Summer in Sydney means ... swims, barbecues and walks with Tilly

What does Sydney mean to you?

Being as near to the water as possible. Daily swims, cold outdoor showers; salads, evening walks with the dog when the sky still carries the last glow of sunset and the trees are screechy with possums and bats. A gin and tonic to celebrate the first official summery evening.

First memory of summer in Sydney?

Staying at a holiday rental house in Palm Beach, playing on the lawn with my siblings and the hose is on and I’m amazed that it’s thrashing around all on its own.

My Dad’s rough big fingers applying sunblock to my face and shoulders before I can go to play at the water’s edge.

Being taken out among the breakers with my Dad so he can teach me to be fearless in the surf, and cope with the shock of waves breaking on me.

Getting lost on the crowded beach and going to the lifesavers who ask what my parents’ names are. “Mummy and Daddy.”

“Well, what does your dad call your mum?” “Dull”. Apparently I misheard “darl”.

First place you take visitors?

Again, the water! I take them to Walsh Bay, for a meal beside the water and maybe a walk up around The Rocks. Or if they have time, I’ll take them up to Barrenjoey Point for a walk up to the lighthouse followed by fish at a local waterfront restaurant.

Favourite cafe?

I’m a bit rusted-on in my habits – my “usual” is The Junction in Lane Cove when I walk the dog. The coffee is OK, I hardly ever eat there but mostly I just enjoy people-watching while I have my coffee.

Secret spot you escape to?

Tilly takes her human for a walk in Waverton.Credit: Cathy Wilcox

There are super little coastal bush walks all around Sydney’s north shore, and because my dog needs walking every day I love to find new places to explore. One of the best is the Coal Loader in Waverton. There’s a park for the dog to run around, then a walk around the rehabilitated coal loader area including through dark tunnels, then a bush walk with views across the harbour. Then back to a cafe at the end!

Best summer food?

Barbecue. Barbecued anything: it takes the heat out of the kitchen and goes so well with salads and relishes and maybe a chilled rosé.

I know it’s summer when I smell …

Jasmine; lawn-mowing; smoke.

My favourite summer song is …

Cicadas in full chorus – never so loud as when I paddled down a creek in a canoe near Crescent Head and a hungry goanna had climbed a tree trunk covered in cicadas and was just picking them off!

Worst thing about summer?

Hot nights. And allergies! I’m allergic to sea lice and various plants and pollens, so I can spend summers dosed with antihistamines and avoiding the sea if there’s seaweed.

My closest bolthole is…

I could tell you but then I would have to kill you.

Guilty pleasure?

Ice-cream. Fortunately, it’s necessary in summer.

What aspect of Sydney would you change – and what should stay the same?

Hmmmm. I’m very accepting of the fact that everything in life does change. I love to go away to the same place up the coast every summer, but every summer is different: sometimes hot and dry, even threatened by fire, sometimes cool and rainy and barely a good day for the beach. Sometimes family dramas, sometimes not. I make sure I notice when it’s good, and accept that when it’s not ideal, you just make the best of it.

Summer in Sydney is a series where Herald staff reveal the best – and worst – of our city in the hotter months.

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