologies in order to roll 

the network out as quickly 

and efficiently as possible. 

“We use a range of 

technologies which result in 

fast and reliable broadband 

– this choice of technology is 

decided area-by-area, based 

on the best solution for the 

location,” she said. 

“This may mean that 

sometimes we prioritise 

building the network to 

one part of a suburb before 

installing new infrastructure 

in another part of that area.” 

She added: “It’s important 

for people to know the 

switch to the NBN network 

is not automatic. Once the 

NBN network is available 

in an area, people will have 

18 months to contact their 

preferred phone or internet 

company to make the 

switch. After this time, the 

old copper network will be 

decommissioned.” 

More than 21,000 premises 

across the Northern Beaches 

areas are expected to 

become ready for service 

over the next six months, Ms 

Balart said. 

Construction was currently 

underway to connect 

almost 15,000 premises in 

parts of Pittwater suburbs 

Elanora Heights, Narrabeen, 

Mona Vale, Newport, North 

Narrabeen and Warriewood. 

More than 21,000 other 

premises across the 

Northern Beaches areas were 

expected to become ready 

for service over the next 

six months, including parts 

of Bayview, Church Point, 

Elanora Heights (other), 

Ingleside, Narrabeen (other), 

North Narrabeen (other), 

Mona Vale (other), Newport 

(other) and Warriewood 

(other). 

Ms Balart said the best 

thing for people to do was 

visit the NBN Co website 

(nbnco.com.au) and use the 

Check Your Address function 

which would tell a resident 

or business when they will 

be eligible to order a retail 

service over the NBN access 

network. 

“If the address is ‘ready 

to connect’, an approximate 

disconnection date will also 

be available,” she said. “If 

access is not yet available, 

people can register their 

email address and NBN Co 

will notify them when they 

can order a service through a 

retailer.” 

The network was now more 

than halfway built with more 

than seven million homes and 

businesses across Australia 

able to connect to retail 

services over the new network. 

Almost 1.8 million of those 



premises were in NSW. 

“To date, the rollout 

has been largely focused 

on regional Australia and 

prioritising those areas that 

are underserved. While this 

continues, the focus is now 

on ramping up the network 

build in metro areas,” she 

said. 

“This will include parts of 

Sydney and the surrounds, 

with 2018 set to be NBN’s 

biggest in terms of build and 

scale.” 

– Nigel Wall 

More connectivity 

options on horizon 

Simon Bond from Newportnet 

– which offers optic fibre internet 

connectivity for customers 

in their business premises 

– says the Beaches rollout of the 

NBN has been “somewhat of a 

patchwork quilt”. 

“Having spoken to several 

contractors carrying out the 

work it is apparent that many 

areas are easier to connect than 

others,” said Mr Bond. “When 

you consider that every location 

offers different challenges 

it is easy to understand that 

the timing of the rollout and 

the pressures to get as many 

people connected as possible in 

a challenging timeframe means 

that if difficulties arise, the 

contractors will simply move to 

the next area where there are 

less complications.” 

Work in Newport to upgrade 

existing services such as 

electricity and water had meant 

that much of the existing infrastructure 

where the NBN rollout 

was planned had seen works 

needing to be rescheduled due 

to the need for increased civil 

works due to damage caused to 

existing infrastructure. 

“Here in Newport we invested 

in our own fibre to the building, 

in order to future-proof 

businesses and residents early. 

“Newportnet’s connection 

is a 10-gig symmetrical fibre, 

meaning the connection is 100 

times as fast as the maximum 

NBN download capacity and 

250 times the fastest upload. 

“Local residents also share 

Newportnet’s infrastructure – 

meaning that they do not even 

need to worry if, or when the 

NBN comes to town.” 

Mr Bond recommended that 

consumers facing disconnection 

anxiety should reach out 

to the NBN, whose website had 

a clear roadmap for consumers 

who may be confused. 

Mr Bond also said he would 

be happy to offer advice to people 

if they were unable get the 

answers they needed. – NW 

News 



Patriots go boom 

News 

The Palm Beach Patriots are not only 

one of the top female surf boat crews 

in Australia but the four rowers 

are also riding a wave of success in their 

chosen careers. 

Lucy Day is a current affairs reporter/ 

producer at Channel Seven and MC for the 

Sydney Swans’ home games; Elly Reynolds 

is Head PE teacher at Newtown Performing 

Arts High School; Verity Boulton is senior 

partnership manager at Rugby Australia; 

and new recruit Papa Hipango, who studied 

at UC Berkeley for four years, is working 

for Salesforce Enterprise Business Development 

in Sydney. 

The crew is swept by long-time Palmy 

surf club member Peter Spence, who is 

National Field Sales Manager Impulse at 

Nestle. 

While the Patriots appear to have a 

mortgage on the elite Ocean Thunder series 

after making it three wins in three rounds 

at Dee Why on January 13, it’s the State and 

Aussie titles they have their sights set on. 

Lucy, Verity and Elly met through the 

surf club and have become very close 

friends. 

“Yes, we are really tight,” Lucy said. 

“‘We hang out a lot together socially and 

talk daily, even though we see each other 

every second day for training or carnivals. 

Verity was also one of my bridesmaids when 

I got married in 2016. 

“We are all pretty outgoing and don’t shy 

away from a good dance floor!” 

Verity admits to being a bit of a thrill 

seeker and has already climbed Mt Kilimanjaro 

to raise funds for Flying Kites, Kenya. 

Elly is the ‘mum’ of the crew, according to 

Lucy. 

“She is the most organised person I know. 

Elly has the memory of an elephant and 

ensures we are organised for carnivals and 

training,” Lucy said. 

WHAT A CREW: 

Palm Beach 

Patriots Verity 

Boulton (left), 

Elly Reynolds, 

Peter Spence 

(sweep), Papa 

Hipango and 

Lucy Day. 



in Thunder race 

Papa Hipango only arrived on the scene 

this season after long-time Palmy rower 

Alex Tyrrell decided to take a break after 

rowing for nine years. 

“They were always going to be big 

shoes to fill,” said Lucy, who at 17 was 

ranked No 1 in Australia in the 2000m 

Steeple Chase. 

“We looked internally for a replacement 

but many of our female rowers at Palmy 

were already in a crew or had fallen pregnant 

or had just had a baby so we then had 

to look externally.” 

As luck would have it, Verity found Papa 

at her local gym. 

“Verity saw what Papa pulled on the ski 

erg one session and quickly bailed her up,” 

Lucy said. 

Little did they know that Papa excelled in 

rowing and was an All American at college. 

“She is a natural athlete. We’ve had some 

big and tricky surfs this season which has 

tested all of us,” Lucy said. “Papa takes it 

all in her stride. She has no fear and listens 

and learns fast. 

“I think she is loving the transition into 

surf boats.” 

Verity and Lucy have won silver and gold 

medals in under-23s at nationals in 2008 

and 09 respectively with Matt Giblin as 

their sweep. 

Elly started rowing with the great Midget 

Farrelly as her first sweep. 

It was when Lucy returned from interstate 

after working for Adelaide’s ‘Today 

Tonight’ that she was back rowing again 

and joined forces with Verity, Elly and Alex, 

with Spency at the helm. 

“Peter has a solid training program we’ve 

been following since we started rowing 

with him. It works well for us,” said Lucy. 

After taking out round three of Thunder 

at Dee Why, the Patriots (24 points) have 

opened a five-point gap over closest rival 

Collaroy Gold, with Currumbin a further 

point behind. 

“We are certainly not taking anything for 

granted,” said Verity. “We still have a job 

to do. It would be nice to win back-to-back 

Thunder titles. Then we can focus on the 

big carnivals ahead.” 

Verity typifies what this crew is all 

about. She injured her back at the gym 

the day before the third Thunder round 

but told her chiropractor Jason Lamb 

she just had to row the next day. “He did 

a very good job,” Verity said. 

– John Taylor 

News 



News 

SEEN… 

HEARD… 

Hmm. Looks kind of familiar doesn’t it? Imagine our prise when Pittwater Life bumped into this doppelganger 

sur- 

logo while on a recent fact-finding trip to the US. 

Former PM Bob Hawke was in fine form leading guests 

in a rousing rendition of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ at Jonah’s 

Australia Day bash. The annual soiree doubles 

as a birthday celebration for the boutique hotel and 

restaurant which this year turned 89. Mr Hawke, accompanied 

by partner Blanche 

d’Alpuget, noted his 

affinity with Jonah’s as he enters his 89th year. The 

couple were joined by a mix of celebs and dignitaries 

including car supremo Col Craword, media identity 

Deborah Hutton, INXS’ Kirk Pengilly and former world 

surfing champ Layne Beachley, Olympics boss John 

Coates, and media face Kerry Anne Kennerly and husband 

John. Guests feasted on Australia Day-inspired 

creations from new executive chef Matteo Zamboni, 

including bespoke ‘Chiko’ rolls, lamb cutlets, fresh 

seafood and savoury ‘Lamingtons’. 

Also heard: Those traffic monitoring wires installed 

over summer at the intersection of Old Barrenjoey 

Road and Avalon Parade? An approach to NB Council 

revealed the statistics will be “used to update traffic 

data and fed into the Avalon Place Plan”. Stay tuned… 

Also, the flurry of activity at Pasadena at Church Point 

continues – Fairfax Media reports the controversial 

refurb will open in March with a 160-seat seafood 

grill. We hear the 10-room boutique hotel will follow 

later in the year. 

ABSURD… 

Seems not everyone was happy with the additional 

transport services across Pittwater over 

summer, with the Palm Beach base of Fantasea 

Cruises telling Pittwater Life it had to suspend 

its newly introduced water taxi service due to leged vandalism and threats to its staff, as well 

as heckling of customers. Police confirmed they 

al- 

had taken reports of several malicious damage 

incidents; Northern Beaches Local Area Com- 

mand are also in possession of CCTV footage of 

the alleged culprits which they are investigating. 

Police also urge anyone with information 

to come forward and contact local police or 

Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. 



News 

Palmy Walkway nearing delivery 

The expected completion date for the pedestrian 

walkway from Palm Beach Wharf to Governor 

Philip Park has been revised to midyear, 

Northern Beaches Council has confirmed. 

General Manager Environment & Infrastructure 

Ben Taylor said Palm Beach Walkway – part 

of the first stage of construction works in the 

Coastal Walkway Project, Connecting the Northern 

Beaches and which was originally scheduled 

to be open by January – had progressed to 

‘delivery’ phase. 

“This long-awaited walkway consists of 

elevated boardwalk sections together with 

concrete footpaths, with custom screening and 

handrails,” Mr Taylor said. “When completed it 

will see planting of new native trees, opportunities 

for community art and an overall upgrade in 

safety to the current walking conditions.” 

He confirmed cyclists would not be permitted 

to use the walkway for safety reasons. 

“The walkway will be one of a kind and will be 

a key piece of infrastructure in the area.” 

The construction process has been undertaken 

in conjunction with extensive consultation with 

residents whose properties border the walkway; 

Council did not reply to questions about any 

ongoing issues or current consultation. 

Work started on the Palm Beach walkway in 

November 2017. 

“Council is continuing to develop concepts 

for other sections of this overall iconic walkway 

between Palm Beach and North Head and consultation 

with the community will be occurring in 

early 2018,” Mr Taylor said. 

He added concepts are being developed for 

several missing links including Whale Beach 

Road (from Florida Road to Norma Road); 

upgrades for the section from Newport SLSC to 

Avalon Beach SLSC (via The Serpentine), Hillcrest 

Avenue Mona Vale, upgrades near Mona Vale 

SLSC and sections along Narrabeen Park Parade 

at Warriewood. 


6THINGS 

THIS MONTH 

New hospital Open Day. 

You have read all about it; now’s 

your chance to get a feel for the 

brand new Arcadia Pittwater 

Private Hospital at 4 Daydream St 

Warriewood when it opens its doors 

for a Community Open Day on Sun 

4 from 10am-3pm. 

Get a wriggle on. Learn about 

the art of composting and worms 

from the experts at Kimbriki Eco 

House and Garden in Terrey Hills 

so your can reduce your amount of 

food waste going in the rubbish bin 

while creating natural fertiliser for 

your garden on Sun 4 OR Fri 9 from 

10am-1pm. Cost $25 per person. 

Places limited. Bookings essential. 

9486 3512 or kimbriki@kimbriki.com 

Week of golf. Hundreds of 

women golfers will be doing the 

rounds at seven stunning Northern 

Beaches courses – Bayview, 

Cromer, Long Reef, Manly, Mona 

Vale, Monash and Wakehurst 

from Mon 12 to Fri 16 in one of the 

largest amateur women’s golfing 

tournaments in the Southern 

Hemisphere – The Barrenjoey 

Peninsula Week of Golf. Details 

barrenjoeyweekofgolf.com 

Visit Manly. Pop into Manly Art 

Gallery & Museum for two very 

good reasons. First catch the last 

few weeks of the amazing North 

Head Project curated by Katherine 

Roberts (closes Sun 18) then enjoy 

the creativity of this year’s crop 

of HSC students’ works selected 

for the Express Yourself exhibition 

to be opened by artist Joshua 

Yeldham on Fri 23 for a five-week 

run. 9976 1421 

Car seat check. Have your child 

car seats, harnesses and booster 

seats checked for safety and fit 

with a free inspection by Authorised 

Restraint Fitters at Winnererremy 

Bay Reserve, Mona Vale on 

Thursday 22. Co-ordinated by NB 

Council. From 9am-2pm; bookings 

are essential 1300 434 434. 

Lights, skate, action. Council’s 

Youth Services Team in partnership 

with Skater HQ are hosting a Friday 

Night Lights event on Fri 23 from 

4.30-7.30pm at Avalon Beach Skate 

Park. Free entry, spot prizes, free 

coaching plus food and drinks. 

Contact 9942 2401 or youth@ 

northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au for 

more info. 



A new hitch for 

trailer adverts 

News 

The practice of leaving 

unhitched trailers to 

advertise businesses on 

prominent transport corridors 

throughout Pittwater is about 

to be stamped out, with the 

NSW Government announcing 

hefty fines of up to $3000 for 

offenders. 

Changes to environmental 

planning rules kick in on 

March 1, aimed at unclogging 

the visual distraction 

on our roads and improving 

safety. However, there will be 

a three-month amnesty before 

Northern Beaches Council 

rangers commence dishing out 

fines ($1500 for individuals 

and $3000 for businesses) from 

June 1, to ensure the community 

has adequate time to be 

informed and for trailers to be 

cleared. 

Until now the issue has been 

a grey area, with planning 

controls around trailers unclear 

– unless trailers breach a 

parking restriction, authorities 

are virtually powerless to act. 

The change will see advertisements 

banned on 

parked trailers on roads, road 

shoulders, footpaths and 

nature strips – but excluding 

advertising associated with 

the primary use of the trailer 

in the course of work being 

undertaken, e.g. tradesman’s 

trailers and public authorities. 

Additionally, consent will be 

required for displaying signage 

on trailers parked on private 

land in view from roads, road 

shoulders footpaths and nature 

strips – including homes. 

At the same time, the 

Government confirmed that 

advertising in transport corridors 

would be permissible with 

consent from the Planning 

Minister. 

A government spokesperson 

said: “During consultation, 

safety and amenity concerns 

were raised about roadside advertising 

trailers blocking motorists’ 

vision and distracting 

drivers. By reducing the types 

of roadside trailer advertising 

currently on our roads, we’ll 

minimise risks to drivers.” 

He added: “Allowing advertising 

in transport corridors 

will provide funding for 

transport agencies and councils 

to deliver public benefit 

programs, such as road 

safety improvements, better 

public transport services 

and improvements to public 

amenity.” 

NB Council currently offers 

banner advertising along Barrenjoey 

Road and Pittwater Rd, 

including Newport Hill and the 

junction of Mona Vale Rd; cost 

for a two-week commercial 

booking is $76 ($38 not-forprofit 

groups). 

One local business owner 

affected by the new ban, who 

did not wish to be named, 

told Pittwater Life: “The 

government and Council 

need to look at the big picture 

here – the abundance of boats 

and caravans parked on our 

streets are much larger and 

raise more concerns about 



locking motorists’ vision. 

“There is a plethora of road 

signs, advertising hoardings 

and banners on just about 

every road to distract the 

driver… is paying the government 

or Council for this right 

eliminating the distraction? 

“The advertising trailer 

ban is nothing but discrimination 

against small business 

owners trying to promote 

their services and wares… 

and the council not getting a 

cut.” 


The sign of things to come 

Coming to your street 

(sort of) soon – the new, 

approved Northern Beaches 

Council street sign! 

Pittwater Life, which 

spotted this shiny new 

addition in Elizabeth St, 

Avalon, has been told the 

rollout of our new street 

signs, which were on the list 

of deliverable requirements 

following the Council 

amalgamation in May 2016, 

could take many, many 

years to fulfil. 

NB Council confirmed 

around 30 signs have been 

replaced so far from Manly 

to Palm Beach – including 

13 in the former Pittwater 

Council area. 

But don’t hold your 

breath about any largescale 

change, or be concerned 

Council is splurging 

ratepayers’ money – the 

costing wasn’t budgeted 

in the State Government’s 

cash handover, meaning 

replacements will be done 

only when necessary. 

Acting General Manager 

Customer and Corporate 

Melanie Gurney said: 

“Council’s obligation 

to ensure responsible 

management of ratepayer 

funds means we will only 

replace the signs with the 

new branding on an asneeds 

basis – such as when 

they are damaged or faded.” 

Ms Gurney confirmed any 

replacement of signs will 

be funded from Council’s 

existing budget. 

Streets that have the 

new sign are: Loombah St – 

Bilgola Plateau; Cooinda St 

– Bilgola Plateau; Mirrabooka 

St – Bilgola Plateau; 

Chisholm Ave – Avalon; 

Bungendore St – Ingleside; 

Eastbourne Ave – Avalon; 

Emma St – Mona Vale; 

Patrick St – Avalon; Elizabeth 

St – Avalon; Narrabeen Park 

Pde – Mona Vale; Hunter 

St – Warriewood; Hunter St 

North – Warriewood; and 

Patterson Lane – Avalon. 


News 



News 

Local ballerinas leap at amazing opportunities 

It has been another highly successful 

year for Dynamite Premiere Academy 

(DPA) in Newport with students 

offered coveted places at schools in 

London, New York, the French Riviera, 

Hong Kong as well as the Australian 

Ballet Interstate program. 

Emma Price (pictured) will be off to 

London in April after she was accepted 

into the Royal Ballet School Spring 

Intensive. 

Through an audition process the 

13-year-old was given direct entry into 

the program, where she’ll stay with 

other young dancers at White Lodge 

in Richmond Park and train for seven 

hours every day for a week with various 

Royal Ballet School teachers. 

Taking dance lessons since she was 

three, the Year 8 Ravenswood School 

for Girls student has her sights set on 

a career in dance. 

And she’s no stranger to the commitment 

required to achieve this 

goal – last year Emma was dancing 17 

hours of ballet/contemporary a week. 

What does she enjoy about ballet? 

“I love the structure and discipline 

ballet requires… when I am 

dancing I just feel happy.” 

Emma’s proud mum Pippa can’t 

praise her teachers highly enough. 

“Dynamite Premiere Academy has 

been such an important part of Emma’s 

dance journey so far,” she said. 

“Emma has teachers providing opportunities 

that she could only have 

dreamed of, teachers that believe in 

her ability and future… we would not 

be anywhere else.” 

DPA Principal Melissa Mitchell was 

thrilled with all students’ achievements, 

reporting the sisters 

Pittwater Life featured last year 

– Emily and Charlotte Enright – 

each gained direct access into 

the Royal Ballet School Autumn 

Intensive Program in Hong Kong 

and through YAGP (the biggest 

competition in the world) 

14-year-old Emily 

received a summer 

program 

scholarship 

to the École 

supérieure de 

danse, Cannes 

Also, 

six students received scholarships to 

the Summer Intensive Program at the 

Joffrey Ballet School in New York and 

all received direct entry into its fulltime 

training program. 

And nine-year-old Zara Wenborne’s 

acceptance into The Australian Ballet 

Interstate Training Program means 

DPA now has students across all its 

levels. 

One of the refreshing aspects of DPA 

is the equal emphasis placed on providing 

a relaxed and fun environment 

and a range of recreational 

classes for children of every age 

and standard. 

To this end, DPA is offering 

a “free trial” to all new 

families for the beginning 

of term 1 (terms and 

conditions apply). Term 

1 resumes Monday 5 

February. 

For more 

information 

call 9918 

8841 or 

email info@ 

dynamitepa. 

com.au. 

Photo: Winkipop Media 



Pittwater’s International 

Women’s Day breakfast 

Book your seat or get a 

group of friends together 

and secure a table to celebrate 

International Women’s Day 

with a scrumptious breakfast 

and a special guest speaker at 

the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht 

Club in March. 

This annual event acknowledges 

the achievements of 

women and it’s where Member 

For Pittwater Rob Stokes 

traditionally announces the 

Pittwater Woman of the Year. 

Guest speaker at this year’s 

breakfast to be held in a beautiful 

space overlooking the 

water across to Bayview and 

Scotland Island, is wheelchair 

basketball player, sailor and 

Member of Parliament Liesl 

Tesch AM. 

Hosted by Zonta Club of 

Northern Beaches, a group 

assisting local women in need 

and international projects 

in developing countries, 

the breakfast is always well 

attended by the local community 

(men are also welcome!). 

SPEAKER: Liesl Tesch AM 

The Pittwater IWD Breakfast 

will be held from 7am- 

9am on Wednesday 7 March. 

