Village 001

Edition 001 / November 17

The Best of The Beach, Bush & Bay

Page Two / Info / Creature Feature / Way Back When

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P2 / Information/ Creature feature/ Way Back When P3 / Innovator P4-5 / Staycation P6 / You Beauty P7 / On The Tools/ Property Hotspot P8 / Coastie Publisher: Ross Barry Editor: Cleo Glyde Graphic Artist: Lucillia Eljuga Office: Level 1.01/86-88, Mann Street Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: Village@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.coastcommunitynews.com.au

The pets to know on the Central Coast

Anybody ready for the new ‘Roaring 20s’? You bet your five kilometre rule.

After a serious case of Stuckhome Syndrome, our post-lockdown world is blooming back to life and we the people, once starved of brunch, loved ones and a decent haircut are ready for some colour, movement and explosive cultural fun.

We can help you with that.

The birth of Village, our brand new magazine, celebrates the people and places of the Central Coast, from its dramatically beautiful unspoilt coastline and seaside villages to the rural culture of its mountain hinterland.

Yes, it is incredibly exciting to start something new, but is launching a magazine in the digital age just this side of mad? Well, that’s what we love about it. Print’s tangible ride-or-die appeal feels like a refreshingly grounded, locavore medium in which to pay homage to local culture and coastal characters.

The slower pace here still breeds a friendliness that you don’t get in cities: the gentle nod, wave to a fellow driver or chat at the shops. The wonderful melting pot of born and bred coasties living alongside ever-swelling numbers of brand new arrivals, coming to the region for a better lifestyle, has also created a boomtime culture for us to explore.

Village curates the best of the best: new chefs, cultural gems, hotspots and must-try venues. Our coverage of local storytellers will showcase our neighbours and friends, while embracing the region’s larrikin spirit and strong community identity.

In our inaugural issue we enjoy the wit and wisdom of accomplished actor, director and TV critic Graeme Blundell (who served some criminally good local patisseries in his gorgeous Killcare Heights garden), meet the two earth goddesses cum local businesswomen whose door-to-door organic food sales are through the roof and visit vibrant Terrigal.

The Central Coast is definitely ready for its close up.

Creature Feature Name: Sherlock (because his master loves private investigator stories) Neighbourhood: Wamberal Breed: English Bulldog, bred to tackle the back of bull legs Age: 9 Personality trait: lazy but charismatic Routine: currently taking steroids; prefers to trot than run Hobbies: doing a deadpan Winston Churchill impression and snoring through movies Who Knew? Sherlock may look scary to strangers but is really a big softie Do: bring kids over to play Don’t: take this pommy ex-pat out in the hot sun Submissions - send us your best pet idea: Village@centralcoastnews.net Photo: Ben Gamlin Creative

Way Back When Coastal History

Bungaree ‘The First Australian’ was a local. For eons people have walked and loved this stunning land we now call the Central Coast. We who live here today can still walk in their ancient footsteps and reflect on the tumultuous and tragic history that began with European settlement from 1788 and onwards.

Through the prism of that time, certain characters appear who highlight both the destruction of the past and the creation of our own era. Perhaps the greatest among them was a local aboriginal man named Bungaree (1775 – 1830) who came from the mouth of the Deerubbin region (the original indigenous name for the Hawkesbury River).

In his time he was one of the most famous people in the early colony of New South Wales. The first four colonial governors befriended him and bestowed significant status to his family. Bungaree was a remarkable linguist, one of the first indigenous people to learn and speak in English. He became a diplomat, a tracker of escaped convicts and a sea pilot to several expeditions. Indeed, explorer Matthew Flinders commissioned Bungaree to travel on his voyages around Australia, naming him the ‘First Australian’ in

his naval journals after they successfully circumnavigated the continent.

European settlement and the subsequent degradation of the environment meant that local Aboriginal people were unable to maintain their traditional economy. Bungaree was rare in that he achieved local fame due to his unique role: welcoming important visitors to the colony. As an early intermediary between the early settlement’s indigenous and European cultures, he was widely respected by the two communities.