The cost is $45. Book early to 

avoid disappointment (bookings 

will remain open until 

Thursday 1 March or until 

sold out). Enquiries to pittwateriwdbreakfast@gmail.com 

or Sue on 0407 850 860. 

Proceeds from the breakfast 

will support service 

projects of Zonta Club of 

Northern Beaches. 

News 



News 

Events 

Strategy 

feedback 

sought 

N 

orthern Beaches Council 

has drafted a new events 

strategy to support local 

organisations to run their own 

vibrant events and complement 

those run by Council. 

Mayor Michael Regan urged 

the community to provide feedback 

before submissions close 

on February 11. 

He said the strategy aimed 

to help attract, develop and 

support a range of diverse and 

exciting events. 

“We have a proud history 

of hosting spectacular events 

on the Northern Beaches,” Mr 

Regan said. 

“Today, hundreds of events 

are held from Manly to Palm 

Beach each year, entertaining 

more than half a million people 

with an array of festivals, music, 

shows and exhibitions. 

“Our events bring people 

together to celebrate who we 

are and where we live – instilling 

a great sense of community 

pride and connection as well as 

stimulating the local economy. 

“We know that the community, 

businesses and organisations 

have a real enthusiasm 

for even more events. From 

listening to more than a thousand 

community members 

during the consultation period, 

it is clear there is a real appetite 

for a mix of large-scale events 

and smaller, local events. 

“They want events that 

showcase local talent, create 

new experiences in non-traditional 

locations and promote 

the Beaches as a destination of 

choice. And the community has 

told us they want events to be 

sustainable, help boost employment 

and be accessible through 

improved transport options,” 

Mr Regan said. 

The new Events Strategy 

will have a range of actions, 

including investigating funding 

models to help support a wider 

range of local events – some of 

which could potentially transition 

to significant events. 

More info at ‘Your Say’ at 

northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au. 



Pittwater News 

News 

Mona Vale Autumn 

Festival announced 

The Mona Vale Chamber of 

Commerce have come up with 

a great way to keep businesses 

at the forefront of the local 

community exiting the busy 

summer trade period, launching 

a new Autumn Festival 

that will transform Bungan 

Street into a cavalcade of 

food, entertainment and more 

from 10am to 4pm on March 

3. “This new inaugural event 

is expected to attract thousands 

of people to Mona Vale 

so it presents a great opportunity 

for local businesses to 

open their doors to drive both 

sales and consumer awareness,” 

said Chamber president 

Chris Kavanagh. “We’re looking 

to attract both stallholders 

and visitors – currently 

we encourage local shops to 

join us with a stall on Bungan 

St, or opening onto the street 

from their premises.” Benefits 

to Autumn Festival stallholders 

include a free year’s 

membership to the Chamber, 

plus 50% off the price of a 

stall at the end-of-year Mona 

Vale Market Day. Chris said 

the Autumn Festival would 

be heavily promoted locally. 

For more information email 

info@monavalechamber.org 

or call 02 9194 6788. 

Stop Press: Mention the 

Festival ad in Pittwater Life 

magazine on Autumn Festival 

Day on March 3 and you’ll go 

in the draw to win a magnum 

of champagne! Simply drop 

by the Event tent. 

It’s last call for 

Creative entries 

Organisers say there is still 

time to register to enter and 

make your three-minute film 

for the 5th Northern Beaches 

Creative Creatures film 

festival. Films are to be up to 

three minutes long and are required 

to include an image or 

reference to red shoes. Deadline 

for submission of entries 

is March 18. The festival will 

be held on the front green 

at Avalon Bowling Club on 

Sunday April 8 from 1pm- 

8pm. “Be a part of this fabulous 

local film festival which 

launched the now famous 

Avalon Now,” said organiser 

Katy Young. Register at 

creativecreaturesfilmfestival. 

com.au. (While we’re on the 

subject, a reminder Tropfest 

Australia returns on Saturday 

17 February at Parramatta 

Park. Academy Award winner 

Susan Sarandon will head this 

year’s Tropfest Jury – and for 

the first time the ABC will 

be the exclusive broadcast 

partner.) 

Councillor starts 

grants program 

Passionate Narrabeen Ward 

councillor Rory Amon is 

putting his money where his 

mouth is, funding a community 

grants fund with a 

portion of his pay as a means 

of giving back to the local 

community. The Liberal-endorsed 

councillor said Round 

1 of the program, now open 

for applications, includes a 

total of $5,000. “Grants are 

between $200 to $500 for any 

community group to help 

with projects or the purchase 

of items which benefit our 

community,” Cr Amon said. 

“As I am a Councillor for 

Narrabeen Ward, priority 

will be given to groups with 

a connection to that Ward – a 

connection might be that your 

group is based in Narrabeen 

Ward, does work in the Ward, 

or one of your members lives 

in the Ward.” He added all applications 

would be assessed 

by an independent community 

panel. Applications for 

the Amon Community Grants 

Fund close February 28; more 

info roryamon.com.au 

Scotland Island 

Wharf Upgrades 

The Scotland Island Residents 

Association has chalked up 

a huge win for its offshore 



community with news the 

State Government has announced 

almost $1 million 

towards wharf upgrades on 

the island. Pittwater MP Rob 

Stokes confirmed Northern 

Beaches Council had 

been allocated $641,000 to 

support improvements to 

Carols Wharf and $351,000 

to upgrade Bell Wharf. Both 

wharves will be extended 

to accommodate additional 

capacity and improvements 

will be introduced to enhance 

safety and disability access. 

SIRA president Hubert van 

Mierlo said that although a 

detailed design was yet to be 

done, they expected the works 

would be in line with the 

proposals submitted by SIRA 

last year, including 30 new 

commuter boat tie-ups at Bell 

Wharf and 38 new commuter 

boat tie-ups at Carols Wharf. 

“The legwork for this was 

done by the Wharves Working 

Group under leadership 

of Alec Beckett – well done 

Continued on page 24 

Book now for Barefoot Ball on Newport Beach 

Tickets are now on sale for Newport Surf 

Club’s 2018 ‘Barefoot Ball’ from 6pm on 

March 24, with the gala evening on Newport 

Beach set to raise funds for Cystic 

Fibrosis research and care. Attendees will 

enjoy delicious catering from hatted local 

restaurant Sotto Sopra, great music from 

the Kate Lush Band, and bare feet all under 

the stars at one of Sydney’s most stunning 

beaches! The Ball is conducted in partnership 

with Cystic Fibrosis Community Care 

(CFCC) which contributes valuable funds to 

research Australia’s most common lifeshortening 

genetic condition and works 

to improve the quality of life for sufferers 

and their families. The first Ball was 

not only a wonderful evening when the 

community came together under the full 

moon on Newport Beach, but a significant 

fundraising success for both Newport SLSC 

& CFCC – and a great opportunity to get a 

better appreciation of the work of CFCC and 

the impact it has had on the lives of many. 

Book now – the last Ball sold out in two 

weeks. Visit eventbrite.com.au and search 

‘barefoot ball’. If you can’t attend, but 

wish to contribute by donating or purchasing 

a ticket in our raffle to win a $19,500 

10-night European cruise, visit galabid. 

com/auction/barefoot 

News 



News 

Pittwater News 

Tracking down family histories 

If you’ve ever wanted to learn 

more about your family’s 

history but don’t know where 

to start, Northern Beaches 

Council has the answer – it 

has recruited experienced volunteers 

to help at Dee Why Library 

Family History Fridays. 

Mayor Michael Regan said the 

program, which runs 10am 

to 4pm on Fridays starting 

on February 2 through to the 

end of the year, would have 

great results in helping locals 

find out about and connect 

with their family history. An 

example: local resident and 

Vietnam veteran Alan Wright 

knew almost nothing about 

his family history before 

coming along to the Council 

Library initiative. However, 

Alan’s search – which started 

with a single birth certificate 

– has led to him locating a 

91-year-old cousin he didn’t 

know existed and WWI medals 

awarded to his ancestors 

which he plans to wear at 

future ANZAC Day marches. 

He has also traced records 

back to his great-great-greatgrandfather 

and compiled a 

huge folder of historical documents, 

including photographs, 

about his family. Alan now 

spends two days a week at the 

library making the most of its 

free access to online ancestry 

research tools and says he 

would love to do a course in 

family history research to 

help others. (Alan, right, pictured 

with Dee Why Library 

staff member Michael Houstone.) 

Bookings are essential 

for Family History Fridays. 

Call 9942 2610 to request a 

one-hour session with a volunteer 

or visit northernbeaches. 

nsw.gov.au/library for more 

information. 

Continued from page 23 

to all!” he said. “SIRA will 

start talks with Council on 

the timing and details of the 

work next month – the funding 

deal stipulates that the 

works are completed before 

the end of 2019 and of course 

we hope for a much earlier 

delivery.” Mr Stokes said the 

wharf extensions, part of the 

Government’s Boating Now 

Program, would also enable 

deeper water access during 

low tides and assist with overall 

reliability. “These are vital 

projects for Scotland Island 

residents – so I’m delighted 

the NSW Government is 

providing financial support,” 

he said. 

Avalon ocean 

Swims’ new date 

Ocean swimmers will make 

a big splash at the rescheduled 

Avalon ocean swims on 

Sunday 9 April with a choice 

of three swims including 

the iconic ‘Around The 

Bends’ swim. Volker Klemm, 

race director of the Avalon 

swims, says there is a swim 

for ocean swimmers of all 

levels. “We have a 1km swim 

starting at 9.30am sharp 

at Avalon Beach followed 

by our traditional 1.5km 

swim starting at 10.30am,” 

Volker said. “For the more 

daring ocean swimmers 

there is the ‘Around The 

Bends’ course from Newport 

Beach to Avalon – a 2.5km 

swim which will provide a 

truly magical experience.” 

He added the revised date, 

prompted by the cancellation 

of the Avalon Swim on January 

14 due to big seas, came 

with benefits. “April 9 is not 

such a busy time for ocean 

swims and participants 

will have the chance to get 

in more training,” he said. 

Entries are still being taken 

at oceanswims.com (and late 

registration is available from 

8am at Avalon). However, 

there are no late entries for 

the Around The Bends swim; 

caps and timing chips will 

be available for collection at 

Newport Beach. There is also 

a shuttle bus from Avalon to 

Newport after the swim. 

10 new interns 

for MV Hospital 

Staffing at Mona Vale Hospital 

has received a boost with 

10 new medical graduates 

commencing their clinical 

internships in late January. 

Local MP Rob Stokes said the 

intake was part of a record 

999 graduates commencing 

positions in NSW hospitals as 

part of a major investment by 

the NSW Government to increase 

the number of doctors 

in metropolitan and rural areas. 

The interns will be under 

the guidance of experienced 

senior doctors and will put 

into practice their many years 

of university preparation. 



“Mona Vale Hospital has a 

long-standing history of contributing 

to the education of 

our state’s medical workforce 

and we know these latest 

graduates will be in excellent 

hands,” Mr Stokes said. “I’m 

delighted the NSW Government 

is continuing to lead 

the nation in training junior 

doctors and responding to the 

ever-increasing demand for 

medical services.” 

Rainbow Club 

seeks swim teachers 

Rainbow Club Warriewood is 

seeking AUSTSWIM or Swim 

Australia qualified swimming 

teachers. Rainbow Club 

Australia has 20 clubs across 

NSW which provide swimming 

lessons for children 

with a disability. ‘Swim 

the Rainbow’ is a specially 

designed program tailored 

for children with a disability. 

Spokeswoman Heather Nadilo 

said the Club paid above 

award rates to attract dedicated 

and passionate teachers 

who can commit to a school 

term of weekend lessons (current 

rates are from $30/hr). 

“Our club meets on Saturdays 

during the school term and 

we offer all our swimming 

teachers a full package of 

benefits to reward them for 

all their commitment and 

dedication,” Heather said. Apply 

rainbowclubaust.com.au 

or email Heather at admin@ 

rainbowclubaust.com.au 

A healthy start in Mona Vale 

Health foodies rejoice… organic and wholefood market, Flannerys, 

has just opened a flagship store in Park St, Mona Vale – 

with 10,000 hand-picked products (including organic fruit and 

vegetables), a huge amount of fridge space and 300 different 

bulk offerings, plus a cosy on-site café – serving Cocowhip, 

acai bowls, organic and free-trade coffee, smoothies, super 

lattes (with beetroot, turmeric and cocoa) as well as other 

healthy bites. There’s also a naturopath consulting area, where 

visitors can watch their herbs being mixed while they wait – 

and it’s hard to miss the live rescue bee hive in the middle of 

the store. Naturopath and local Caroline Robertson (pictured) 

says Flannery’s choice to open on the Northern Beaches was 

indicative of the local community’s growing move towards 

healthy living. “We are all about creating a gathering place for 

the community, to get health advice and stock up on health 

food needs,” she said. “We’re really excited about our online 

booking system where you can secure a free, 15-minute advice 

session with our naturopaths. We have a private area to meet, 

so if there’s something a bit more personal to talk about – like 

hormone imbalances, prostate trouble or difficulty breastfeeding 

– we offer a personalised, uninterrupted place to get advice.” 

From February there will also be a a series of workshops 

in-store – these include a cooking workshop demonstration 

by acclaimed nutritionist Lee Holmes, a mushroom immunity 

session and a workshop focusing on how to manage daily 

stress and sleep well. More info Flannerys.com.au 

Vet 

on 

call 

with 

Dr Ben Brown 

Vaccination is an essential 

part of the creation of 

‘herd immunity’ whereby 

the entire animal population 

is protected because the 

prevalence of life-threatening, 

contagious diseases is 

substantially reduced due to 

greater immunity in the pet 

population. 

Every vaccinated 

animal contributes to 

the maintenance of herd 

immunity. Annual vaccination 

also allows a complete 

physical examination to be 

conducted each year; this is 

particularly important because 

our pets can’t tell us they feel 

unwell, and signs of disease 

(especially in the early stages) 

can be very subtle. 

We recommend an annual 

check-up and vaccination; 

however with advances in 

technology we no longer need 

to vaccinate dogs against the 

same diseases every year. For 

unvaccinated dogs Parvovirus 

is still very common, 

especially in younger dogs, 

and can cause life-threatening 

viral gastroenteritis and 

bone marrow suppression. 

Distemper causes viral 

meningitis and is rapidly 

fatal in the majority of dogs 

it infects. Thankfully, due 

to vaccination and herd 

immunity, this disease is rare 

in Australia. Infectious Canine 

Hepatitis is a worldwide, 

contagious disease of dogs. 

In addition to our core 

three-yearly vaccination 

protocol we also recommend 

vaccination against canine 

cough every year; it’s an oral 

vaccine plus an injection. 

Canine cough is common, 

especially where dogs 

congregate e.g. dog parks, 

and via public water bowls. 

To increase rates of 

vaccination we have 

commenced a ‘LifeVac’ 

program which reduces the 

cost of your pet’s vaccinations 

over its lifetime. Drop into 

our hospitals at Newport and 

Avalon to find out more! 

News 



Differen 

Strokes 

Story by Rosamund Burton 

Photos: Rosamund Burton & Lindy Hardcastle; Jay Platt, Jim Knight, Gab Scanu (aerial). 

Cover Feature 



t In 

the 1920s baths were 

carved into the rocks along 

the Northern Beaches, and 

they became popular swimming 

places. A decade later in 

the 1930s, providing work for 

the unemployed during the 

Depression, the ocean pools 

started to be built. There are 

seven pools between North 

Narrabeen and Palm Beach, 

and over a couple of days lifelong 

swimmer, Lindy Hardcastle, 

and I visited each one... 

North Narrabeen 

‘Pool Closed’ the sign says 

when we arrive at North 

Narrabeen (right) at 7.30am. 

However, a man appears from 

the direction of the pool with 

a towel over his shoulder. 

“Don’t pay any attention 

to the sign,” he says, “The 

pool gets cleaned on Tuesday 

night, and the cleaners have 

forgotten to turn it around.” 

Size-wise North Narrabeen 

is the most impressive of all 

the Northern Beaches ocean 

pools. It’s a 50-metre by 

18-metre pool with a wooden 

boardwalk built within a 

larger 70-metre by 40-metre 

wading pool. It’s located at 

the entrance of the Narrabeen 

Lagoon at the north end of 

Narrabeen Beach. 

We reach the changing 

rooms as three men – Yorkshire-born 

Bob Gibson, Garry 

Smith and Greg Johnson – 

Cover Feature 



ABOVE: Braving the elements 

– Lindy Hardcastle 

at North Narrabeen pool; 

CENTRE: author Rosamund 

with (l-r) Bob Gibson, Garry 

Smith and Greg Johnson; 

RIGHT: Mona Vale pool in a 

lull between ocean surges. 

Cover Feature 

emerge from the water 

looking chilly. 

“The water is around 

15 degrees today,” says 

Manly-born Johnson, who 

has been swimming at the 

pool daily for 38 years. 

He is an accountant and 

from here heads to his 

office in the city for the day. 

“I usually swim between 500 

metres and a kilometre; I’ve 

done 500 metres today, because 

it’s cold and also rough.” 

He tells us that the pool was 

built in the 1930s under the 

Unemployment Relief Scheme. 

It cost [then] Warringah Council 

£494 to build and opened in 

March 1934. In 1933, in anticipation 

of the pool opening, 

the Narrabeen Ladies Amateur 

Swimming Club was formed – 

now known as the Narrabeen 

Lakes Amateur Swimming Club. 

The pool is also home to the 

Shivering Sharks, a club which 

formed in the 1960s, and in 

winter hosts the Charlie Brady 

Memorial Narrabeen Shield 

in the pool (and doesn’t allow 

competitors to wear wetsuits). 

Greg Johnson also mentions 

Joe Crowley, who passed away 

two years ago. “He was known 

as the mayor of the pool, and 

taught swimming here for over 

55 years.” 

Next to emerge from the 

water is Leon Wickens, 77. 

Pulling a large piece of blue tac 

out of his ear, he tells us with 

a grin: “I was born in Lakemba 

and moved to Narrabeen in 

1951. I’ve been swimming here, 

on and off, for 60 years.” He 

joined the NAB in 1955 and for 

many years was bank manager 

at the local branch. 

“Starting the day with a swim 

is excellent for the physical 

health, and spiritually as well. 

It makes you feel so good. We 

swim and then all go to the surf 

club and have a cup of coffee... 

it doesn’t really matter what 

happens for the rest of the day.” 

The tide has now come up 

over the edge of the pool and 

the surf is crashing into it. So, 

in a lull in the waves, we walk 

quickly along the wooden 

boardwalk to the far end, then 

plunge into the cold water 

and do a fast 50 metres back 

towards the beach. 

Mona Vale 

We pull off Surfview Road at 

the north end of Mona Vale 

Beach. A hundred metres 

from the headland across the 

sand on the rock promontory 

which divides Mona Vale 

Beach from Bongin Bongin 

Bay is the 30-metre pool and 

also a kids’ pool. Ocean baths 

were built here in 1914 and 

then improved in the 1930s. 

However, a sign saying 

‘Beach Closed’ has been 

planted into the sand, and the 

concrete walkway to the pool, 

and the pool itself are hidden 

under spume and spray, so 

we can’t swim today. It only 

dawns on us now that the 

pool at Narrabeen might have 

been closed today because 

of the rough conditions and 

unusually high tide due to the 

‘super moon’. 

We return at 7 o’clock the 

following morning, and walk 

into the change rooms to find 

it full of women dressing after 

their swim in the pool. 

“We’re the Buckettes,” they 

chime. Eighty-two-year-old 

Jenny Lewis is the oldest and 

the founding member of this 

group of 20 women. Ten 

years ago she was swimming 



LEFT: Mona Vale’s ‘Buckettes’ (l-r) Jenny Lewis, Maggie Perdrian, Mina Pontello 

and Pauline Unsworth; ABOVE: the concrete approach to Mona Vale 

pool; RIGHT: The long, thin Newport pool on the beach’s southern tip. 

Cover Feature 

in the pool, and started 

talking to Pauline Unsworth, 

and then they introduced 

themselves to Margot Yorke. 

The three of them began 

having coffee after their 

morning swim, and going 

to the movies together. A 

couple of other women joined 

the group, and it grew from 

there. 

“People were attracted to 

our laughter and happiness,” 

Pauline explains. “Rain, hail or 

shine we swim. In winter we 

put hot water in our bucket 

and stand in it after swimming 

to warm up.” 

“We share clothes,” adds 

another Buckette. The change 

room is affectionately called 

the Shed and the clothes, 

including a purple bra, are 

known as ‘The Shed Brand’. 

They have also had Buckette 

shirts printed, which several 

of them are wearing. 

“Every July,” continues Pauline, 

“we go up on the train to 

Moree to the hot spring baths. 

We’ve been through so much 

together – life experiences, 

births, deaths and weddings. 

You get to know each other so 

well. And,” she adds, “when 

you’re naked there’s no hiding 

from each other.” 

The Buckettes head to the 

Bronze Kiosk at Mona Vale 

Surf Club for coffee, and 

Lindy and I walk onto the 

beach and along the narrow 

concrete walkway to this pool 

nestled in the rocks in the between 

the two beaches. Water 

is breaking over the edge and 

it’s exhilarating to do laps in 

the clean water. 

Newport 

We walk down the walkway on 

the corner of Calvert Parade 

and The Boulevarde onto the 

beach, and follow the track at 

the southern end of Newport 

Beach around the rocks to 

the pool. It’s not hard to pick 

our way over the rocks, but 

we’re told later by a regular 

swimmer that the path has 

been destroyed by recent 

storms. A couple of people are 

swimming up and down this 

50-metre pool with its natural 



ock bottom, including David 

Hodkinson, who has only lived 

in the area for a couple of 

years, but cycles down regularly 

to swim his laps. “This is 

the best rock pool,” he says. 

“It’s always quiet.” 

However, it wasn’t always 

quiet. From the 1860s onwards 

steamers brought people 

from Sydney to Newport 

Wharf, and they would walk 

to the surf beach. The Sydney 

Morning Herald reported on 

31 January 1926 the opening 

of ‘the new rock baths’, which 

had cost £560. An ocean pool 

was built in the current location 

in the 1930s. 

This pool and Mona Vale’s 

have no electricity, so the 

council workers who clean 

all seven ocean pools have to 

wear headlamps when they 

are cleaning the pool at night. 

In August 2012, early morning 

swimmers arrived to find 

an 11-metre, 30-tonne young 

adult humpback whale carcass 

had broken the post and chain 

where it had washed over, and 

lay lodged in the pool. 

The high tide and big swell 

that evening washed the car- 

Cover Feature 



ABOVE: Local David Hopkinson 

swims laps regularly – Newport is 

his pool of choice as it’s ‘always 

quiet’; RIGHT: The ever-popular 

Bilgola pool at the southern end of 

the beach presents a long length. 

grew up at Palm Beach, now 

lives in Avalon, and runs a gardening 

business called Lanes 

Gardens. 

“I usually swim here or at 

the Newport Rock Pool,” he 

says. “I have a break from 

gardening in the middle of the 

day and in summer and winter, 

I swim 20 lengths, 1km. I do 

it to keep fit, but also, I love 

being in the salt water every 

day. It’s like a form of meditation. 

It relaxes me and I feel 

re-energised.” 

While he’s talking 54-yearold 

Maryanne Spiers dives into 

the pool. She is a fitness coach 

and personal trainer, who lives 

at Bilgola Plateau. 

“I love all the ocean pools, 

but Bilgola is my favourite. It’s 

a good length for laps and has 

a lovely aspect. The salt water 

is so refreshing. It relaxes 

and revitalises you more than 

fresh water.” 

Maryanne Spiers grew up 

ocean swimming at Austinmer 

in Wollongong. She was 

a member of the Surf Life 

Saving Club, when few women 

were members. “Our crew at 

Austinmer were the second 

group of girls who got their 

bronze medallion. That was 

around 1979.” Then at the age 

of 18 she said she became 

Australia’s first female professional 

lifeguard. 

“I had all the qualifications, 

but women hadn’t been 

Cover Feature 

cass out of the pool and back 

out to sea, but then it washed 

up on the beach. An excavator 

couldn’t move the giant mammal, 

and it had to be cut up 

with chainsaws, and put into 

landfill at Lucas Heights. 

The surf always breaks 

around this pool, and here 

you feel all the energy of the 

ocean. This morning waves 

are breaking over the edge, 

and Lindy and I are whirled 

around by the water as we 

swim our laps. 

Bilgola 

Tucked in near the rocks at 

the southern end of the beach 

are the eight-lane 50-metre by 

15-metre pool and the 50-metre 

by 5-metre wading pool, 

which were built in the 1960s. 

When we arrive at quarter 

past one, 45-year-old Steve 

Lane is swimming lengths. He 



ABOVE & BELOW: Maryanne Spiers 

and Steve Lane both agree swimming 

at Bilgola pool is a form of 

meditation; RIGHT: The angular and 

exposed pool at Avalon Beach is 

susceptible to much ocean churn. 

employed before. Then I beat 

half of the men in the test, so 

they couldn’t not employ me 

after that. I set the bar,” she 

concludes with a smile. 

Not content with breaking 

glass ceilings on the beach 

Maryanne Spiers turned to the 

snow, representing Australia 

in the ski-ing at the 1998 Calgary 

Winter Olympics. 

She is passionate about 

healthy ageing. “I’m getting 

younger every year, not older,” 

she grins. 

Lindy is already swimming 

lengths, so I dive in and swim 

join her. The surf is breaking 

into the pool, and I’m buffeted 

by spray and the pull of the 

foaming water, but the energy 

of the swirling sea water is 

utterly exhilarating. 

This is the home of the Avalon 

Bilgola Amateur Swimming 

Club, which started in the mid- 

’60s, and meets here every 

Saturday morning from mid- 

October to the end of March, 

catering from social swimmers 

to the more competitive. 

Avalon 

In 1923, the Sydney Mail 

reported “young people 

enjoying themselves at what is 

known as the Avalon bathing 

hole, a natural rocky bath”. 

The present day 22-metre pool 

and the toddlers pool beside it 

were built in the late 1930s. 

In 2011 a 1.5-metre baby 

bronze whaler was found 

circling inside the pool, so the 

pool had to be drained, and 

the shark removed by [then] 

Pittwater Council workers. 

“Another problem when 

we get big seas,” says Steve 

Lawler, Executive Manager 

of Parks and Recreation with 

Northern Beaches Council, “is 

that often so much kelp ends 

up in the pool, it’s not possible 

to swim.” 

On this particular morning 

with the ‘super moon’ tide 

still rising it’s impossible to 

see whether whalers or weed 

might be lurking beneath 

the swirling foam. Lindy 

marches confidently along 

the concrete walkway to the 

pool, while I cower from the 

spray, and watch her descend 

the steps and enter the water. 

As she does a few strokes she 

looks like a seal, her head 

of dark hair bobbing up out 

of the water and then being 

submerged by the waves. 

Far less brave I don’t even 

contemplate trying to swim 

in this. Clinging to the rails I 

Cover Feature 



Cover Feature 

walk down the steps and just 

submerge myself into the 

maelstrom of white water. 

Sitting on a bench above 

the pool, like the Socrates of 

the ocean pools, is Michael 

Ossipoff. He lives on Clareville 

Beach and tells us he wets 

his gills daily in either Whale 

Beach, Bilgola, Newport or 

Avalon ocean pools. 

“They have different personalities,” 

he muses. “In this 

pool, like Newport, you feel 

closely connected to the surf 

and the ocean in general.” The 

three of us gaze down at the 

pool awash with surf. “The 

pools have a value beyond the 

mental and physical health they 

provide. They also draw community 

together. They should 

be viewed as being one of the 

jewels of the area,” he says. 

Whale Beach 

It’s six o’clock in the evening 

when we park on The Strand, 

and walk south along the beach 

to the shallow 25-metre pool. 

There is no breeze and no 

longer sunlight on the pool. 

A single swimmer is doing 

lengths, 73-year-old Maria 

Salome from Guatemala who 

came with her husband to 

Australia in 1984, and who has 

lived in the area since 1994. 

“I swim every day except 

Sundays, because there are 

usually too many people. Even 

in winter I swim. I love it. 

“I usually come at half past 

seven in the morning, and 

there are about 10 or 12 other 

people,” she says. Then her 

eyes well with tears. “My husband 

has cancer and is in the 

Royal North Shore Hospital. My 

ABOVE: Lindy struggles through the ‘washing machine’ at Avalon pool. 

ABOVE: Colour contrast of rocks 

and pool at Whale Beach; RIGHT: 

Maria Salome swims six days a 

week but avoids Sunday crowds. 

son had flown from Germany 

and my daughter from Holland. 

I’m here at this time today because 

I just wanted a swim.” 

She is so strong in the face 

of such sadness, and yet again 

I am reminded of what sanctuaries 

these ocean pools are. 

We place our bags on a 

rock ledge, before sinking 

into the still water and, aware 

of its healing power, do four 

slow lengths. Tiny whiting flit 

through the water. 

Palm Beach 

We reach Palm Beach at half 

past four. The 50-metre ocean 

pool is nestled into the southern 

end of the long beach, and 

accessed from Ocean Road. 

Seventy-two-year-old Tina 

Horkan swims here twice a day. 

“Years ago they were filming 

Home and Away here. There 

were all these cameras and 

lights, and Chris Hemsworth 

was standing in the middle of 

the pool. I was doing breaststroke 

and he was in my way, 

so I gave him a kick. He gave 

me a devastatingly beautiful 

smile and I felt so bad.” 

Christina Webber and 

Jackie Green are sitting on the 

sandstone steps below the 

changing rooms soaking in 

the warm afternoon sun after 

their swim. They have been 

friends for 16 years, are house 

painters and currently paint- 



LEFT: No black line – swimmers get into a rhythm at Palm Beach pool; 

CENTRE: Tina Horkan had an encounter with actor Chris Hemsworth; 

RIGHT: Christina Webber and Jackie Green swim after work every day. 

Cover Feature 

ing a house in Bilgola. They 

are both speckled with white 

paint after their day’s work. 

“We finish work at four,” 

Jackie explains, “and come 

down and swim a kilometre, 

then sit and talk for as long 

as we can before going home. 

It’s a fantastic way to finish 

the day.” 

“It’s beautiful here in every 

sort of weather,” Christina 

explains. “It changes our outlook. 

Even if we’re tired we 

know we’ll feel so good 

afterwards. We look forward 

to it, and doing it consistently 

keeps us in good shape and 

also a good frame of mind.” 

Christina moved to Avalon 

25 years ago, and Jackie has 

lived in the area her whole 

life, growing up in Avalon, and 

now living in Clareville. 

“We meet lots of people 

here,” Christina tells me. “People 

are very friendly. I think 

swimming opens people up 

to conversation. You’re happy 

after a swim.” 

This is also the pool, where 

for over 65 years Jack Carter, 

who is now in his 80s, has 

taught kids to swim every 

summer. He taught Kerry and 

Ros Packer to swim, and then 

their son, Jamie. 

In the distance is Barrenjoey 

headland, and the lighthouse, 

and then the long expanse 

of Palm Beach’s red sand. 

Gazing at the idyllic view we 

lower ourselves into the water. 

And we are both filled with 

that great sense of well-being 

which comes from plunging 

into ocean pools as we swim 

our final lengths. 

The ocean pools are cleaned 

weekly during the summer 

months, and fortnightly during 

the winter months of June, 

July, August. Cleaning times 

depend on the tides and the 

weather, and people are not 

able to swim in the pools 

three hours prior to cleaning 

and 12 hours after. 

* For the pool cleaning 

timetable go to northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/thingsto-do/rockpools. 

Sources trove.nla.gov.au; 

for more information visit 

oceanpoolsnsw.net.au 



Sea 

Changers 

Life Stories 

Behind a lillypilly hedge on Barrenjoey 

Road near Sandy Point is an original 

old timber beach house. Old Man 

Banksia grows beside worn steps leading 

up to the verandah where a Sea Shepherd 

beach towel is draped over the railing. 

I’m here to meet photographer Robbi 

Newman who with his wife Carol is one 

of the co-founders of Living Ocean. The 

tall, willowy Carol greets me and leads me 

through the main house with its original 

ornate ceilings, surfboards adorning the 

walls, and a glass cabinet full of old cameras 

and seashells. 

Robbi’s studio is in the garden, and 

stretched diagonally across the corrugated 

iron roof is a large model of a humpback 

whale. “We were given it,” Robbi says casually, 

when I ask how the cetacean found its 

way there. “The kindergarten kids love it.” 

Robbi Newman grew up between Dural, 

where his family had orchards, and at Palm 

Beach. His grandfather was a renowned 

photographer, who travelled all around 

Australia shooting with plate cameras. 

“So, the house always had cameras in it 

– old Kodaks and Brownies – and even as a 

kid I used to take lot of photos.” 

His father died when Robbi was less 

than 12 months old; and he describes his 

stepfather as “a ratbag who ran down the 

family fruit farm”. Robbi was at The King’s 

School in Parramatta when, aged 15, he 

left home and moved in with friends at 

Newport. He used to get a lift to school with 

an art teacher who lived at Avalon, until the 

teacher moved to Tasmania. So from then 

on Robbi went to Narrabeen High. 

“I spent one whole autumn surfing one 

year at the Wedge, and when I went back to 

school, the headmaster just said: ‘Newman, 

you’re back.’ That’s all there was to it, which 

I thought was fantastic.” 

Robbi went to the University of New England 

and studied Natural Resources. 

“I was a child of the ’60s and ’70s. It was 

the ‘dawning of Aquarius’ and we were 

going to save the planet. But I was torn between 

being an environmentalist and being 

a creative person.” 

Robbi “got sucked in” to the peninsula’s 

creative world, taking photographs and 

writing environmental stories for the surfing 

magazine, Tracks, while making friends 

with surf filmmakers, Paul Witzig, Alby Falzon 

and others like David Elfick, who was 

the producer of ‘Newsfront’ and one of the 

executive producers of ‘Rabbit-Proof Fence’. 

He travelled around Australia working on 

the 1974 surfing film, ‘Rolling Home’, and 

had already started taking photographs for 

a range of magazines like Overlander and 

also expedition photography with Australian 

Himalayan Expeditions to the Himalayas 

and beyond. 

He went on to travel the world as a photographer, 

working and living in Singapore 

and early Dubai, shooting for airlines and 

Living Ocean has achieved so much 

for the marine environment over eight 

years, thanks to Robbi Newman and co. 

Story by Rosamund Burton 

ad agencies. This opened the doors to 

destinations like New York, London, Africa 

and Asia. 

Returning to base himself as an advertising 

photographer in the booming days of 

advertising at North Sydney he became one 

of the top 10 photographers of the time. 

Robbi and Carol met in 1980. She was a 

model and he was taking photos of her on 

a swing at Palm Beach for Cleo magazine. 

“We couldn’t do the shoot, because it was 

raining,” said Carol. 

“So I went to his place at Bungan for 

breakfast. That happened a couple of mornings, 

so we got to know each other.” 

They worked together off and on. Then 

a job took Robbi to Singapore. He came 

back to Australia, and when he returned to 

Singapore, Carol went with him. 

“The advertising agency put us up in the 

Ava Gardner suite at Raffles Hotel, and the 

billiard room was set up as the photographic 

studio,” she recounts. Robbi and 

Carol continued to travel the world with 

his photography work, and they had two 

children, Jamie and Claudia, who are both 

now in their 20s. 

Before they bought this house 10 years 

ago they lived at Whale Beach. Robbi sold 

that property and bought this, not thinking 

they would live here, as he had work lined 

up in Dubai. But that fell through and the 

cottage became the family home, which 

they have grown to love, and Jamie lives in 



Main pic credit: Nigel Wall 

a flat at the end of the garden. 

Living Ocean was founded in 2010, a 

couple of years after they moved here. 

“Sea Shepherd had filmed a clip of a 

Japanese whaling boat shooting a mother 

whale with her calf next to her, and I posted 

that clip to Facebook,” he explains. “Friends 

of ours, Deon and Kim Hubner, who lived 

at Whale Beach, saw it and said ‘we’ve got to 

do raise some money to help fight this’.” 

Robbi, Carol, Deon and Kim decided to 

organise a fund-raising dinner, and invite 

some of their friends to one of their homes. 

However because so many locals were 

excited by the idea of protecting whales, 

the event grew and, in the end, was held at 

Ripples at Whale Beach. The evening started 

with Aboriginal musician Bunna Lawrie, 

playing a whale call on the didgeridoo, a 

call to the whales migrating to the Southern 

Ocean to be safe. After the meal and 

auction hosted by David Koch, Iva Davies 

launched into Icehouse’s ‘Great Southern 

Land’, and former Mondo Rock bassist Paul 

Christie and a group of other musicians 

started playing and the evening took off. 

“The fundraiser was a huge success and 

it was obvious that we should form an 

ocean conservation and awareness-based 

charity, which we called ‘Living Ocean’.” 

Robbi and Carol’s daughter, Claudia, who 

is very much involved with Living Ocean, 

designed the logo. 

Over the next few years Living Ocean 

organised three more major fundraising 

events and many smaller ones, and has 

raised tens of thousands of dollars for Sea 

Shepherd and other environmental groups. 

“The peninsula is a wealth of extraordinary 

talent and everyone we ask to 

contribute time and talent always say yes. It 

empowers all who contribute,” he said. 

In 2011 Living Ocean started their ‘No 

Plastic Please’ campaign. International 

bodyboarder, Ben Player, who lives locally, 

said “everywhere I go there’s plastic in the 

ocean” and was passionate about doing 

something about it. Documentary and 

surf film maker, Jack McCoy, and other 

surfers, including Tom Carroll and Barton 

Lynch, also got involved, and behind Living 

Ocean’s science-based beach clean-ups run 

by Sarah Taite and Sally Gole, along with 

other plastic awareness groups such as 

The Green Team. Currently, Living Ocean is 

supporting and funding world-renowned 

Dr Jennifer Lavers’ scientific research on 

Lord Howe Island into reduced numbers of 

shearwaters due to plastic ingestion. 

In 2014 Living Ocean merged with the 

Whale and Seal Foundation. IT guru Bill 

Fulton, and environmentalist, Sam Barrip, 

had been leading research in tracking the 

migration of humpback whales. In September 

2017 the organisation successfully 

postponed seismic testing by a petroleum 

company in a 40km area south of Newcastle, 

showing that the location of the 

seismic survey was in the direct path of the 

southern migration routes of species such 

as Humpback whales with their calves. 

Having lived on the peninsula most of 

his life Robbi recognises the connection 

that residents feel to the ocean, and their 

deep desire to do what they can to ensure 

the health of its sea life. Robbi emphasises 

that it’s the efforts of numerous unsung heroes, 

locals and other, which enable Living 

Ocean to make a difference both globally 

and locally. 

“Living Ocean is a volunteer organisation 

and we need volunteers to help our growing 

number of citizen-science-based campaigns 

and new volunteer action group alliances 

that are being formed.” 

As Robbi juggles his photography work 

with his commitment as Living Ocean 

president, he is fulfilling his desire to be 

creative and his passion to preserve the 

natural world. 

For more info, to donate, or to become a 

member for $10 per annum, go to livingocean.org.au 

Life Stories 

CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE: Robbi at Palm 

Beach; in his designed studio at North Sydney 

during the advertising industry’s heyday in the 

late 1980s; with the gifted whale on the top of 

the beach house (image by Bruce Usher for White 

Horse magazine); at home with Carol; celebrating 

research vessel Salt with (l-r) Bill Fulton (research 

& IT), Prof Ian Goodwin (Macquarie Uni); Jack 

Barripp, Sophie McClelland (finance), Sam Barripp 

(research), Rita Kluge (photographer) and Mark 

Farrell (navigator); Carol, shot on the NSW south 

coast for Good Weekend magazine in 1987. 



Art Life 

Art Life 

Quilters are ‘Touching Stars’ 

The Avalon Quilters are presenting their 2018 Exhibition of 

Members Works at Avalon Uniting Church in Bellevue Avenue 

on the weekend of March 9-10. 

The group will be raffling a special 1930s vintage quilt, 

‘Touching Stars’ (pictured) – with all proceeds donated to the 

Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. 

As well as an extensive display of hand-made quilts, attendees 

will have the opportunity to purchase from a vast array of 

exquisite hand-crafted goods. 

The exhibition is open from 9am-5pm; entry $5. More 

info call Anne Perry 0401 335 737. 

Cubist influence 

really fits the Bill 

Palm Beach-based artist Bill 

Chamberlain has enjoyed the 

artistic journey that has taken 

him from absorbing the harsh 

dark shapes and character of 

the inner city to the fresh local 

landscape. 

With a background steeped in 

art – his father was a finalist in 

the Wynne and Archibald Prizes 

and his uncle an illustrator in 

London – Bill enrolled at the 

Julian Ashton Art School where 

he studied for five years. 

“This school, using classical 

teaching methods, provided 

an essential grounding in the 

fundamentals of drawing and 

painting without which any 

form of creative expression is 

problematical,” Bill said. 

Bill’s first influences were 

the cubists and the painters of 

Sydney’s old inner city suburbs, 

including Surry Hills, where he 

lived for a time. 

“I started exhibiting, mainly 

painting inner city scenes,” 

he said (example pictured). “I 

branched out into figurative 

work and take my inspiration 

now from the local Pittwater 

environment. 

“Colour is most important 

to me, but it must be used in 

a refined and gradated way,” 

he explained. “Learning to mix 

paint properly and to reproduce 

tone are a great legacy of the 

Julian Ashton… but like learning 

a musical instrument, it takes a 

long time to get that touch.” 

Bill has had a varied working 

life – originally in the legal industry, 

he also trained as a chef 

and has a diploma in hospitality 

management. 

“All this time I painted, moving 

into different medias like 

gouache and ink, alongside my 

favourite, oil. Then in 2013, I 

was a finalist in the Gallipoli Art 

Prize.” 

Bill recently decided to 

include business acumen into 

the mix. “I decided I needed an 

image for my art, so I designed 

a logo and registered my business 

name ‘Savannah Studios’.” 

He intends to evolve his art 

even more. 

“I have found you have to 

be curious about other artists, 

whether it’s the Australian impressionists, 

or the French moderns… 

look at every possible art 

book and exhibition and maybe 

one day something of what you 

have seen might come out in 

your own work.” – Nigel Wall 



Boating Life 

More funding supports 

Narrabeen boat storage 

The State Government 

has tipped in a further 

$45,000 to assist Northern 

Beaches Council with its plan 

for watercraft storage around 

Narrabeen Lagoon. 

Pittwater MP Rob Stokes 

said the funding is part of 

the Government’s Boating 

Now Program which provides 

financial support to councils 

to introduce boating infrastructure 

initiatives. 