Bungaree’s wife Car-oo or Cora (1777-1852), known to Europeans as ‘Queen Gooseberry’, was almost as famous as her husband in the early settlement of Sydney.

The daughter of Moorooboora, leader of the Murro-Ore clan, Car-oo wore a brass gorget around her neck, as did Bungaree; this honoured their status as leaders of the Aboriginal and wider community. The couple can be seen wearing them in the many sketches and paintings created during their lifetime.

Governor Macquarie issued one of the first land titles in the colony to Bungaree and his spouse Queen Gooseberry in what is known today as Mosmon on Sydney’s North Shore.

Bungaree died (twenty

Bungaree at Sydney Harbour by Augustus Earle (1793-1838)

years before Car-oo) as an established Sydney identity.

His obituary spoke clearly, bestowing him with the title ‘his Aboriginal Majesty King Boongarie, Supreme Chief of the Sydney Tribe’.

Today, the Pearl Beach Aboriginal History Group annually celebrates the life of Bungaree with commemorative events at Pearl Beach. His descendants, including Central Coast resident Tracey Howie, still live in the region and proudly identify with their extraordinary lineage.

David Abrahams

Photo credits Cover: Patonga Wharf, Patonga, Photo: Central Coast Tourism Innovator: Lisa Haymes Photography Staycation: Holding shot - Terrigal Walkway - Above.Images for LoveCentralCoastNSW Dine - Ben Gamlin Creative You Beauty: Wildflowers, Lisa Haymes Photography On The Tools: Ben Gamlin Creative

Innovator/ Page Three

Innovator

Nurtured Earth Organics

Wholefoods Delivery

Central coast mums, Janine Ravenwood and Sonia Romeyn, run a soulful yet thriving business delivering organic farm fresh produce around the coast. Their goal is to help people forge an emotional connection to marketdriven, local food - and to put people and planet before profit.

Janine I feel at home when I’ve got fresh fruits and veggies in my hands. I originally grew up on a farm in New Zealand before arriving in Sydney in my mid-twenties. When I started a family I left the big smoke and now live on a couple of acres near MacMasters Beach.

I always dreamed of running a little market garden. Having kids sent me down the path of healthy living and I met Sonia as a customer before we became partners and grew the business. The demand for organic and sustainably farmed food is out there: people want as much as we can deliver. We thought about having a retail store but decided to prioritise our mental health and work/life balance instead. We are busy, but if we grow too big we’ll lose that personal relationship with the farmers that is so intrinsic to our business. Working with incredible growers like Mem Holliday in

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Mangrove Mountain is pure joy.

Sonia and I both have our permaculture design certificate.

People often misunderstand the ‘certified organic’ label. Some small growers simply cannot afford to certify every ingredient, yet they are still growing on a small, personal scale using fully regenerative, organic methods. All our food is sustainably grown,healthy and great.

We sent photos to one customer who told us how happy she was to show her daughter where the family food actually comes from.

We divide our warehouse into two sections. I take care of all the mixed produce orders, around 70 boxes a week of seasonal highlights: juicy, delicious apples, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, pumpkins, citrus fruits, avocados, bananas and leafy greens like kale, spinach and mustard leaf.

Sonia handles the custom orders so that people can pick and choose their order.

There is a beautiful immediacy to our connection with the growers. If there are high winds and our local farmer suddenly has 500 kilos worth of avocados we’ll pop a little note in the box explaining why there is extra.

Sonia I have lived on the coast since I was a teenager and attended a local

T WIS

high school. After travelling for a few years I settled in North Avoca Beach and now enjoy the coastal lifestyle with free range kids running around.

Even in suburbia, we coasties are surrounded by trees and close to the beach and national parks. I love the local friendliness and Nurtured Earth community that we are building.

People are tuning in to the concept of a strong local economy. We may be used to buying in supermarkets, but our current global pandemic is reminding people that the world can suddenly change. If we continue to support our local growers we will never go hungry during emergencies or food shortages.