Council has been allocated 

$30,000 to introduce additional 

storage facilities for 

dinghies and kayaks around 

the foreshore. A further 

$15,000 will assist Council 

with the construction of 

a storage shed for larger 

dragon boats and outrigger 

canoes at Jamieson Park. 

“Narrabeen Lagoon is one of 

our community’s most impressive 

and important recreational 

areas – throughout summer 

the lagoon is a hive of activity 

with people enjoying all sorts 

of watercraft,” Mr Stokes said. 

“The lagoon’s popularity 

means additional watercraft 

storage is necessary to help 

improve safety around the 

foreshore and maintain the 

area’s natural beauty. 

“The creation of Narrabeen 

Lagoon State Park has enabled 

a whole range of investments 

that maximise public 

access to this beautiful area. 

“There have long been issues 

with people informally 

storing canoes, kayaks and 

dinghies around the fore- 

shore and these can become 

eyesores.” 

The new facilities are addressing 

the increase in demand to 

store watercraft and aimed at 

reducing watercraft dumping, 

overcrowding and dangerous 

boat storage practises. 

As reported by Pittwater 

Life last year, watercraft 

owners must now apply for a 

yearly permit sticker, which 

gives them an allocated position 

to store their watercraft. 

Watercraft without an 

authorised permit sticker 

are no longer permitted to 

be left along the Narrabeen 

foreshore; offending watercraft 

are removed and stored 

at Council’s compound for 

collection or disposal. 

Permit fees are $179 for 

residents and $268 for nonresidents; 

more info from 

the Property Officer – Watercraft 

on 9970 1111. 

Watercraft safety blitz 

Five penalty notices were issued to people on Pittwater 

during a Roads and Maritime Services personal watercraft 

safety campaign last month. 

Roads and Maritime Services’ Ride Smart safety operation 

was carried out between Saturday 13 and Monday 22 January. 

The first six days of the operation focused on education 

and the remaining four on compliance. 

The purpose of the campaign was to ensure personal watercraft 

(PWC) operators were aware of NSW waterways rules. 

A Roads and Maritime Services spokesperson said during 

four days of compliance activities, around 3609 vessels 

across NSW were checked. Of these vessels, 35 per cent 

(1271) were PWC. 

“Around eight per cent of all vessels checked (276) were 

operating on Pittwater and Northern Beaches waterways,” the 

spokesperson said. 

“More than 25 per cent of vessel checks were carried out 

on PWC including jetskis and Boating Safety Officers issued 

five Penalty Notices – a total of 113 Penalty Notices were issued 

across NSW.” 

Offences included irregular riding, not wearing a lifejacket 

while being towed, not wearing a lifejacket on a vessel and 

causing excessive wash. 

– Lisa Offord 

Boating Life 



Young Life 

Young Life 

Helping girls to 

make their move 

The benefits of playing team 

sport are well known, yet 

young women are twice as likely 

as young men to be inactive. 

Inspired by campaigns to 

encourage girls to move more, 

Pittwater Peninsula Netball (PPN) 

has organised a number of activities 

and extended invitations 

to all clubs to enjoy a Gala Day 

leading into the new season. 

“Research has indicated that 

girls’ participation in organised 

sport has decreased over the 

years and is much less that 

boy participation, despite the 

benefits sport gives young girls, 

especially teenagers,” said PNN 

Secretary Belinda Geros. 

Studies show in addition to 

greater energy and improved fitness, 

regular physical activity can 

help manage stress, alleviate depression 

and anxiety, strengthen 

self-esteem, enhance mood and 

boost mental alertness. 

“The earlier that our girls start 

playing sport, the more benefits 

they will experience and the 

longer these benefits will stay 

with them,” Belinda said. 

“We would like to create as 

many opportunities for our 

young girls from our community 

to be involved with a great team 

sport like netball for all ages and 

abilities and from a young age 

by encouraging as many families 

from our community to get 

involved.” 

The club will be running 

several skills clinics this year with 

some high-profile professional 

netballers teaching players of all 

ages and grades; it is expanding 

its indoor training facilities; 

fundraising for more equipment 

and getting involved in more 

gala days including running its 

own Gala Day in March for all 

clubs to attend. 

The 10yr and 11yr Gala Day 

hosted by PPN will be held 

at John Fisher Park on Sat 24 

from 9am-1pm and comprise 

20-minute games, (2 minutes 

halftime), with each team playing 

four games – no point score, no 

stress or pressure. 

The BBQs will be fired up from 

8.30am and there will be coffee 

vans. Team entries close March 

19. 

Meanwhile PPN team formation 

starts Feb 5 with 8yrs and 9yrs 

skills clinics on Feb 9 and 16. 

For more information go to 

peninsulanetball.org.au 

TUITION 

Northern Beaches Home Tu toring 

Call John 9972 1469 

1-ON-1 individual tutoring in your home. All ages and subjects K-Uni. 

Qualifi ed tutors. WWC child protection checked. Since 2009. 

David’s ace idea 

Local tennis coach David 

Vytopil is looking 

forward to serving up 

more tennis lessons at 

the Newport Community 

centre, where he has 

helped improve the 

games of all ages for the 

past two years. 

“The courts are in a 

pleasant environment, 

away from busy traffic,” 

explained David, who 

has been coaching for 

six years and launched 

his own ‘Action Tennis’ 

business a year ago. 

“Mums can stay and 

watch their kids in a 

relaxed, shaded setting, 

or drop them off and 

head to a local café to 

catch up with friends.” 

David (pictured), who 

also coaches at the 

Elanora Heights Tennis 

Club, has a background working at several tennis centres 

and has also worked at private schools on the north shore 

(he is police record-checked), with qualifications obtained 

through Tennis Australia. He coaches children using the 

Tennis Australia Hotshots program. 

As he explained: “I cater for all ages and levels and can 

accommodate group or private lessons, and for women’s 

groups I can arrange social matches with in-built coaching 

– I aim to provide a friendly, fun atmosphere.” 

David said he gets a lot of satisfaction from seeing 

students improve their tennis and gain confidence – 

something important as they start out and which will make 

them want to continue playing tennis later in life. 

“I have seen many kids come out of their shells and 

become more self-confident through tennis, all the while 

appreciating an enjoyable approach to the game.” 

David says his rates are “very competitive”; he is 

currently arranging a 9-week term starting on the 5th of 

February, with times available from 7-9am and 3.30pmdusk. 

For more info phone 0407 007 161. 



Avalon SC shoots 

for success in 

2018 local comp 

Avalon Soccer Club is gearing 

up for another great 

year down at ‘The Bay’ 

with officials offering a warm 

welcome to members, current 

and new, to season 2018. 

Online registrations are now 

open via the club’s website avalonsoccerclub.com.au 

– this is 

also the best source for general 

information about the club and 

the season ahead. 

The club will be holding one 

registration/orientation day at 

the Careel Bay Clubhouse on 

Saturday 10th February 2018 

from 9am-5pm. They will also 

be selling new playing gear 

and club merchandise at great 

prices on these days (see ad on 

page 13). 

“Avalon SC prides itself on a 

friendly, family club environment,” 

said club president John 

Kowtan. “The club comprises 

more than 1,100 players aged 

from 5 to 70, who enjoy playing 

the beautiful game at a 

variety of levels and we are entirely 

run by a group of highly 

dedicated volunteers. 

“AVSC strives to provide 

the best possible playing and 

coaching environment with the 

resources to their disposal. We 

put a great emphasis on player 

development and coach education 

at all skill levels. 

“We are fortunate to boast 

two experienced and professional 

coaches as their Directors 

of Coaching. This allows us to 

provide members with quality 

coach education and academystyle 

coaching ‘in-house’.” 

The club’s dedication to 

player development has led to 

some great success in recent 

seasons and they look to build 

on this in 2018. 

Some of their recent achievements 

include: 

n MWFA Women’s Premier 

League Grand Final Winners 

& FA Cup Winners 2017; 


The Endsister 

by Penni Russon 

Allen & Unwin 

$16.99 

It’s shaping up to be 

another great year of 

authors of Australian 

teen fiction writing for 

younger readers. Allen 

& Unwin has certainly 

plucked some winners, 

following last year’s turn 

with Jacyln Moriarty, 

they’ve just published 

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: Avalon SC’s League and GF-winning W16-1 team. award-winning Penni 

Russon’s The Endsister. 

n MAL-1 Semi-Finalists 2017; Cup in Canberra.” 

The Outhwaites move 

n W16-1 FNSW Champion Of As part of their effort to from Australia to begin a 

Champions Semi-Finalists continually improve the facilities 

new life in an inherited, 

2017; 

at Careel Bay, new lighting haunted mansion in 

n MWFA W12-1, W15-1 and was installed on the mini fields London where the baby 

W16-1 (pictured) League and in 2016 which has greatly 

of the family, Sibbi, 

Grand Final Winners 2017; increased the area available begins to act very 

n MWFA Women’s Premier for training after dark and strangely, forever talking 

League FA Cup Winners 2016; future night matches. New about a mysterious 

n W14-1 FNSW Champion of drainage for the mini fields ‘endsister’. 

Champions Finalist 2016; has been completed recently Alternating narratives 

n W18-1 FNSW Champion of to enable more junior games between the siblings 

Champions Finalist 2015; to be played in the event of including 16-year-old 

n W16-1 FNSW Champion of rain, all boundary fencing has Else and 4-year-old 

Champions Winners 2013 & been renewed, including new Sibbi, plus a couple of 

2014; 

car park fencing around field ghosts, make for pacy 

n MWFA Presidents Cup for 1, with plans to complete the chapters. The mystery 

Best Junior Club 2013; 

other fields in 2018. 

builds quickly plus there 

n FFA Junior Team of the Year “A lot of the club’s success is a satisfying amount 

2012 (W16-1); 

is due to the hard work of the of character back story 

n Six successful tours to 

great committee and volunteers which helps round out 

Vanuatu in successive years at Careel Bay, who really make this tale. 

(2012-2017) by Avalon SC W16 everyone welcome and ensure Interestingly, Russon 

teams, promoting cultural exchange 

the atmosphere is one of a 

used online writing tool 

and women’s football friendly community club,” John and forum, Storybird, 

development in the region. said. 

to develop Endsister, 

“Planning and fundraising for If you’re interested in 

soliciting feedback and 

their 2018 tour of Vanuatu by volunteering or joining the support from readers. 

Avalon W16s is well advanced,” committee please email 

The results are now here 

John said. “The club will again Club President John Kowtan for everyone to enjoy. 

also be encouraging teams to at president@avalonsoccerclub.com.au 

– Libby Armstrong 

take part in the 2018 Kanga 

FEBRUARY 2018 43 

Young Life

Surfing Life 


Surfing Kelly Slater’s 

robo-churn Wave Pool 

Most of you have seen some video footage... but what’s it really like? 

with Nick Carroll 

Ever since the Kelly Slater 

steel mesh fence, held up by a 

Wave Company did its big 

series of metal posts, 100 in all, 

reveal two years ago, every 

each around four metres from 

surfer I know has been quietly 

wigging out. They’re wigging 

because of what the KSWC 

revealed: to wit, what appeared 

to be a seriously excellent, and 

for sure completely artificial, 

wave. Breaking in a pool. For a 

long way. 

Since then, the KSWC and its 

owners, the World Surf League, 

have been releasing a slim yet 

steady diet of carefully curated 

video clips showcasing their 

invention. Each clip – slow-motioned, 

angled just right, and 

starring Kelly or one of his pro 

tour compadres – makes it look 

better and better. 

Yet at the same time, they 

have kept the doors to this facility 

BREAKING NEWS: Not quite the backdrop we’re used to seeing from the beach. 

the next. Everything is grey, 

precise and industrial; it looks 

for all the world like a high-tech 

watery prison. 

I was completely fascinated. 

Never had I thought that anyone 

would expend this kind of time, 

money, and human ingenuity 

on making a wave! Especially 

when there’s so many of them 

out there in the ocean already. 

Around a dozen of us had 

been invited for the day, mostly 

other surf journalists. We were 

organised into groups of four 

at a time. I was in the second 

group, which drove me a little 

bit mad, but at least it gave me 

a chance to watch. 

Here’s another thing you 

closed to any independent 

It truly is the last place you’d rim, running all the way around 

can’t tell from the PR – the wave 

observer. The secrecy around expect to be surfing. And the the pool’s perimeter – maybe destroys the Pool. Like, blows 

the Pool has been obsessive. truth is, what you do in the Pool 700 metres end to end, and it to bits. As it breaks, the wave 

Access has been limited to is not surfing, it’s something 150 metres wide. On the inner sets all the three or four Olympic 

pools’ worth of water in 

invited guests and potential else again. 

rim, the wall falls away on its 

investors. As a result, the WSL When you arrive at the facility open side to a broad trough wild motion. It washes over an 

Surf Ranch, as it’s officially gates for your session, they maybe two and a half metres elevated area of plastic-coated 

known, has become the most swing smoothly open to reveal deep, which runs most of the concrete known as “the beach” 

exclusive surf spot in the world. a small carpark and a neatly way down that side before and surges through several 

Kelly’s been compared to Willy kept building. Inside the building 

circling around at both ends channels into the deep trough 

Wonka in some circles, and 

invites to his Chocolate Factory 

are sought far and wide. 

Well, thanks to a series of 

odd events, late last year I got 

the Golden Ticket, as it were. 

Come visit the Ranch for a day! 

No expectations! See what you 

think! 

Thus, in early November I 

found myself roaring up the 

I-5 freeway out of Los Angeles, 

on possibly the single weirdest 

and least expected surf trip of 

my life. 

The WSL Surf Ranch is 

set behind an immaculately 

maintained wooden wall, at 

a property just off Jackson 

Road in Lemoore, California. 

Lemoore is a central valley farm 

town of around 25,000 people. 

The town grows cotton and 

struggles with its water supply. 

you’ll find a spacious chang- 

ing room complete with filled 

board racks, wetsuits, leashes, 

towels, wax, everything you 

might want to use during a surf. 

Everything feels organised, 

low-key, stylish. A door opens 

from that room into a hang-out 

area, then into another room 

dedicated to the Pool’s design, 

with bathymetry charts and 

illustrations of imaginary Pools 

of the future. 

Well you would see all that 

if you weren’t me, because I 

ignored all that stuff and ran 

straight to the low-slung wall 

beyond, and gazed out over 

Kelly’s modern miracle. 

Immediately I realised how 

much of it has been hidden in 

the videos. The KSWC Pool is 

contained by a concrete wall, 

maybe a metre high on its outer 

and joining up with the body of 

the Pool. 

Half way down this side of 

the Pool is a large control tower 

set-up. From here they run the 

Pool, watching an array of sensors, 

picking up any issues with 

the machinery or with waterflow, 

and eventually, pushing 

the button to make it work. 

On the other side of the Pool 

is the thing that does the work: 

basically a heavy blade or foil, 

half-submerged and around 

12 metres long, and mounted 

train-like on a monorail track 

running the length of the Pool. 

When dragged along the track, 

this foil forms an exaggerated 

version of a ship’s prow-wake, 

in effect pulling the wave from 

one end of the Pool to the other. 

The machinery is separated 

from the body of the Pool by a 

along the outer rim. Water flies 

everywhere. Small quantities 

are blown clean out of the Pool 

and on to the paths surrounding 

it. The reverberations go 

on for a long time, surging up 

and down the Pool, and take 

ages to truly settle; even after 

five minutes, the typical period 

between waves, the surge is still 

present. 

Not only does this effect tend 

to ever so slightly vary the wave 

over time, it’s also a revelation. 

If a single wave can do that in 

the Pool, how much energy is 

being distributed through an 

everyday surfing lineup? 

Slightly freaking out with 

excitement, I grabbed my board 

and waded out to the takeoff 

point. There was no need to 

paddle, at least not any further 

than Metal Pole number 31, 



where I was instructed to wait 

for the wave to approach. The 

water itself is fresh and treated 

regularly to eliminate bacteria; 

there was a slight wafting of 

chlorine. 

Then it got weird. “ONE 

MINUTE!” came a disembodied 

voice from a range of 

loudspeakers up and down 

the Pool. No waves break in 

this pool without the control 

tower’s button being pressed. 

They TELL you when they’re 

making a wave. 

I sat there, trying to remain 

calm. The machine started. 

Aside from an initial clank, it 

sounded like a ski lift – sort 

of a muted grinding. I gazed 

down the Pool and watched as 

a triangle of elevated water appeared 

from behind the fence 

and migrated across the Pool. 

Good God! Here it came! 

The wave had been described 

to me by various 

surfers whom I trust. They’d all 

struggled a bit to explain the 

thing, but they’d all called it “legit”. 

Here’s my quick run-down: 

The wave has the power of 

a soft Indonesian location, or 

one of Australia’s easier pointbreaks. 

It’s a long ride – about 

45 seconds – but it passes 

quickly, possibly because the 

pace of the wave is so constant 

as to be almost hypnotic. 

Ocean waves change and flex 

constantly, while this one just 

proceeds along, controlled by 

the foil’s movement – as soon 

as the foil stops, it stops. 

The wave grows hollower 

and flatter at different times 

during the ride, as it encounters 

different bits of the bottom 

contour, but the changes 

happen with no warning: for 

one thing, there’s no wave in 

front of you to show you what 

might be about to happen, and 

for another, you can’t see the 

bottom. All the normal “tells” 

of a surfing lineup are missing. 

You have to rely on a lifeguard 

on a jetski, who rides along 

just inside the wave line, yelling 

encouragement and advice. 

Once you get the wave’s 

timing figured out, it’s a piece 

of cake, honestly. The wave presents 

very little physical challenge. 

There’s no duck-diving 

or negotiating broken water, 

or watching for errant waves. If 

you wipe out, the wave’s gone 

and there you are, pfft. 

But there’s one thing about it 

that I feel many surfers would 

find extremely challenging: 

there’s no choice involved. In a 

normal ocean surfing situation, 

you make a lot of choices about 

waves, often for reasons you 

aren’t fully conscious of at the 

time. Maybe a wave reminds 

you of one you rode and liked 

three months ago. Maybe it 

scares you even though you’re 

not sure why. You want to catch 

a left or you want to catch a 

right. You just feel like sitting 

there! 

In Kelly’s Pool, all that’s out. 

There’s someone in a tower 

yelling “ONE MINUTE!” There’s 

you, by yourself, with three of 

your mates sitting further down 

the Pool hoping you’ll fall off. 

And because you’re getting 

maybe three or four waves a 

session, you really don’t wanna 

fall off. 

It feels almost exactly like 

being in a professional surfing 

contest. 

I caught a dozen waves in two 

sessions and drove back down 

the I-5 to Los Angeles, thrilled 

yet dissatisfied. The wave is super 

fun, but is that all surfing’s 

about? Three days later a small 

south swell arrived in Californian 

waters, and I jogged down 

to Lower Trestles for the early. 

It was late fall, and the smell 

of sage was in the air. I could 

tell Lowers had had an active 

summer by the sand-line, which 

changes year to year. A dozen 

or so surfers were out, most 

of whom I knew. We told each 

other stupid jokes; and caught 

waves when we felt like it. 

Nick Carroll is a leading 

Australian and international 

surf writer, author, filmmaker 

and surfer, and one 

of Newport’s own. Email: 

ncsurf@ozemail.com.au 




Health & Wellbeing 

Health on the back-to-sch 


Got the backpack, lunchbox, 

books, uniform 

and pencils organised 

– tick… but how much thought 

have you given to your children’s 

vision and hearing, the 

two senses that can have a 

profound effect on learning 

and behaviour? 

As the new school term gets 

underway find out how simple 

health checks and being aware 

of certain signs and symptoms 

– and seeking expert advice 

if you are concerned – can 

help prevent problems further 

down the line. 

Vision 

Did you know that vision is 

responsible for 80 per cent of 

all learning in your child’s first 

12 years? Poor vision can interfere 

with your child’s learning 

and social development, yet it 

often goes unnoticed, says optometrist 

Rowena Beckenham. 

“It’s important for children to 

have an eye examination prior 

to starting school and again 

every two years throughout 

their life to monitor their vision 

and eye health,” Rowena, from 

Beckenham Optometrist in 

Avalon, said. 

“Making this a part of your 

child’s regular health care 

routine will give you peace of 

mind and confidence that they 

won’t miss a thing.” 

Rowena explained there 

were changing demands on 

the visual system as children 

progressed through school and 

every eye examination should 

take these into consideration. 

Advice on computer, digital 

games and phone use, time 

spent at near tasks and time 

devoted to outdoor pursuits 

were all critical for healthy 

eye development and performance 

in a learning environment, 

she said. 

Signs and symptoms of a 

vision problem include: 

n One eye turns in or out 

while the other points 

straight ahead; 

n Frequent blinking; 

n Red or watery eyes; 

n Sensitivity to light; 

n Frequently rubbing eyes; 

n Difficulty concentrating; 

n Tilting head noticeably; 

n Covering or closing one eye; 

n Difficulty learning to read; 

n Holding a book very close 

when reading; 

n Leaving out confusing words 

when reading; 

n Squinting or sitting very 

close when watching television; 

n Difficulty recognising familiar 

people in the distance; 

and 

n Complaints of headaches, 

blurred or double vision 

Children’s eye health checks 

are covered by Medicare. 

Hearing 

Hearing is crucial to speech 

and language development, 

communication, learning and 

social skills – and hearing 

problems are probably more 

common than you think. 

A staggering 30 per cent of 

children in Kindy to Year 2 will 

have a hearing loss at some 

point in time and hearing 

problems can develop at any 

age, said audiologist Michelle 

Thompson-Laing. 

Michelle joined Pittwater 

Hearing in Avalon in December, 

having previously worked 

at Australia’s largest paediatric 

clinic fitting babies as young 

as 6 weeks and children with 

hearing aids. 

Michelle said there were 

several types of hearing loss 

that could affect children. 

“Sensorineural hearing loss 

is a permanent hearing loss 

generally caused by damage 

to the cochlea,” Michelle said. 

“This type of loss is often 

genetic in children but in 

many cases there may be no 

other family members with a 

known hearing loss.” 

The most common type of 

hearing loss in children is a 

conductive loss. 

“This is caused by a blockage 

in the middle or outer ear 

(most often fluid) and is usually 

temporary and treatable,” 

Michelle said. 

Hearing can be tested at any 

age and a child is never too 

young to have their hearing 

checked if a parent or caregiver 

is concerned. 

Passing the newborn hearing 

screening test does not 

guarantee a child will not 

develop a hearing loss and 

parents should always be on 

the look out for changes in 

hearing. 

Signs and symptoms of hearing 

loss include: 

n Difficulty understanding 

what people are saying; 

n Says “what?” or “huh?” frequently; 

n Delays in speech and language; 

n Turning up the TV volume or 



ool checklist 

sitting very close to the TV; 

n Problems academically, 

especially if they weren’t 

present before; 

n Complaints of ear pain, 

earaches or noises; and 

n Watching a speaker’s face 

intently – many children’s 

hearing loss escapes detection 

because they are very 

good lip readers. 

Michelle explained hearing 

tests in children over the age 

of three were quick and easy 

- and usually fun and stressfree. 

– Lisa Offord 

Oral heath 

Making sure your child 

knows how to look after 

their teeth and gums at 

home and at school (think 

good oral hygiene, avoiding 

sugary snacks and wearing 

a mouthguard when playing 

sport) will help them to stay 

healthy and avoid dental 

problems. 

Just like twice daily 

brushing, if you schedule 

regular visits to the dentist 

it will become a normal part 

of your child’s routine and 

set them up for good oral 

health for life. 

Focus on feet 

The experts from the 

Australian Podiatry 

Association say after the long 

summer break is the perfect 

time to get into the routine 

of giving kids an annual foot 

check to find out if shoes fit 

and if they are experiencing 

foot pain or any other issues. 

If foot problems run in the 

family, its important to have 

children’s growth checked 

periodically by a podiatrist 

or at least have feet 

measured by a shoe supplier 

that provides professional 

measuring services. 

Avoid handing down 

shoes – a shoe belonging to 

someone else will take on 

their shape and gait, which 

will not be the same as the 

new wearer. Buying new is 

always advised. 

Top-to-toe 

wellness 

Avalon Beach 

Chiropractic & Wellness 

has welcomed another 

health professional to its 

team – podiatrist Evan 

Johnstone from Avalon 

Beach Podiatry. 

Since Chiropractor Dr 

Sam Garner and his partner 

Rachel became part of the 

Avalon Beach community 

in 2015, they have steadily 

expanded services to comanage 

patients. 

“Regularly patients will 

receive a combination 

of therapies based on 

their presentation to 

optimise their results,” Sam 

explained. 

“Our team looks at 

the whole body; if there 

is a problem at their 

foundation – for example 

their feet, this can have 

an effect on the knees, 

hips right through to their 

neck,” he said. 

“For this reason we 

are very happy to have a 

podiatrist join the team 

for best outcomes for our 

patients.” 

Their team also includes 

two remedial massage 

therapists, Joe De Sensi 

and Sarah Gartside. 

You will find Avalon 

Beach Chiropractic & 

Wellness in the heart of 

the village at 2 Simmonds 

Lane. 

Info call 9918 0070 or go 

to avalonbeachchiropractic. 

com.au 






Inspection time after our 

fun in the summer sun 

It is still summer time – and 

therefore a good time to 

remind you to check your 

spots. Remember a large 

proportion of spots are found 

by the person themselves and 

not necessarily the doctor. 

People are well aware of any 

changes and are often able 

to point these out to their 

doctors. 

There is a simple memory 

aid to checking spots: A – 

Asymmetry; B – Border; C 

– Colour; D – Diameter; and 

E – Elevation. 

Spots should be 

symmetrical and rounded; 

any asymmetry or uneven 

shapes may be a concern. 

The border of a spot should 

be smooth and rounded. 

Irregular, scalloped borders 

or borders that merge into 

the skin may raise concern. 

Spot colour should be 

uniform and light – any 

very dark colour, or any 

colour that is speckled or 

uneven, should be noted. 

Spots should be less than 6 

millimetres in diameter. Flat 

spots are better than raised 

or elevated spots. A final 

check is any change and the 

rate of change. 

Spots that are new, 

bleed, do not heal, hurt or 

change may be suspicious. 

Remember that blood after 

combing or brushing hair 

may be a hidden spot. Scalps 

may be sunburnt especially 

along part lines or in males 

when their hair starts to thin. 

Remember that trauma may 

be an alert to a pre-existing 

spot and is not usually the 

cause of a skin cancer. It may 

be the bump that alerts you 

to a spot or causes the spot 

to break down and not heal. 

Skin cancers may occur in 

places not obviously exposed 

to the sun. Behind the ears, 

in the ears, high on the 

upper lips and in the scalp 

are not unusual places for 

skin cancers. Certain areas 

are more common for skin 

cancers. The tops of the 

ears, lower lips, noses, back 

of the hands, upper backs, 

shoulders and lower legs are 

particularly common sites. 

Spots themselves are 

highly variable. They may be 

flat, raised, crusty, dry, pink, 

brown, black, purple, pearly, 

full of veins, ulcers, sores, 

blister, lumps, nodules, soft, 

firm, smooth, irregular and 

in any combination of the 

above. Some spots are easily 

diagnosed by simply looking 

with Dr John Kippen 

and feeling or stretching the 

skin. Others may require 

a small sample or biopsy 

to be taken for diagnosis. 

Biopsies also give additional 

information such as the 

subtype of skin cancer or the 

depth of the lesion. This may 

aid the final treatment as 

certain types and subtypes 

of skin cancer require a 

larger or wider cuff of normal 

skin to be taken. This is 

known as the margin. Poorly 

differentiated skin cancers 

or those with an infiltrating 

growth pattern require larger 

margins to obtain clearance. 

Now and as we head out 

of summer are good times 

to check your own skin spots 

and to also get them checked 

by your doctor. 

Our columnist Dr John 

Kippen is a qualified, fully 

certified consultant specialist 

in Cosmetic, Plastic and 

Reconstructive surgery. 

Australian trained, he also 

has additional Australian and 

International Fellowships. 

Dr Kippen works from custom-built 

premises in Mona 

Vale. He welcomes enquiries 

and questions. Please 

contact him via johnkippen. 

com.au or by email: doctor@ 

johnkippen.com.au 



Hospital boost as ‘fusion’ facility opens 

Here’s a look inside Pittwater’s first 

brand new fully accredited private 

hospital admitting patients from this 

month. 

Boasting a unique care model not yet 

seen in Australia and promoted as the 

“next generation in health care” the 85- 

bed Arcadia Pittwater at 4 Daydream 

Street Warriewood is a blend of 

hotel-styled amenities with the latest 

hospital care and facilities. 

The purpose-built sub-acute 

hospital is designed for patients 

requiring short to longer hospital 

stays for recovery after surgery or 

for a medical condition and palliative 

and geriatric care. 

This summer, scores of locals 

including medical providers have 

had a taste of things to come at 

open days and tours where they have 

experienced the facilities including 

spacious private rooms flooded with 

natural light, indoor pool, gymnasium 

and even tested the hospital menu 

prepared by a former 5-star hotel chef. 

Developed by new private hospital 

operator Arcadia Health Care, Arcadia 

Pittwater is essentially a hospital and 

hotel fusion operation providing a 

setting for a leading medical team to 

create an individualised treatment plan 

for a patient for best outcomes. 

Accordingly, the hospital offers a 

range of accommodation styles and 

services to meet a patient’s needs 

throughout their stay, at a standard well 

above typical hospital accommodation 

models, Managing Director Dr Harry 

Pannu said. 

Services patients can expect to be 

offered, in addition to top-class care, 

include room service outside of the 

usual breakfast, lunch and dinner 

options; guest laundry; massage and 

wellness treatments; concierge service; 

and hair washing and blow-dry. 

As for cost, Dr Pannu explained a 

majority of the stay would be covered 

by private insurance recoveries, which 

will vary according to policy and 

health fund provider with additional 

services collated and billed to a 

patient as guest services during 

their stay… just as in a hotel. 

“As a private hospital patients 

will be facilitated through an 

admissions process, fully assisted 

by a specialist admissions team, that 

verifies the medical need, tailored 

program for the residential care, 

rehabilitation recovery services or day 

rehabilitation,” Dr Pannu said. 

Staff report there’s plenty of 

interest in the new facility, with 

patients and families pre-booking beds 

before the doors of the hospital had 

even opened. 

* Open Day on February 4 – all 

welcome; more info 8919 3100 or 

visit arcadiapittwater.com.au 






More surgery options in Mona Vale 

Patients requiring day 

surgery will have more 

opportunity to undergo 

operations and procedures 

close to home in a newly 

rebuilt health facility in the 

heart of Mona Vale. 

After months of 

construction work, Pittwater 

Day Surgery is set to re-open 

in March with a new fresh 

look, more operating theatres, 

more services and state-ofthe-art 

equipment for local 

specialists and patients. 

Since 2002, more than 

17,000 patients have visited 

the day surgery at 20 Bungan 

Street for ear, nose and 

throat, ophthalmology, plastic 

surgery, cosmetic surgery and 

dental operations. 

The expanded facility on 

the original site will be four 

times bigger (from 250m2 

to 1000m2) and allow for 

other services including 

gastroenterology, urology 

and gynaecology surgery to 

be provided in the medical 

hub where more than 50 

specialists are located. 

Features of the build 

included a complete 

refurbishment of the existing 

consulting rooms and waiting 

space and construction 

of a new day surgery with 

three operating theatres 

incorporating the latest 

technology and equipment. 

Pittwater Day Surgery 

Founder and CEO Dr Frank 

Elsworth said the new 

facilities ensured people on 

the Northern Beaches would 

continue to get the best in 

medical care with minimum 

need for residents to travel too 

far from home for day surgery 

or post-operative care. 

He explained specialists 

who consulted on the 

Northern Beaches were some 

of the best in NSW - very 

experienced surgeons and 

anaesthetists also operating at 

the top private hospitals such 

as The San, The Mater and 

North Shore Private. 

“Investing in this new 

facility in Mona Vale ensures 

all of the community can take 

advantage of staying in the 

local area under the care of 

their specialist of choice,” Dr 

Elsworth said. 

Pittwater Day Surgery is 

fully licensed with the NSW 

Department of Health, holds 

full ISO accreditation and is 

also accredited against the 10 

National Quality Standards. 

For more information go 

to pittwaterdaysurgery.com. 

au – Lisa Offord 






Hair & Beauty 

Hair & Beauty 

New magnificent seven: 

The things to try in 2018 

Another year, another 

opportunity to harness 

the latest potential 

at hand to assist in making 

our skin and body healthy 

and radiant. Most of us on 

the spectacular Northern 

Beaches want to be the best 

possible version of ourselves 

– and not a “different” 

version where we become 

unrecognisable. There are 

many new treatments and 

products calling out to us, 

along with those that are 

still tried, true and reliable 

staples. 

Lose the fat – Given the 

increasing obesity epidemic, 

researchers from the 

University of Texas Medical 

Branch at Galveston have 

discovered a promising drug 

that has been shown to 

selectively shrink excess 

fat by increasing fat 

cell metabolism. 

The drug 

significantly 

reduces body 

weight and 

blood 

cholesterol 

levels 

without lowering 

food intake in 

obese mice, 

according to a 

recent study published in 

Biochemical Pharmacology. 

Activated Charcoal – 

Became popular in skin 

care a few years ago; 

the ingredient draws out 

impurities and bacteria to 

help fight acne and detoxify 

with Sue Carroll 

helping fuel optimal skin 

function and providing a 

healthy glow. 

Fat Freezing – Is a 

treatment growing 

in popularity. The 

process does not 

result in weight 

loss, but can assist 

with both debulking 

and sculpting of 

difficult areas of 

fat that are hard to 

budge with regular exercise 

and diet. It is an amazing 

treatment for men and 

women to assist with actual 

body sculpting; ideal for 

women who have small 

pockets of fat in areas such 

as the bra roll, a tummy 

pouch after pregnancy, love 

handles and a tummy bulge. 

New Injectables – The 

evolution of new injectables 

is allowing both men and 

women to have a more 

youthful appearance. Kybella 

is a new product; it is a 

prescription medicine used 

in adults to improve the 

appearance and profile of 

moderate to severe fat below 

the chin. 

After attending the annual 

Anti-Ageing Aesthetic 

Medicine Conference last 

year, it is evident that there 

are many new products and 

technologies available to 

help enhance both our health 

and appearance. However, it 

is still common practice to 

use multiple technologies, 

treatments, products and a 

healthy lifestyle, in order to be 

the best we can be in 2018. 

skin. Activated Charcoal may 

assist with calming breakouts 

and reducing oil flow. A 

popular treatment using the 

Q Switch Nd Yag laser and a 

charcoal carbon serum can 

also assist with decongesting 

the upper layers of the skin 

to give it a healthy glow. 

LED therapy – For the 

face or localised areas 

is not new, but the LED 

treatment beds will be more 

commonplace for full body 

treatments in 2018. Multiple 

wavelengths (colour) of light 

work together to increase 

blood circulation and reduce 

inflammation so your body 

can naturally relieve pain, 

speed the healing process 

and promote total body 

wellness. LED therapy may 

also prevent damage to 

cells caused by free radicals 

and protect skin from UV 

damage. 

Moringa – has twice the 

protein of spinach and three 

times as much iron. The 

‘super green’ (pictured) is 

shown to be an even more 

powerful inflammation 

Sue Carroll of Skin 

fighter than turmeric 

Inspiration has been a qualified 

Aesthetician for 33 years. 

(which was the 2017 antiinflammatory 

go-to). 

Sue has owned and 

Facial serums – With skin 

battling UV rays, pollution, 

operated successful beauty 

blue light from technology clinics and day spas on 

and harsh ingredients, a 

the Northern Beaches. 

wave of facial serums will be info@skininspiration.com.au 

introduced in 2018 to support www.skininspiration.com.au 

skin barrier functioning, 



Local Call 

Luxurious 

Valentine’s 

lingerie 

If there’s ever a special time of year when premium 

lingerie takes centre stage it’s now – but 

for some, the world of undergarments is an 

unexplored space. 

In Pittwater we’re lucky to have three independent 

lingerie stores staffed by trained 

experts to ensure you shop with confidence. 

And if the idea of buying lingerie for Valentine’s 

Day still feels awkward, an extra-special 

sleepwear purchase never goes amiss – the 

stores featured here have that covered too. 

Nothing 

Butt 

Lingerie 

Store owner Chris 

is a great believer 

in Valentine’s Day 

being the special day 

to spoil the special 

person in your life – 

and she says Nothing 

Butt Lingerie (see ad 

page 31) are ready 

for the occasion with 

lovely specialty pieces 

from Palindrome, 

Essence, Pleasure 

State, Ginia as well 

as Simply Silk. 

“Envy silk nighties 

are a ‘special 

spoil’, as well as 

matching robes 

to many of our 

nighties,” says 

Chris. “And French 

Country cool cotton 

nighties in summer are fabulous. 

“Red lingerie sets for Valentine’s are a big hit 

and we have them from Simone Perele, Pleasure 

State and Bassoni.” 

She added lace bodysuits from Palindrome 

and Triumph, as well as lace triangle bras, will 

be very popular. 

“Beautiful lingerie sets are also in stock from 

Heidi Klum and Pleasure State, in lovely summer 

colours,” she said. “Everyday bras and briefs 

from Berlei, Triumph, Simone Perele are always 

in stock. 

“Our staff are all trained fitters and available 

at all times to assist with gift ideas or everyday 

purchases.” 

Gift-wrapping and gift vouchers are always 

available. P: 9999 1462 


Avalon Uncovered 

The girls at Avalon Uncovered – Madeleine, 

Lauren and Di – believe that beauty starts 

underneath and have a wide variety of beautiful 

styles, fabrics and fashion items for that 

someone special and to suit women all ages and 

figure types. 

“Our gorgeous collection of lingerie includes 

the iconic French label Simone Perele, the expertly 

designed and exclusive collection by Wacoal 

and luxury Australian intimates range 

by Palindrome,” says owner Madeleine Petersen. 

“We offer a range of sophisticated and modern 

style for a fresh, feminine and luminous 

look.” 

Key colours include charcoal, midnight, natural 

and cream blended with muted shades of 

rose pink and soft greys (see ad page 34). 

“For nightwear, we have luxurious Ginia silk 

nighties, chemises, camisoles and pyjamas in 

gorgeous tones of champagne, cream, black and 

ruby red. 

“Other options include our best-selling cotton 

sateen night robes in glorious florals by Sanctuary 

Studio, or the super soft and sexy Mischka 

slips by the Western Australian company 

Humidity. 

“We have also just received more stock in of 

luxurious silk eye masks and silk pillow cases 

by The Goodnight Co – featuring beautiful soft 

colours in 100% pure mulberry silk.” 

Madeleine added gift vouchers and gift-wrapping 

were also available in-store. 

“We pride ourselves on personalised service 

and commitment, ensuring every customer 

has a positive and rewarding experience.” 

P: 0419 822 844 

Utopia Lingerie 

Owner Julia says it’s a given that women love their 

partner to show their appreciation of them – “and 

giving us lingerie means we both get to enjoy it!” 

Indecision is no excuse either, with Julia urging 

men who may be uncertain about the right gift to 

speak to one of her trained staff, who have years 

of experience in knowing what women want. 

She suggests you could even give your special 

someone a Gift Voucher so that they can choose 

themselves. 

Utopia Lingerie was situated at Warriewood 

Square for 10 years so if you are wondering 

where they have gone – they’ve moved to bright 

new spacious premises at Narrabeen (in between 

The Sands and the 7/11, opposite Bunnings) 

where they currently have lots of items on sale in 

time for Valentine’s Day (see ad page 12). 

“We have a huge range of brands and can fit 

from first bras to ladies’ soft cup, then up to H 

cups including sports bras,” said Julia. 

“Many of our European brands cater for small 

to large cups and backs. Our Simone Perele range 

is extensive. Not forgetting our sleepwear – particularly 

for the elderly ladies.” 

Brands include Givoni, Schrank and many 

more. P: 9913 7091 


Local Call

Business Life: Money 

Business Life 

Good Risk conundrum: reason for going what 

‘nuts’ exactly this festive in the bottle? season with Brian Hrnjak 

This When month writing we about look at round n An unsecured up feature of deposit Acorns made as attractive and functional user balance of your Acorns account 

how financial under-pricing innovation risk one it allows to another them entity to save for while them interface – fancy words for the rises and falls in line with the 

can of lead the perspectives to financial I they to spend. invest into As a emerging parent of app looks and feels very cool. movements in markets during 

can failure: share I have with a you client is from in the 

inside soft drinks of a fintech business company and in 

which our first in my meeting case has I asked been 

rolling him what out the starting fast-growing point 

Acorns was when app. he Since was launching designing 

in a new Australia drink in or early drinks 2016 the 

app range. now My resides naïve assumption the smart 

phones was that of he around spent 350,000 days in 

Australians, the test kitchen that’s taste-testing 

roughly 1.5% 

of different the population. flavours, colours 

and If you’re combinations the dark but about he 

what pulled I’m me talking up short about, with Acorns his 

is response: a micro investment “Nah, I always platform start 

or with what’s the brand.” sometimes called a 

‘round-up’ Branding app, is a the critical first one step 

of in its consumer kind in Australia. marketing; Our aside 

teenagers markets I and think private I’ve come equity 

to offering the conclusion you a that target apps return 

such of 4.45% as Acorns per using annum a blend over 12 

of months. psychology and technology 

may The be first the only message effective above way 

to is taken get modern from the kids Company’s 

to save 

because website – they it sounds sure do like know 

how a term to spend. deposit, it even 

looks Acorns like works a term because deposit the 

principles advertisement underlying but with its design many 

more asterisks. The second 

line is my paraphrasing of 

the managing director’s 

comments in the Australian 

Financial Review. The point is: 

Would you provide unsecured 

While these principles have 

proven to be sound over time 

Acorns goes on to provide an 

indirect benefit to its users 

in the form of education and 

improved financial literacy. 

Get two or more people in the 

room who have an account and 

you’ll find out what I mean – 

when did you start? What are 

the course of the trading day. 

One of the challenges 

any finance app would have 

encouraging young people to 

save and invest is to remain 

relevant in their eyes. Over 

the past year a number of 

enhancements have taken place 

following user feedback, the 

headline ones being: 

Found Money partners – users 

can shop online with brands 

such as Bonds, Dan Murphy’s, 

BCF, Uber etc. and these 

partners usually deposit bonus 

amounts or extra round ups 

firm from along positioning with our your partners product finance for a company to 

into the users account; 

brought among the it out myriad from others US out invest in ‘emerging markets’ deposits. Over that same My of market Finance positions feature – but uses in 

in there, 2015 if where your product it had been exhibits in return for a 4.45% p.a. period I also noticed: 

artificial this case intelligence the Bitcoin to trade track as 

established certain characteristics for a few years. it return? Consider that our n A Perth-based hedge fund and well. categorise The Citibank spending product and 

allows The app potential works customers 

in a couple banks regularly offer you advertising on Facebook; calculate is offering free a term cash flow; deposit 

of to ways: suspend by taking judgment a data and unsecured consumer finance n Citibank promoting a Super rate of fund 4% p.a. linkages for 6 months – allows 

feed become from more your receptive spending to are via your firmly credit rooted card in behavioural at a rate you combined saving for? term What deposit returns / users on the to condition make deposits that you to a 

accounts your message. and rounding up the finance: of around investing 20% p.a. small To me have structured you had? investment; It’s inherently and range place half of industry of your and deposit public 

purchases Compare you these make two to the amounts what’s being on a offered regular basis not that competitive n The investment but when outlined it’s offer into an superannuation at-risk structured funds; 

nearest messages dollar for and the investing same won’t a fair be return missed if you combined take a with combined earlier offering with the ‘term’ tools and based Emerald financial Portfolio product issued – a socially by 

these offer: accumulated balances investing proper account over an of extended risk in the information deposits for that another app entity responsible the bank. The portfolio ‘term’ option deposit 

into n 12-month a mix of term exchange investment; traded period equation. of time to average provides to invest it’s into also what extremely appears introduced product is following basically member a loan to 

funds 4.45% listed per on annum*; the ASX, free or, into Over the markets the holiday smoothing period informative to be venture – as a capital. regular user feedback; another company or fund so 

by account you debiting set-up; an amount monthly or out it was peaks reported and troughs. that our Of you The can’t hedge help fund but become mentioned Little that it Acorns can go – and sub accounts invest in a 

regular distributions; payment from dedicated your course major banks it doesn’t made hurt even that it more above informed is a classic about hedge the fund designed range of to smaller allow investment companies 

bank account account manager; to your Acorns $100k does further all of cuts these to things the low within behaviour that can take of markets advantage whether of on before behalf they of children list on any or other stock 

account. minimum. Most users enjoy the the rates framework available of on a highly cash you gearing are looking and any to combination 

or not – the dependants exchange. under the age of 18. 

56 54 DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2018 2017 


On their own, there 

is absolutely nothing 

wrong with any one of 

these financial products 

if you understand and 

knowingly accept the risks 

involved in making an 

investment. Problems are 

only going to arise if there 

is a mismatch between the 

risk and performance of what 

you invested in and what you 

thought you invested in. 

There is also a common 

thread through these three 

very different investment 

products. Each of them is only 

being offered to ‘sophisticated’ 

investors, occasionally 

referred to as ‘professional’ 

or ‘wholesale’ investors 

as well. These flatteringsounding 

terms come from the 

Corporations Act, which in a 

nutshell says that if you have 

an accountant’s certificate 

verifying that you hold assets 

in excess of $2.5 million, or 

earned gross income in excess 

of $250,000 per year for the 

past two years, or you are 

investing over $500,000 in a 

single holding, then you do not 

need to be provided with the 

range of consumer protections 

that retail investors receive – 

such as a statement of advice 

considering your financial 

needs and risk profile, fee 

disclosures or access to the 

financial ombudsman service 

etc. 

As one of my clients who 

was contemplating one of 

these investments noted: Half 

of the suburb of Manly could 

be classified as sophisticated 

just by virtue of their 

property holdings. 

But just because you 

can get a ticket to the 

high rollers’ room doesn’t 

mean you should suspend 

common sense and healthy 

scepticism; on the contrary 

you should have more than 

average, according to the 

legislation. Those of us 

around during the last great 

crisis 10 years ago can recall 

most hedge funds shutting 

up shop, all of the investment 

banks pulling back or closing 

their structured product 

divisions and even blue chip 

shares taking a 40% haircut 

in value. 

If you recall, all of this was 

precipitated by the under 

valuation and under-pricing of 

risk – house prices will never 

fall, asset prices are robust, 

liquidity is plentiful, money is 

cheap… and so on. At a time 

when low cash returns are 

forcing many investors higher 

up the risk spectrum, we 

need to maintain our guard. 

To avoid the problems of the 

past… 

Brian Hrnjak B Bus CPA 

(FPS) is a Director of GHR 

Accounting Group Pty 

Ltd, Certified Practising 

Accountants. Offices at: 

Suite 12, Ground Floor, 20 

Bungan Street Mona Vale 

NSW 2103 and 

Shop 8, 9 – 15 Central Ave 

Manly NSW 2095, 

Telephone: 02 9979-4300, 

Webs: www.ghr.com.au and 

www.altre.com.au Email: 

brian@ghr.com.au 

These comments are of a 

general nature only and are 

not intended as a substitute 

for professional advice. 




Business Life: Law 


Importance of investing 

in field of conveyancing 

Over the years this column 

has addressed the 

subject of conveyancing 

– what is it and its importance 

to all who have property 

transactions, both residential or 

commercial. 

Briefly a Conveyance has 

been defined as “a mode by 

which property is transferred 

from one person to another 

by written instruments and 

related formalities, and also 

such an instrument itself, such 

as a lease, mortgage, or vesting 

instrument”. 

It is the science and art of 

validly creating, transferring, 

and extinguishing rights in 

property, particularly in or over 

land by written deeds of various 

kinds. It has traditionally been a 

major branch of legal work and 

lawyers’ business. 

It includes investigation of 

title – the document which 

at the end of a transaction is 

paramount. For after every 

step has been taken, if a 

vendor is unable to convey a 

clear unencumbered title there 

will be no settlement – no 

concluded transaction. 

To market a property, a 

real estate agent needs to be 

provided with a draft contract 

by a solicitor or conveyancer for 

those prospective purchasers, 

who having inspected the 

property, wish to investigate 

with their legal advisors the 

specific details of what is being 

offered for sale. 

The draft contract contains 

12 pages of conditions in what 

is known as the Law Society 

Contract, the latest edition 

being 2017. To this is added 

Special Conditions, drafted 

by the solicitor and designed 

to protect the interests of the 

vendor; and a title search as 

held in Land and Property 

Information (old Titles office) – 

this should show the identities 

of the individuals or companies 

who are registered as owning 

the land upon which the 

improvements or buildings are 

found and if more than one 

person is noted as owner on 

title the manner in which their 

shares are held i.e. joint tenants 

or tenants in common (and if 

the latter the percentage held 

by each person). 

The Title should also show 

any plan of subdivision, 

easements, covenants mortgage 

or caveat and even on rare 

occasions a caveat in the name 

of ‘Queen Elizabeth II’ meaning 

a failure to pay land tax. 

Other documents to be 

included should be a survey 

of the property showing the 

placement of the buildings or 

improvements on the land, 

a building certificate – this is 

more optional and a serious 

purchaser should seek the 

Vendor’s agreement for one 

to be obtained from the local 

council. Plus a final occupation 

certificate (if the property 

is new or has had major 

renovations), and a swimming 

pool certificate showing that 

the pool complies with recent 

legislation. There are other 

elements depending on the 

type of property. Whether it is 

with Jennifer Harris 

a Retirement Village or a Strata 

Title complex or Company 

title and rural lands can be 

different again. Frequently 

Contracts are offered for ‘Off 

the Plan’ property (units or 

townhouses yet to be built). In 

this transaction a prospective 

purchaser agrees to purchase 

and pays a deposit on a specific 

plan – usually to be built 

within a nominated period to 

completion and payment of the 

final agreed sum. Should the 

time period not be achieved a 

‘sunset clause’ may operate and 

the parties can agree to rescind. 

There are obvious risks in this 

type of transaction. 

Media comment from time to 

time suggests that conveyancing 

should cost very little in terms 

of time and effort, this being 

particularly so for residential 

property. There may be some 

transactions which appear 

straightforward but in this 

writer’s experience they can be 

few and far between. There are 

many matters which can add to 

the complexity of conveyancing. 

For example, questions of land 

tax; home warranty insurance; 

GST; unauthorised or illegal 

structures; caveats; separate 

advice for a purchaser of First 

Home Owners Grant; whether 

the property is subject to a 

tenancy; if a retirement village 

separate advice on the village 

contract and advice as to the 

purchasers’ rights and liabilities; 



whether Foreign Investment 

Review approval is required; and 

finally the nature of ownership. 

If unequal shares, the need to 

ascertain percentages if the 

property is held as tenants in 

common. Quite often Family 

Law property settlements have 

to be taken into consideration. 

These are an indication 

of some of the issues to be 

determined by the lawyer 

conveyancer. 

The first grant of land from 

the Crown was made in NSW 

in 1792. It was based on the 

English Common Law System 

of conveyancing known as ‘old 

system’. Each time land was 

sold or mortgaged, a separate 

deed was drawn up and when 

lodged for registration, was 

given a book and number 

identification. To prove 

ownership to title there had 

to be an unbroken series of 

deeds i.e. Grant, conveyance, 

mortgage, re-conveyance, 

acknowledgement, discharge of 

mortgage, etc. This is known as 

the chain of title. 

This system has 

overwhelmingly been replaced 

by Torrens title. A system of 

land registration, in which 

a register of land holdings 

maintained by the state 

guarantees an indefeasible title 

to those included in the register 

have ownership transferred 

through registration of title 

instead of deeds. 

As technology has 

transformed business over 

the past 30 or 40 years with 

facsimile, email and text, so too 

have aspects of conveyancing 

with the development of E 

Conveyancing – largely done 

online. However, there remains 

major issues to be addressed 

before a clear title and 

settlement can be achieved. 

Risks which are frequently 

identified are: illegal/ 

unapproved building works; 

incorrect boundaries; 

encroachments; unpaid rates 

and taxes; identity theft, fraud 

and forgery; and dealings with 

the property by third parties 

after exchange but before the 

incoming purchaser settles and 

is registered on title to mention 

but a few. 

An added method of 

protection of title introduced 

in recent years is the 

introduction of title insurance 


for home buyers. There are 

two companies – First Title 

and Stewart Title – both with 

American antecedents. These 

policies provide an indemnity in 

respect of ‘actual loss’ suffered 

by an insured in circumstances 

where a property has been 

purchased without a building 

certificate, and following 

settlement the purchaser is 

ordered to demolish or rectify all 

or part of an existing structure 

due to non-compliance with the 

relevant development consents 

required by law. 

Depending on the 

circumstances each of the 

matters listed above can be 

covered by title insurance. It 

is particularly important in 

matters of identity theft, fraud 

and forgery, which with the 

development of technology can 

produce documents of all kinds 

– particularly titles. There have 

been cases in Western Australia 

and the ACT where owners have 

had their properties sold and 

titles registered to new owners 

by use of forged titles. 

It would be prudent to 

consider these matters with 

your lawyer/ conveyancer. So 

often we receive an inquiry 

which asks how cheaply we can 

act on a conveyance. So often it 

is from someone who has or is 

about to pay over $1 million for 

the property to be purchased. 

It always seems strange that 

one would ask for cut-price 

conveyancing on something 

so vital and important. The 

average person in life sees a 

solicitor for conveyancing, a 

Will and Power of Attorney and 

associated documents. We 

encourage the care you take in 

choosing your property to be 

reflected in the care you take 

in choosing your conveyancing 

team. Long ago this writer 

embraced the idea of having a 

certified practising conveyancer 

as part of our team so that 

clients may have the benefit of 

both practitioners in the field of 

conveyancing. 

Comment supplied by 

Jennifer Harris, of Jennifer 

Harris & Associates, Solicitors, 

4/57 Avalon Parade, 

Avalon Beach. 

T: 9973 2011. F: 9918 3290. 

E: jennifer@jenniferharris.com.au 

W: www.jenniferharris.com.au 


Business Life

Trades & Services 


AUTO REPAIRS 

British & Swedish 

Motors 

Call 9970 6654 

Services Range Rover, Land 

Rover, Saab and Volvo with the 

latest in diagnostic equipment. 

Narrabeen Tyrepower 

Call 9970 6670 

Stocks all popular brands 

including Cooper 4WD. Plus 

they’ll do all mechanical repairs 

and rego inspections. 

Barrenjoey 

Smash Repairs 

Call 9970 8207 

barrenjoeysmashrepairs.com.au 

Re-sprays a specialty, plus 

restoration of your favourite vehicle. 

Commercial vehicle specialist. 

BOAT SERVICES 

Avalon Marine 

Upholstery 

Call Simon 9918 9803 

Makes cushions for boats, patio 

and pool furniture, window seats. 

ELECTRICAL 

Eamon Dowling 

Electrical 

Call 0410 457 373 

For all electrical, phone, TV, 

data and security needs. 

FLOOR COVERINGS 

Blue Tongue Carpets 

Call Stephan 9979 7292 

Family owned and run. Carpet, 

rugs, runners, timber, bamboo, vinyl, 

tiles & laminates. Open 6 days. 

GARDENS 

Graham Brooks 

Call 0412 281 580 

Tree pruning and removals. 

Reports regarding DA tree management, 

arborist reports. 

Precision Tree Services 

Call Adam 0410 736 105 

Adam Bridger; professional tree 

care by qualified arborists and 

tree surgeons. 

CLEANING 

The Aqua Clean Team 

Call Mark 0449 049 101 

Quality window washing, 

pressure cleaning, carpet 

washing, building soft wash. 

Martin Earl House Wash 

Call 0405 583 305 

Pittwater-based owner on site at 

all times. No travellers or uninsured 

casuals on your property. 

House Washing 

Northern Beaches 

Call Ben 0408 682 525 

Family-run housewashing – 

exteriors, high-pressure cleaning 

and soft washing; 18 years 

on the Northern Beaches. 

LAWN CARE 

Platinum Turf Solutions 

Call Liam 0412 692 578 

Specialists in turf supply & 

installation, lawn care & cylinder 

mowing, full lawn construction, 

turf renovations, maintenance. 

MASSAGE & FITNESS 

Avalon Physiotherapy 

Call 9918 3373 

Provide specialist treatment for 

neck & back pain, sports injuries, 

orthopaedic problems. 

Avalon Physiotherapy 

& Clinical Pilates 

Call 9918 0230 

Dry needling and acupuncture, 

falls prevention and balance 

enhancement programs. 

Avalon Beach 

Chiropractic 

Call 9918 0070 

Professional care for all ages. 

Treatment for chronic and acute 

pain, sports injuries. 

Francois Naef/Osteopath 

Call 9918 2288 

Diagnosis, treatment and 

prevention for back pain and 

sciatica, sports injuries, muscle 

soreness and strain, pregnancyrelated 

pain, postural imbalance. 

PAINTING 

Contrast Colour 

Call 0431 004 421 

Locals Josef and Richard offer 

quality painting services. Tidy, 

reliable, they’ll help consult 

on the best type of paint for 

your job. 

Modern Colour 

Call 0406 150 555 

Simon Bergin offers painting 

and decorating; clean, tidy, 

quality detail you will notice. 

Dependable and on time. 

Painting & Decorating 

Call 0418 116 700 

Andrew is a master painter with 

30 years’ experience. Domestic 

and commercial; reasonable 

rates, free quotes. 

Interior & 

Exterior Colour 

Call 0417 236 577 

Deborah is a local colour and 

interior design/decorating 

consultant with over 30 years’ 

experience. One-hour colour 

consultation with spec and 

samples. 

UPHOLSTERY 

All Foam 

Call 9973 1731 

Cut to measure quality foam 

for day beds, boats, caravans 

and more. Discounted prices 

and reliable local service. Free 

measure and quote. 

Luxafoam North 

Call 9999 5567 

Local specialists in all aspects of 

outdoor & indoor seating. 

Custom service and expert 

advice. 

Esyou Design 

Call Susan 0422 466 880 

Specialist in day bed and outdoor 

areas. Reliable local 

service. Offering domestic & 

commercial. 

Leather Hero 

Call 0490 796 012 

Northern Beaches-based specialists 

in leather cleaning, revamps, 

repairs and colour restoration for 

lounges, cars and boats. 

Advertise your 

Business in 

Trades 

& Services 

section 

Phone 

0438 123 096 







TUITION 

Northern Beaches 

Home Tutoring 

Call John 9972 1469 

1-ON-1 individual tutoring 

in your home. All ages and 

subjects K-Uni. Qualified tutors. 

WWC child protection checked. 

Since 2009. 

Eliminate all manner of pests. 

They provide a 24-hour service. 

PUMPS & TANKS 

Water Warehouse 

Call 9913 7988 

waterwarehouse.com.au 

Rainwater tanks & pumps. Irrigation 

& filter supply specialists. 

DISCLAIMER: The editorial and advertising content in Pittwater Life 

has been provided by a number of sources. Any opinions expressed 

are not necessarily those of the Editor or Publisher of Pittwater Life 

and no responsibility is taken for the accuracy of the information 

contained within. Readers should make their own enquiries directly 

to any organisations or businesses prior to making any plans or 

taking any action. 


PEST CONTROL 

Predator Pest Control 

Call 0417 276 962 

predatorpestcontrol.com.au 

Environmental services at their 

best. Comprehensive control. 

Advertise 

your Business 

in Trades 

& Services 

section 

Phone 

0438 123 096 

RENOVATIONS 

Rob Burgers 

Call 0416 066 159 

Qualified builder provides all 

carpentry needs; decks, pergolas, 

carports, renovations and 

repairs. 

Underdeck 

Call Adrian 0417 591 113 

Waterproof under your deck and 

turn the area into usable space 

all year round. 

SunSpec 

Call Dustin 0413 737 934 

sunspec.com.au 

All-aluminium, rust-proof remotecontrolled 

opening roofs & awnings. 

Beats competitor’s prices. 



the 

good 

life 

Showtime 

Shakespeare in the park 

Theatre company Bard on the Beach returns 

to Avalon with three outdoor performances 

in February. 

Fans can look forward to Shakespeare’s first 

comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona on Fri 

23, and two performances of The Tragedy of 

King Richard III on Sat 24 and Sun 25. 

The performances will be in Dunbar Park 

starting at 7.30pm. 

There are no tickets; it’s first-in, bestdressed 

– we suggest you get there early to 

find a place on the grass and reserve your 

spot with a blanket. 

You can take low chairs, grab some takeaway 

or bring a picnic dinner and enjoy the show. 

Once the sun sets it can get very cold so make 

sure you pack something to keep you warm. 

Payment is at the end of the show by 

donation only; recommended minimum $20 

per person. Info bardonthebeach.net. 

dining 

food 

62 

66 

All ages 

band night 

Showcasing a unique blend 

of rock, pop, soul and 

beyond local brother-duo 

Lime Cordiale (right) and Gold 

Coast rock band Bleeding 

Knees Club will be doing their 

stuff at the Northern Beaches 

PCYC in Dee Why on Fri 16 

from 7-10pm. 

Tickets $15 includes free endof-night 

transport to Mona Vale 

and Manly and a one-year PCYC 

membership. 

Supported by bands Black 

Iguana and Heartlake, this is an 

all-ages, alcohol- and drug-free 

event. If the kids don’t already 

know how to book tickets, 

you can find details on the NB 

Council website. 

Showtime 

crossword 

gardening 

travel 

69 

70 

73 

Around 

the clubs 

If our maths are right it’s 

been 40 years since Aussie 

rock legends The Radiators 

played their first show, yet if 

you are lucky enough to catch 

The Rads on stage these days 

you’ll see the passing years 

and rigours of touring haven’t 

diminished their spark. 

Tickets to The Radiators and 

Spy Vs Spy at Dee Why RSL 

on Friday 9 are selling like 

hotcakes, so better be quick! 

Starts 7.45pm; tickets $30. 

If classic rock (we’re talking 

Queen, The Eagles, Bruce 

Springsteen, Kiss, Creedence 

Clearwater… you get the 

drift) is more your style check 

out the gig locked in on Sat 

10 at The Royal Motor Yacht 

Club; members $25, 

non-members $30. 


Dining Guide 

February's best restaurants, functions, events and reader deals... 

Bistro 61 

Avalon Beach RSL 

1 Bowling Green Lane 

Avalon Beach 

OPENING HOURS 

Open 7 days 

Lunch 12pm-2:30pm 

Dinner 5:30-8:30pm 

CUISINE 

Modern Aust / pub food 

PRICE RANGE 

Meals $8-$30 

Specials $12-$15 

BOOKINGS 9918 2201 

Avalon Beach RSL’s Bistro 61 

is a great place to head for 

a local meal, offering tasty 

modern Australian dishes at 

affordable prices. 

Don't miss their $25 Ribs 

deal for lunch or dinner on 

Mondays in February. 

Plus they’re open for 

breakfast on weekends over 

summer, from 8am. 

Watch Super Bowl LII on 

February 5 with $5 chicken 

wings and $20 buckets of 

Budweiser. 

Great music acts on 

The holidays may be over but 

smart operators of eateries and 

bars are taking advantage of 

the warm weather with great 

options for customers. 

Café Racer – formerly The 

Inch – overlooking Village Park 

at Mona Vale is now open for 

dinner on Friday and Saturday 

nights, with owner Jeremy 

Drayton excited about the 

dishes prepared by head chef 

Karan Sandhu (below). 

“Customers have been 

asking us to open for cocktails 

Saturdays this month include 

The Replacements (3rd), Nat & 

Rin (10th), Shade of Red (17th) 

and East West Blues (24th). 

Happy Hour is every 

Monday, Tuesday & Friday from 

4-6pm. 

Open for lunch and dinner 

seven days, with extensive 

outdoor dining areas, Bistro 

61 offers a variety of specials 

(lunch and dinner) during the 

week, including $12 tacos 

(Tues), $15 Chicken Schnitzels 

(Wed), 2-4-1 pizzas (Thurs), and 

a $20 burger + beer (Fri). 

Seniors are well catered 

for – there are daily Seniors 

specials, including beerbattered 

flathead – plus they 

do a $5 kids meals on Sundays! 

(There’s a playground, too.) 

From the menu, chef 

Mitch recommends his twist 

on nachos – pulled beef and 

blackbeans with chipotle, corn 

chips, guacamole, Danish fetta 

and coriander. 

Members get discounts on 

meals purchased. Membership 

starts from $5.50. 

The club is licensed, with 

no BYO. Bookings online or 

call 9918 2201 – large groups 

welcome. 

More tasty morsels 

and drinks, so we’ve put a 

thoughtful menu together 

including share plates, pasta, 

steaks and salads,” he said. 

“We’ve been trading seven 

days for the past decade and 

have always been a popular 

breakfast and lunch destination 

– we’re happy we can now 

translate into a relaxing dining 

venue at the weekend.” 

He added food blogger 

spooningaustralia.com.au had 

recently joined them for dinner 

– “Look us up there, with some 

great dinner photos, or come 

try for yourself soon!” 

Meanwhile north of the 

bends, Freebird Avalon (right) 

is making a name for itself with 

its ’70s vibe, attractive cocktail 

list and menu crafted by ex- 

Lucio’s (Paddington) sous chef, 

Simon MacKay. 

Owner Daniel McManus has 

Hong Kong 

Chinese Restaurant 

332 Barrenjoey Rd, 

Newport 

OPENING HOURS 

Dinner Tues-Sun 5pm 

CUISINE 

Chinese & Asian 

PRICE RANGE 

Entrees $5-20 

Mains $12.90-26.50 

*Deliver Whale Beach - Narrabeen 


Book a table at this 

popular Newport eatery in 

February and your family 

is guaranteed a great night 

out with a feast for the eyes 

and the tastebuds. 

Order ahead for their 

wonderful Peking Duck which 

is offered as a dine-in-only 

special Thursdays through 

Sundays in Summer. 

There are two traditional 

courses: Peking Duck 

pancakes & duck sang choy 

bow (bookings essential; 



LIC 

BYO 

All 

an impressive hospitality CV; 

he started as a barman at 17 

and progressed to opening 

Mojo Record Bar which he ran 

for four years (winning Time 

Out’s People’s Choice Award 

and Best New Bar in Australia 

award at the prestigious 

Bartender Awards) moving to 

Palm Beach where he consulted 

to the industry. 

He spent the past year 

waiting for the right space to 

become available in Avalon 

for his new venture – which 

P 

mention the ad when you 

call). 

This long-established 

restaurant on the eastern 

side of Barrenjoey Rd has 

an extensive menu based 

on traditional flavoursome 

Cantonese with touches of 

spicy Szechuan and other 

Asian dishes and fresh 

seasonal vegetables. 

Entrees start at just $6 

while mains are great value 

too, starting at $16.80. 

The menu ranges from 

adventurous, like a Sizzling 

Szechuan-style Platter of 

king prawns and fillets of 

chicken, to contemporary, 

featuring spicy salt and 

pepper king prawns, to 

traditional, with favourites 

including Mongolian lamb, 

Honey king prawns and 

Honey chicken. 

New dishes are introduced 

regularly so make sure you 

check out the blackboard 

specials. 

The team are only too 

happy to home deliver your 

meal, with a range that takes 

in Narrabeen to the south to 

Palm Beach in the north. 

Fully licensed or BYO. 

opened in December. 

Daniel is rightly proud of 

the transformation of his space 

overlooking Avalon Parade. 

“I did 75 days straight of 15 

hours so yes, a big job!” 

So why Avalon? 

“There are a lot of music 

lovers in Avalon and people 

who love live music,” Daniel 

said. “I saw Avalon as a great 

place where I could open up a 

venue to eat, drink, gather and 

enjoy the music, both on our 

playlist and our live gigs. 

“I spend hours every week 

getting the playlist right. Our 

food menu is designed for 

people to come in and share 

over a bottle of wine or a beer 

so it’s very much a place to 

catch up with friends." 

And why Freebird? 

“I’ve always loved the Lynyrd 

Skynyrd song – all nine minutes 

of it!” he explained. “It had a 

nice retro sound and was in 

line with the era of music I play

Royal Motor 

Yacht Club 

Salt Cove on Pittwater 

46 Prince Alfred 

Parade, Newport 

OPENING HOURS 

Breakfast Lunch & Dinner 

Mon-Fri from 8.30am 

Weekends from 8am 

PRICE RANGE 

Breakfast from $8-$18 

Entrees from $9-$21 

Mains from $16-$26 


RMYC’s restaurant Salt 

Cove on Pittwater’s menu 

offers affordable meals and 

generous servings including 

a variety of starters and share 

plates, seafood, burgers, 

grills, salads, desserts and 

woodfired pizza. 

Great Friday night music in 

kicks off in the Lounge Bar 

from 7.30pm. Acts in February 

include: Jack Derwin (2nd), 

Braden Evans (9th), Peter Kinch 

(16th) and Joe B (23rd). 

Get ready for The Classic 

Rock Show on Saturday 

February 10, with the music 

of Blondie, Bruce Sprinsteen, 

Creedence Clearwater Revival, 

Queen, The Eagles and more. 

Trivia is held every Tuesday 

night from 7.30pm (great 

prizes and vouchers). 

Club social memberships 

are available for just $160. 

Barrenjoey 

Bistro 

Club Palm Beach 

1087 Barrenjoey Rd, 

Palm Beach 

BISTRO OPENING HOURS 

Lunch 11:30am-2.30pm 

Dinner 6pm-8.30pm 

PRICE RANGE 

Lunch and dinner 

specials $13.50 


Head to Club Palm Beach, 

conveniently located just a 

short stroll from Palm Beach 

Wharf, for hassle-free dining 

in February. 

Barrenjoey Bistro is open 

for lunch (11.30am to 2.30pm) 

and dinner (6pm to 9pm) seven 

days, plus there's a Snack Menu 

available 2.30pm-6pm. 

The Bistro serves top-value a 

la carte meals plus daily $13.50 

specials of roasts (Mondays), 

rump steak with chips and 

salad (Tuesdays), chicken 

schnitzel with chips and salad 

(Wednesdays), homemade 

gourmet pies with chips and 

salad (Thursdays) and fish 

and chips with salad (Fridays), 

except public hols. 

Watch Super Bowl LII on the 

big screen on Monday February 

5. The Members’ lucky badge 

draw is held Wednesday and 

Friday night (every 30 mins 

between 5pm-7pm), and 

jackpots by $100 each week. 

Enjoy Trivia Night from 

5.30pm on Wednesdays, plus 

Bingo 10am on Fridays. 

The club has a courtesy 

bus that makes regular runs 

Wednesdays, Fridays and 

Saturdays from 4.30pm to 

9pm. Ring to book a pick-up. 

here – ’50s through ’70s. 

“The posters on the wall are 

all Tour and band posters from 

that era, so it has authenticity.” 

Daniel recommends 

Freebird’s 18-hour slow-cooked 

pork belly; for drinks, he 

says you can’t go past their 

signature ‘Let’s Twist Again’, 

cocktail – a blend of fresh lime 

juice, maraschino liqueur and 

gin, shaken and served in a 

chilled martini glass. 

“And we have launched a 

special kids / family menu 

every day from 4pm – 7pm. 

The kids menu has dishes such 

as Roast Chicken ragu with 

hidden vegetables – we grate 

broccoli, carrot and zucchini 

into it so the kids might not 

notice! And we have a classic 

Australian BBQ session with 

drinks specials every Sunday 

afternoon – perfect for our 

outdoor balcony.” 

Find Freebird at 50 Old 

Barrenjoey Rd, Avalon. 



Functions 

Couple look to love beyond Mirage 

Valentine’ Day will be extra 

special for Newport couple 

Marisa Galvez Ganoza and 

Miguel Arrisueno – not only 

will it be their first as a married 

couple but the first time 

they have spent February 14 

together in the same country. 

Theirs is a true and very 

modern love story. Marisa, 

50, and Miguel, 56, first met 

and became great friends as 

students in Peru in 1985 but 

when Miguel’s family moved to 

Australia they grew apart. 

Then, after 26 years, Miguel 

used Facebook to track down 

the woman he “always remembered 

with love” sending her a 

message “just to say hello” as 

Marisa was married with four 

children. 

Turns out Marisa had 

recently separated from her 

husband… and it wasn’t long 

before a few messages through 

Facebook turned into hundreds 

of exchanges every day. 

“After a while we challenged 

each other who was going to 

call first… and she did!” Miguel 

said. 

When Miguel visited Peru 

they “instantly clicked – and 

after six wonderful weeks we 

realized that there 

was a chance for 

love!” he said. 

For four years 

Miguel travelled to 

Peru to see Marisa 

twice a year; and 

he proposed over 

a candle-lit dinner 

complete with 

champagne and 

strawberries when 

Marisa came to 

Australia to visit. 

The couple’s decision to 

marry at The Metro Mirage 

Newport last September was 

an easy one. 

“It’s such a wonderful place 

Marisa and Miguel and 

their ceremony at Metro 

Mirage Hotel Newport. 

with a stunning view 

that we had already 

fallen in love with as 

we live only three 

blocks away and the 

people there are 

amazing and very 

helpful,” Miguel said 

The couple described the 

wedding planning experience 

as “fascinating” and were impressed 

by the attention given 

to detail – such as the release 

of two balloons with the names 

of their fathers who had 

recently passed away. 

“The highlight of the 

day was seeing each other 

in our wedding clothes 

and realizing that we were 

finally getting married 

after four long years of 

a long-distance relationship… 

and having a dance 

with all our friends,” Miguel 

said. 

“Now that we are finally here 

together we are planning to 

have a wonderful life.” 

Thinking of tying the knot? 

The Summer Wedding Expo 

will be held on Sunday Feb 

18 from 1pm-4pm at the 

Metro Mirage Hotel overlooking 

beautiful Pittwater 

at 2 Queens Parade West, 

Newport. Meet wedding suppliers, 

enjoy live music and 

canape and wine tasting. Free 

entry. See Facebook or visit 

metrohotels.com.au or call 

9997 7011 for details. 



Times Past 

Careel House a Jolly good design 

Careel House (on the north 

of Bangalley Headland)… 

“which is substantially 

in its original condition, is a 

proud simple structure. It is 

difficult to determine where 

the structure ends and the cliff 

begins. It rises from the rocks 

as though it is part of them, 

revealing a master story-teller 

who has mixed fact with fiction 

so boldly that the house has 

the dimension of truth”. This 

appropriate statement is how 

Douglas Al exander saw the 

house (and architect Alexander 

Stewart Jolly’s philosophy) 

when appraising it in his thesis 

for his Bachelor of Architecture 

in 1969. 

Careel House is another 

of Alexander Stewart Jolly’s 

Avalon Beach masterpieces, 

designed in 1931 for Major and 

Mrs Pauline Grieve. 

Although the house was 

built by Czech stonemasons 

and using sandstone from the 

site, the stunning fireplace 

was designed and almost 

certainly constructed by 

Jolly with his own hands. It 

is characteristic of several of 

Jolly’s fireplace designs but 

this fireplace is undoubtedly 

his most elaborate – “built 

on baronial proportions”. 

It extends across the entire 

seven-metres width of the 

house, with the ingle a direct 

extension of 3.5 metres into 

the living room. Seating 

extends on either side of the 

hearth and the ingle became 

a cosy retreat during wintery 

and westerly conditions. 

It was designed using the 

principles Jolly observed 

when he revisited Scotland 

and some of the original 

ingles there. Although the 

fireplace is almost massive in 

proportions, it possesses some 

delightful details of form, 

patterns and earthly colours. 

Another internal feature 

of the house was the folding 

‘Hollywood-style’ beds in 

the living room. The four 

beds were constructed of 

timber and sprung with 

springs bought from the 

Railways Department and 

fitted by a Czech handyman. 

During the day they were 

recessed in the stone walls 

and appeared as bookshelves 

and had a cupboard in each 

one with linen underneath. 

At night they were turned 

on a vertical axis through 

180 degrees and were laid 

horizontally to become 

beds. Of course, this gave 

more space during the 

day and provided sleeping 

accommodation without 

having to include separate 

bedrooms. 

The floors throughout 

the house were originally 

polished cedar boards with the 

characteristic red colour and 

ran the full length of the living 

room space. The longitude 

orientation of these boards 

tended to further exaggerate 

the length of the living room 

space of 17.2 metres (56 feet). 

The bathroom was originally 

a “handsome affair” composed 

of daffodil yellow unglazed 

tiles with a sunken bath, 

built-in cupboards and (rather 

primitively) the shower 

operated by a string. 

TIMES PAST is supplied 

by local historian 

and President of the 

Avalon Beach Historical 

Society GEOFF SEARL. 

Visit the Society’s 

showroom in Bowling 

Green Lane, Avalon 

Beach. 

Times Past 



Food Life 

Light seafood meals are 

a great way to beat heat 

with Janelle Bloom 

It’s back to school, work and 

regular routine – which is 

nowhere near as much fun 

as the time off most of us have 

just enjoyed. Nevertheless, the 

weather will remain warm to 

hot for the coming weeks, so 

light meals remain front of 

mind. I’m sure you’ll discover 

these seafood recipes fit the 

bill! Enjoy! 

Warm salmon 

& rice salad 

Serves 4 (as light meal) 


Recipes: Janelle Bloom Photos: Steve Brown; Benito Martin; Thanks also to Perfection Fresh 

2 tbs sesame seeds, toasted 

2 green onions, finely chopped 

1 tsp sesame oil 

1½ tsp caster sugar 

3 tbs soy sauce 

3 tbs rice wine vinegar 

2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger 

2 x 375g pieces salmon fillet, 

skinned, pin-boned 

1¼ cups rice and quinoa 

1 bunch Broccolini, ends 

trimmed 

1 tbs light olive oil 

4 Quke baby cucumbers, thinly 

sliced 

1 cup coriander or parsley 

leaves 

2 cups bean sprouts, trimmed 

1 long red chilli, deseeded, 

finely chopped 

1. Combine the sesame seeds, 

green onion, sesame oil, 

sugar, soy, vinegar and ginger 

in a jug. Put salmon onto 

a plate and spoon over 1½ 

tablespoons dressing, turn to 

coat. Cover and marinate in 

the fridge 10 minutes. 

2. Cook the rice and quinoa 

following packet directions. 

Drop the broccolini into a 

saucepan of boiling salted 

water, cook 1 minute. Drain, 

pat dry then chop. 

3. Heat a large frying pan over 

medium-high heat until hot, 

add oil, swirl to coat pan. 

Cook salmon for 2 minutes, 

turn and cook further 2 minutes. 

Reduce heat, cook 5-6 

minutes for medium or until 

cooked to your liking, remove 

to a plate, stand 5 minutes 

then break into pieces. 

4. Combine the warm rice, broccolini, 

Qukes, coriander, bean 

sprouts and chilli. Gently stir 

through the salmon. Pour 

over the remaining dressing 

and serve with lime wedges if 

desired. 

Fish tagine 

Serves 4 

2 tbs olive oil 

1 large brown onion, finely 

chopped 

4 garlic cloves, crushed 

Finely grated rind, 1 lemon 

1 tsp sea salt 

3 tsp ground turmeric 

3 teaspoons ground cumin 

¼ tsp ground cinnamon 

2 large ripe tomatoes, diced 

2 cups chicken or fish stock 

6 chat potatoes, peeled, cut 

into thick wedges 

1 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, 

chopped 

100g Sicilian green olives 

800kg skinless white fish fillets, 



For more recipes go to www.janellebloom.com.au 

cut into 3cm cubes 

1 cup couscous 

Extra parsley and lemon 

wedges to serve 

1. Heat oil in a large, deep 

frying pan over medium 

heat. Add onion, cook, stirring 

often for 5 minutes or 

until soft. Add garlic, lemon 

rind, salt, turmeric, cumin 

and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, 

for 1 minute or until 

fragrant. 

2. Add the tomato, stock and 

potato. Cover and simmer for 

10 minutes or until potato is 

just tender. Stir in the parsley 

and olives. 

3. Add the fish to the tagine, 

cover and cook gently for 10 

minutes or until fish is just 

cooked through. 

4. Meanwhile, place couscous in 

a large heatproof bowl and 

cover with 2 cups boiling water. 

Cover and set aside for 5 

minutes. Remove the cover 

and stir gently with a fork to 

separate the grains. 

5. Divide couscous among serving 

plates. Top with tagine 

and sprinkle with parsley and 

serve with lemon. 

Fresh fish nuggets 

Serves 4-6 

800kg skinless, boneless white 

fish fillets, cut into 3cm cubes 

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 

1 tbs tomato sauce 

1 tsp sea salt flakes 

2 tsp ground white pepper 

2 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley 

1 tbs corn flour 

1 cup plain flour 

2 eggs, beaten 

Vegetable oil for cooking 

Sour cream and sweet chilli 

sauce or tartare sauce, to serve 

1. Place fish into a food 

processor. Pulse until finely 

chopped. Add Worcestershire 

sauce, tomato sauce, salt, 

pepper, parsley and cornflour. 

Pulse to form a sticky 

paste. 

2. Using a tablespoon of mixture, 

use wet hands to shape 

into nuggets. Place onto a 

tray lined with baking paper. 

Dust lightly in flour, turn and 

dust other side. Repeat until 

all mixture is shaped. 

3. Dip nuggets into beaten egg 

and then into flour again. 

4. Heat a large, deep frying pan 

or wok with enough vegetable 

oil to come halfway up 

the sides until to 180°C (see 

Janelle’s Tip). Cook nuggets in 

batches of six for 2-3 minutes, 

turning over halfway or until 

cooked through. Remove to a 

wire rack to drain. 

5. Serve with sour cream and 

sweet chilli sauce or tartare 

sauce. 

Janelle’s tip: To check if oil 

is hot enough add a cube of 

bread to the hot oil – it should 

turn golden in 10 seconds. 

Apple jelly 

grape cups 

Makes 8 

2 cups clear apple juice or apple 

cider 

3 tsp powdered gelatine 

1 tbs water 

750g seedless black grapes 

1. Pour the apple juice or cider 

into a small saucepan. Mix 

gelatin and water in a small 

bowl. Add to the apple juice. 

Whisk over low heat for 5 

minutes until gelatin dissolves 

and mixture is warm. 

Set aside for 20 minutes to 

cool. 

2. Remove grapes from the 

stalk. Put them into plastic 

cups or glasses. Pour the apple 

mixture over the grapes 

to almost cover. Refrigerate 

for 4 hours until set and well 

chilled. Serve with scoop 

vanilla ice cream if you like. 

Tip: Try using cranberry, 

mango or pineapple juice 

instead of apple juice. 





In Season 

Limes 

Janelle’s Tip: 

To get the most 

juice from the 

fruit, roll on the 

benchtop then 

microwave for 20 

seconds before 

cutting in half 

and juicing. 


Closely related to lemons, 

the lime originated in 

South East Asia. In Australia 

we see two varieties: the 

Tahitian lime which has a 

green skin, and the Mexican 

Lime which is yellow-skinned. 

Buying 

Look for fruit that is brightly 

coloured and feels heavy. 

While they are in season it’s 

a good idea to buy in bulk 

and juice the fruit. Pour into 

ice cube trays and freeze 

then transfer to an airtight 

container or bag and freeze. 

Storage 

Store out of direct sunlight 

in a fruit bowl on the bench 

for up to 7 days, or in an 

unsealed plastic bag in the 

crisper for up to one month. 

Also In Season 

February 

Apricots; Berries 

(blueberries, raspberries 

& strawberries); Figs; 

Lychees; Mangoes; 

Watermelon, Nectarines; 

Peaches; Pineapple; Plums; 

also Avocado; Beans 

(butter, snake, green & 

flat); Cucumber, Chillies, 

Capsicum; Lettuce; Sugar 

Snap Peas; Radishes, Corn, 

Tomatoes and Zucchini. 

Nutrition 

Limes are a great source of 

vitamin C. 

Lime & berry ice pops 

Makes 12 

4 limes, juiced 

¼ cup white sugar 

1¾ cups coconut water, chilled (see Janelle’s Tip) 

125g Perfection Fresh Blueberries 

125g Perfection Raspberries 

1. Combine lime juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir over 

medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the 

boil, simmer gently 5-8 minutes until syrup has reduced by 

half. Set aside to cool. 

2. Combine the blueberries and raspberries in a bowl. Half-fill 

12 x 80ml (1/3 cup) popsicle moulds carefully with berries. 

Combine the lime syrup and coconut water in a jug. Pour 

over the berries to almost cover. Freeze for 30 minutes or 

until partially frozen. 

3. Insert a paddle-pop stick into the centre of each mould. 

Add the remaining berries then cover with remaining juice. 

Freeze for 6 hours or overnight if time permits. Remove 

from the moulds and serve immediately. 

Janelle’s Tip: You can buy watermelon coconut water which is 

great option for this recipe! 



Pittwater Puzzler 

Compiled by David Stickley 

31 Across clue 

30 Item from a restaurant’s menu (4) 

31 Establishment like La Paysanne in 

Bilgola (10) 

ACROSS 

1 Fellow pupil from Pittwater House, 

perhaps (10) 

6 Black bird sometimes seen on Narrabeen 

Lagoon (4) 

10 Reserve in Bayview that will soon have 

its boating facilities upgraded (7) 

11 Puzzling sort of device for cryptic 

crossword solvers (7) 

12 The B in NBN (9) 

13 To supply or provide with (5) 

14 Growing old (6) 

16 Handyman’s collection of stuff (7) 

17 Possible final score after a round at 

Avalon Golf Course (3) 

19 Rigorously austere (7) 

21 Solemn promise (6) 

25 BBQ sausage-turners (5) 

26 Recreational facility of which there 

are seven between North Narrabeen and 

Palm Beach (5,4) 

28 Supplements (7) 

29 A really hot day (7) 

DOWN 

1 Craft expertly raced by the Palm Beach 

Patriots (8) 

2 DIY bookstore section (3-2) 

3 Continually (2,3,2) 

4 Opening time of Limani Seafood Restaurant 

in Narrabeen (6) 

5 Almost secret opening in floor or ceiling 

(8) 

7 Event held in Gilbert Park Manly every 

Friday night from 12 January to 23 

March, _____ ____ Markets (5,4) 

8 One, for example, anaesthetic? (6) 

9 One of Alexander Stewart Jolly’s Avalon 

Beach masterpieces, ______ House 

(6) 

15 Food goodies sold by 4mates at the 

Berry Reserve Market (9) 

16 Possible result of summer at the 

beach (3) 

17 Wide landscape view (8) 

18 Help yourself (4,4) 

20 Describing the sun first thing in the 

morning (6) 

22 Pulses prominent in Curry By The 

Curve’s menu items (7) 

23 Run aground (6) 

24 Watercraft that takes advantage of 

beautiful locations of Pittwater (3-3) 

27 The archetypal uncultivated Australian 

working man (5) 

[Solution page 72] 

Pittwater Puzzler 



Garden Life 


Delight Passionate in the pomegranates amazing 

colours great for of growing, hydrangeas eating 

Pomegranates Always a favourite for 

ger and sweeter with 

Christmas are native to colour, hydrangeas 

Iran, but are early flowering their 

Pomegranates don’t 

some extra attention. 

heads travellers off! took They the look wonderful 

seed in the corners garden, brightening 

the of the semi-shaded earth. Now areas and 

glowing the pomegranate in the full, is protected 

sunlight. grown all Once over the 

older 

varieties world. It has were been either pink or 

blue found depending ancient on the soil, 

additional carvings in lime China, will it deepen 

the is mentioned pinks and in blueing the tonic 

(sulphate Bible, it was of named aluminium) will 

heighten in ancient the Rome blues, by but the 

new Pliny named as the ‘Apple varieties will 

maintain of Carthage’, their and colour. it’s White 

never said that changes. Venus There gave a are pomegranate 

to Paris! of every size from 

hydrangeas 

the History tiny dwarf also tells Piamina us that to the juice 

tall of the traditional pomegranate Mop was Heads. used by the 

With prophet so many Mohammed to choose to purge from the 

it sin is of almost envy. Pomegranates too difficult to grow like of the traditional mop heads, 

decide. scarlet Christmas There are baubles, the delicate hanging the cone-shaped flowers of 

lace from caps, a very the beautiful, huge blooms small, compact hydrangea paniculata bushes 

tree and with bright, glossy green 

like frost, but cooler 

winters produce better 

fruit. To fruit well 

the flowers need bees 

for pollination. Two 

trees will fruit better 

than one. (Plant plenty 

of flowering plants to 

attract the bees to the 

garden.) 

There are several 

commonly 

grown varieties, 

but I think 

the best is 

‘Wonderful’; its 

fruit is softer 

and the seeds 

that can be two not metres so hard. tall. 

The recently introduced Also, there is 

smaller growing a dwarf Picotee pomegranate 

varieties that with grows two-tone to just flower one 

leaves. It is perfect for a small urban garden. 

Pomegranates need hot weather to produce 

metre – it is a great heads pot are plant hard or very to leave special be-ihind 

flowers and if you still have produce a semi- 

fruit 

a rockery. The single 

fruit; in cooler areas they are often grown as to eat. 

shaded wall, the climbing 

an ornamental shrub or tree. Late-winter pruning 

will increase the density of the shrub. The amazing double flowers; beautiful. it won’t give you any 

The dwarf ornamental hydrangea pomegranate petiolaris is has just 

crumpled petals of the bright scarlet flowers fruit but is a stunning Hydrangeas container are plant. forgiving 

are a joy to see, standing out against the dense The huge leathery plants fruits that are are full easy of sweet to grow. 

foliage. Pruned annually this delightful fruiting scarlet beads. They They can like be regular eaten raw, water used and for 

tree is a spectacular sight in any garden. juice or mixed into 

any 

salads. 

good 

The 

garden 

unripe 

soil. 

skins 

Mulch 

To do well, pomegranates (punica granatum) produce a bright 

the 

red 

roots 

juice that 

with 

is 

compost 

used for 

to 

dye 

require full sun and long hot summers, welldrained 

garden soil (mulched with cow manure the fruit – the juice 

on Moroccan leather. 

keep 

Look 

them 

out 

cool 

when 

and 

you 

feed 

cut 

them 

stains! 

in early spring to get 

or compost) and regular watering. Before 

them going. Grow them in 

A pomegranate plant may be hard to find 

pots, or in the garden; bring 

planting, add a small amount of garden lime. but well worth the trouble. It can usually 

them inside when in flower 

Although they handle drought and extreme be found online from Daley’s fruit trees in 

or cut the blooms – they last 

weather conditions well, the fruit will be big- 

Queensland. 

well in water. 

with Gabrielle Bryant 

Cherry Guava a 

sweet surprise 

IBe n full flower quick in my veggie 

garden is my Cherry Guava, 

to sometimes snap known up as a Strawberry 

Guava. This delightful 

Spring bulbs 

evergreen shrub never fails to 

Iproduce t’s so tempting a heavy right crop now of cherry – the 

guavas bulb stands in early are autumn. full of tulips, 

daffodils, It is a small, jonquils, pretty hyacinths tree with 

and rounded, snow glossy drops. green If you leaves want 

to that grow only these grows cold-climate 

to about 

bulbs three metres you should in height. treat Keep them it 

as trimmed annuals. into Give shape them after the fruiting. 

old 

The delicate – place fluffy them flowers in the 

treatment 

crisper are creamy drawer white, of the growing refrigerator 

close 

the branches. for six weeks They before are fol- 

planting, lowed by the and tangy they will flavoured, flower 

beautifully sweet, berry-sized, in spring. cherry However, red 

without fruit that a are frosty high winter vitamin they C. 

won’t Unlike be the good taller-growing the following deciduous 

yellow These guava bulbs that are needs better 

year. 

grown cooking, the containers. fruit can be eaten 

raw Why straight not grow from the warmerclimate 

tree or 

used in cooking, spring bulbs jellies, that drinks, will 

come sauces back or jams. year after year? 

Nothing You should can beat protect the the scent fruit 

of from freesias, fruit fly or with the a display fruit fly of bait. 

brightly coloured sparaxis, 

ranunculus and anemones. 

Get Cheerful into orange the lachenalias, 

standing straight like orange 

soldiers, ‘swing’ make of a pretty Xmas border 

Iin t partly is time shaded to relax areas. and enjoy The 

sun-loving your garden. pale Look blue at Spring your 

Stars outdoor (tritelia) seating will requirements 

soon multiply 

come – the back shops year are after full year. of 

and 

The amazing upright chairs spikes and of tables. the pale 

pink, Hanging lilac, cane white egg and chairs magenta have 

flowers been trendy of the for babiana the past Baboon few 

Flowers years and complement now the ‘Swing blue, yellow, 

Seat’ mauve is back. or Nothing white Dutch is more iris. 

peaceful Buy your than bulbs swinging as soon in as a 

you seat see for them two, sheltered to avoid disappointment, 

from 

the weather as with they a sell roof out to 

quickly shade from (then the plant sun late – makes March). a 

great Christmas present too! 

72 70 DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2018 2017 


Bonsai – big 

impact with 

a little effort 

Bonsai trees make wonderful Christmas 

presents but they need special 

care to keep them going. They are 

mistakenly given as indoor plants but to 

thrive they must be kept outside (perfect 

for balconies or patios). 

The ancient Japanese art of bonsai can 

become totally absorbing. These miniature 

trees take many years of love and 

patience to create. For the beginner there 

are a few crucial tips to keep your tiny 

tree healthy and growing. 

First, find out about your tree and the 

conditions it would need if it were to 

grow to full size. Sun or shade? Warm or 

cold? It will need the same conditions 

even though it is a miniature plant. 

Of course, water is essential for survival 

– but more bonsai die from root rot than 

from thirst. Check the soil before you 

water. Bonsai trees are in tiny pots and 

dry quickly but in colder months they may 

only need water a couple of times a week. 

Help care for chooks 

FUN & EDUCATIONAL: Finn Selby 

lends a hand at the Avalon garden. 


The roots soon fill the pot, making it hard 

for the water to sink in. Make sure that the 

water penetrates the soil. If in doubt, water 

the pot in a container and let it soak, 

then lift it out to drain. (It is best to water 

your tree in the evening so that the soil 

stays damp through the night.) 

Bonsai need to be fed regularly 

through the growing season – but with 

a half-strength fertiliser. Plants should 

Avalon Community Garden, 

located in the grounds of 

Barrenjoey High School in Tasman 

Road, North Avalon, has 

slowly developed over the past 

seven years into a thriving 

environment, with additions 

such as watering systems, 

a large growing enclosure, 

storage, pathways – and the 

introduction of chickens. 

President Helen Saunders 

said currently there are a 

couple of gaps on the chicken 

feeding roster. 

“This involves picking up 

from Avalon Organics, who 

kindly donate their leftover 

veggies, letting the chickens 

out for their daily forage and turning the sprinklers on.” 

Helen said joining ACG costs very little and involvement was 

both enjoyable and rewarding. 

“When you are in the garden you feel like you are on a farm 

in the country,” she said. “Kids love collecting the eggs and the 

chickens love being petted… you get to take home the eggs you 

collect and a whole bunch of vegetables – it’s fabulous!” 

“Anybody is welcome but I also think it would be a really 

worthwhile after-school activity… maybe two or three families 

would like to come together or even share the activity; the more 

the merrier!” 

More info phone Helen (0418 251 480), or Billy Bragg (0405 

508 270); also check out the website and Facebook pages. 

be re-potted every two years. Until you 

learn how to do this job yourself it is best 

to get this done by a bonsai expert at a 

bonsai nursery. They will also prune the 

roots and shape the tree for you. 

Once hooked, you will find bonsai an 

intriguing and fascinating hobby. If you 

want to learn more there are several 

bonsai courses available. Look online to 

find one nearby. 


Garden Life



Jobs this Month 

February 

Days of extreme heat 

followed by thunder, 

lightning, hail and wind 

don’t make life easy for our 

gardens! Sunburn and wind 

damage look terrible, but wait 

until the very hot days are over 

before you trim back foliage, 

as you will expose new growth 

to more sunburn. Also, let your 

lawn grow a little longer than 

usual in the hot weather. This 

will keep the roots cooler and 

hold the moisture better. Also, 

check gutters for leaves after 

the windy days. Keep them 

clear. Blocked gutters are a 

danger during bushfire season. 

Tree-mendous 

myrtle 

Crepe Myrtles are in full flower; 

if you want to plant one this is 

the month to see all the colours: 

lilac, pink, dark pink or white. 

Crepe myrtles make excellent 

street trees because they 

respond well to being pruned 

and their size can easily be controlled. 

Some are flowering very 

late and some are not flowering 

well. I believe that this is caused 

by the very dry winter. 

Care for roses 

Lightly prune roses, removing 

any old flowers, and feed the 

plants with Sudden Impact 

for Roses for a new flush of 

flowers as the weather cools. 

Spray with Eco Fungicide to 

prevent blackspot. Fuchsias 

have suffered in the heat but 

will soon bounce back if you 

trim them and water them 

with a liquid fertiliser. 

Orchids spiking 

As the days cool bring your 

cymbidium orchids into a 

sunny position. They will be 

starting to form their flower 

spikes now. Feed them with 

Strike Back for Orchids. 

Feed citrus 

Citrus should be fed this 

month but as the new shoots 

appear look out for leaf miner 

and aphids on the tips. Spray 

weekly while the weather 

stays warm with Eco Oil. Spray 

either early in the morning or 

in the evening – never spray 

if the temperature is over 30 

degrees. 

Buy bulbs 

Spring bulbs are on the bulb 

stands and bulb catalogues 

are available online. Make 

your choice as soon as possible 

to avoid disappointment 

but wait until the end of March 

to plant them. 

Switch vegies 

There is still time to plant a 

last crop of tomatoes, beans 

and zucchini, carrots – but 

remember to leave room for 

winter crops of beans, broccolini, 

cauliflower, onions, carrots, 

parsnips and lettuce. 

Get digging! 

The holidays are over and it 

is time to work in the garden. 

Digging and getting dirty is 

part of a gardener’s life! Pull 

out flowers and veggies that 

have finished and replenish the 

soil with compost or cow manure, 

to be ready for autumn 

planting. Dig the garden well, 

turning the soil. Add a wetting 

agent to allow the water to 

soak in. The rain has been 

heavy but a few centimetres 

down the earth is dry. If you 

can, resist the temptation to 

Graft a gum 

If you love the birds, plant 

a grafted dwarf flowering 

gum. You will get 

birds, bees for the garden 

and huge gum nuts for 

Christmas decorations. 

The flowers can be cream, 

pale pink, hot pink, dark 

pink, orange or scarlet. 

Don’t ‘hedge’ bets 

Don’t be tempted to trim 

sasanqua hedges now, even if 

they need it – the shrubs are 

already setting their buds for 

Autumn blooms. If you trim 

them now you will lose your 

flowers. Feed Camellias and 

Sasanquas with Kahoona. This 

is the last time before Spring. 

Mite be trouble 

Look out for red spider mite 

on azaleas. You can control 

these mites with Yates Rose 

Gun or Natrasoap. Spray under 

the leaves as well as on top 

until the solution runs off. 

Crossword solution from page 69 

replant for a couple of weeks. 

Mystery location: LONG BEACH 



Travel Life 

Road Trip, USA 

Think ‘road trip’ 

and think cruising 

the US west coast, 

with the desert, iconic 

Highway 1 or Route 66 

and myriad small-town 

destinations all major 

players in your holiday 

dream. But is it really 

like that? Yes… and a 

whole lot more. 

The loop from Los 

Angeles to Las Vegas is 

one of the most popular 

in the world but add 

more variety by plotting 

a route that takes 

in San Francisco as your 

finishing point; all up it’s 

2,500km of easy driving 

spiritual experience. Stay 

in 14 days – and it will take at the hip Mojave Sands Hotel, 

you from city, through desert, thoughtfully refurbed and 

snow-capped mountains and offering tick-the-box touches 

back to the coast. 

like record players with collections 

of through-the-decades 

Picking up your rental car 

from the airport is stress-free, vinyl. Pappy and Harriet’s, at 

thanks to the myriad shuttle the deserted Western films 

buses supplied by providers. 

As for plotting a course the stars turn up to play to 

lot ‘Pioneer Town’, is where 

Google Maps makes navigation 

foolproof. 

nounced (Paul McCartney 

stunned, small houses unan- 

Explore LA in two days: take played there last February as 

in Venice and Santa Monica a precursor to his World Tour). 

beaches; the Mount Wilson And Noah Purifoy’s desert art 

Observatory (think ‘La La installations are a must see. 

Land’), the Walk of Fame on Continue east to take in the 

Hollywood Boulevard, Rodeo Southern Rim of the Grand Canyon 

and impressive engineering 

Drive, Beverley Hills, and the 

famous Hollywood sign. Allow marvel Hoover Dam. Get your 

at least a half day at the Getty photo taken on the fast-disappearing 

Route 66 via Amboy. At 

Museum, with its awesome collection 

of art and unbeatable the Canyon, take the Sky Walk 

views of the city and coastline. (horseshoe of Perspex jutting 

Plug in your road ‘tape’, turn out over the 4000-feet drop). 

up the volume and cruise the Continue to Hoover Dam (three 

two hours to Palm Springs. hours) before hitting Vegas 

This low-profile desert city, (one hour), baby! 

surrounded by mountains, is The city has a heap more 

famous for its architectural contributions 

to modern America main strip; a visit to the Nation- 

going for it than just its glitzy 

– a self-guided tour (midcenturypalmsprings.com) 

is a must, entertaining if sobering insight 

al Atomic Testing Museum is an 

especially the iconic Kaufmann into the Cold War and nuclear 

House (1946) and Elvis Presley’s arms race, while the nearby Fremont 

Street Experience takes 

Honeymoon Hideaway (1957). 

Joshua Tree is a further in the ‘old’ Las Vegas with its 

hour’s drive; it’s a long strip smaller casinos, original neon 

of not-much-happening with signs and offers true carnival 

some must-pop-in-and-check- atmosphere (ride the horizontal 

'em-out local stores dotted zipline!). As one local recommended: 

“Everything’s a lot 

between. Head 20 minutes 

out of town to Joshua Tree looser down there.” 

National Park for a truly 

Las Vegas to Ridgecrest (site 


CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Joshua trees cast incredible, brooding 

shapes against the desert sky; get your kicks... you know where; 

former prison Alcatraz from atop Lombard Street, San Francisco. 

of the US Navy’s 

largest landholding with 12% 

USA restricted airspace) takes 

four hours 30 minutes, cutting 

through Death Valley and its 

marble-cake-colouring desert 

mounds. Then it’s a 10-hour 

day on the road heading up and 

through the stunning, snowtouched 

(in December) Sequoia 

State Forest, some 7000 feet 

above sea level, before dropping 

down into Monterey and 

Cannery Row (think John Steinbeck 

and Big Little Lies). 

Explore Big Sur down 

Highway 1, taking in renowned 

Pebble Beach golf course, plus 

Carmel-by-Sea and Monterey 

township, which was 

fished out of sardines by 

the 1960s and is a now a 

National Marine Sanctuary. 

In San Francisco, the 

audio self-tour on Alcatraz 

is a must. Also drive 

across the Golden Gate 

Bridge to Point Vista for 

some mandatory holiday 

snaps; ride a cable car from 

the wharf district back to 

town; have dinner in vibrant 

Chinatown (R&G Lounge is 

very good); and allow a few 

hours to scale and explore 

the recently expanded San 

Francisco Museum of Modern 

Art where you’ll take in Warhols 

and Lichensteins and more. 


* Plan your own US road trip 

now with DriveAway Holidays, 

car rental from LAX 

starting from $39/day ($270 

for 7 days). Or treat yourself 

with a Mustang Convertible 

from $85/day ($598 for 7 

days). All prices include full 

insurance with nil excess 

for complete peace of mind. 

Visit driveaway.com.au or 

speak to your travel agent. 


Photos: Nigel Wall; Lisa Offord 

Travel Life



Top End tours top-shelf for memories 

The Northern Territory 

is home to a land of 

contrasts, from the Red 

Centre’s majestic natural 

wonders to the Top End’s 

vibrant floodplains and 

hidden waterfalls. 

A visit the heartland of Australia 

will reveal traditional 

Indigenous culture, where 

you can view beautiful rock 

art dating back thousands of 

years, sample delicious and 

authentic bush tucker and 

hear stories of the land and 

‘Dreamtime’. 

TravelView’s Sharon Godden 

says when you explore Australia’s 

Top End with Inspiring 

Journeys’ ‘Kakadu’s Ancient 

Secrets’ tour you will discover 

another side of the Outback – 

a land of untamed wilderness, 

winding rivers, lush wetlands 

and spectacular wildlife. 

“Begin your five-day journey 

exploring serene Litchfield 

National Park, where you can 

swim in the secluded pools 

of Wangi and Florence Falls,” 

Sharon said. “Spot beautiful 

birds and awe-inspiring 

saltwater crocodiles with a 

morning safari cruise on the 

Mary River. Take in spectacular 

views of Kakadu National 

Park from Gunlom Falls and 

marvel at the iconic sights 

of Katherine River’s gorges 

and canyons. Be immersed 

in Australia’s heritage at the 

rock art galleries of Ubirr and 

Nourlangie and learn traditional 

Indigenous painting 

techniques. 

“With Inspiring Journeys, 

you will delight in the 

benefits of boutique travel. 

Unwind in distinctive eco- 

lodges, enjoy the comfort 

of luxury 4WD vehicles and 

relax as our experts provide 

authentic experiences that 

create moments to last a 

lifetime.” 

Sharon added Inspiring Journeys’ 

‘Outback Australia: The 

Colour of Red’ brings to life 

Australia’s sacred heartland. 

“Throughout this five-day 

outback adventure you will 

explore the Red Centre’s 

most iconic sites while enjoying 

touches of luxury and 

immersive experiences, from 

stylish accommodation and 

4WD vehicles to distinctive 

meals that capture the essence 

of a destination,” she 

said. 

“You’ll be mesmerised by 

the magic of a Red Centre 

sunrise and delve into the 

ancient history of Uluru and 

Kata Tjuta… hike to the top 

of Kings Canyon and be 

rewarded with breathtaking 

views and hidden gardens 

before enjoying dinner ‘Under 

a Desert Moon’ accompanied 

by sparkling starlight.” 

Other highlights include 

exploring the West MacDonnell 

Ranges and embarking on 

a walk through the dramatic 

Angkerle (Standley Chasm) 

before wandering through 

Simpsons Gap; plus learning 

about outback life at Curtin 

Springs cattle station and the 

Royal Flying Doctor Service; 

and appreciating Indigenous 

connection to land with a delicious 

bush tucker dinner. 

For more info contact 

TravelView Avalon; phone 

9918 4444 or email sales@ 

travelview.net.au

Pittwater Life February 2018 Issue

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