When Janine and I embarked on this venture we were only acquaintances, which was a massive risk.As we built the business Sonia became my best friend. My advice when starting a business partnership: write down your values and be honest with each other about your strengths and weaknesses. By pure luck, Janine and I have the opposite skill set. Janine describes me as a little ‘pocket rocket’ with that get-it-done entrepreneurial drive, whereas she pays greater attention to detail, so we make a great team.

We organise the delivery runs each Sunday, then on Monday all the

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produce comes in and gets delivered.

We have 10 people packing in the warehouse and about 12 people delivering - currently all female.

When a farmer shows up with fresh food we are all so excited. We’ll all cry out,“Oh my God, the mint smells amazing!” We also supplement our business with a side hustle that works within the framework: we make our own ginger beer.

Our customer demographic is wide, from those who can financially commit to organic food to single income families that prioritise their children’s nutrition. Some people have an illness and turn to an organic diet pretty quickly when they start researching. Since the COVID-19 pandemic our output has nearly doubled.

It’s a pebble that ripples out. Eating more nutritious food is healthier not only for our bodies but the land we live on. We find it ironic that you have to get certification to prove you are not spraying toxic products over your food. Surely you should need certification to toxify living ingredients. Why is it even legal?

Nurtured Earth Organics sell at the Avoca Markets on the fourth Sunday of every month. Fixxevents.com.au As told to Cleo Glyde

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Page Four / Staycation

STAY CATION

Discover

TERRIGAL TERRIFIC In a region spoilt for choice when it comes to spectacular beaches, the buzz of Terrigal Esplanade sets this golden curved shoreline apart. The vibrancy of the coastal village’s independent shops, rooftop bars, live music and restaurants - all within an easy stroll of each other - make it the coast’s beating after-five heart.

Terrigal’s streetside energy provides a high voltage ‘flop and drop’ break: everything is on the doorstep, no car required.

Terrigal is still very much a waterworld, with its lagoon foreshore, great surf breaks and beach fishing culture, due to an abundance of flathead, blackfish and bream - and enough deep sea snapper to lure game fishing fans further offshore. When happy hour hits however, this is where the coast comes to party. Whether you are hooking a marlin or necking a negroni, Terrigal is the local playground where nature and naughty sit side by side.

Discover Terrigal’s new boardwalk is one of the Central Coast’s most sizable infrastructure developments of recent years.

The walk snakes along the sea cliff, giving better access to the ocean rockpool, all the way to the local iconic landmark The Skillion, that unusually shaped headland that rises steeply as picnickers stretch out on its grassy back.

Terrigal’s lagoon foreshore and four kilometre stretch of unbroken beach also make the area a walker’s paradise.

Stay

Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific is the kind of luxury waterfront resort that cocoons you even in the centre of town, with its own shops, restaurants, bar and spa - perfect for those who want to barely live out of fluffy robes during a getaway. Show-stopping views of the crescent beach flood each Pacific Ocean View Room, framed by towering Norfolk Pines lined like sentinels along the esplanade.

Private balconies are an irresistible invitation to kick back and enjoy the sea breeze and constant lull of waves hissing onto the shore. The generously sized geometric pool also beckons (for guests and Aqueous Health Club members only), with summer fun pumping beyond the walls and plenty of live entertainment events booked throughout the rest of the year.

An Ocean View Room starts at $330 mid week or $650 on the weekend.

GOOD TO KNOW: Advance Saver rates can save you up to 20%, so think ahead.

IHG Rewards members can save up to 30%.

Terrigalpacific.crowneplaza.com

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Terrigal Beach House - Crowne Plaza

Staycation / Page Five

A gigantic ocean linerinspired curvilinear bar, coastal aesthetic and terrace dotted with umbrellas exemplifies the spirit of a buzzy Terrigal summer. Peoplewatch from your perch in the fresh ocean breeze while sipping the season’s cocktail, Sweet But Psycho - a not-too-sweet yet fruitily delicious concoction of Pampero White Rum, strawberry, pomegranate and fluffy egg white. Swirls of buttery,Tuscan artisan linguine, graced with the Aussie touch of sweet, juicy blue swimmer crab from a local producer, is an easy, breezy sea-to-table summer dish.

If you like it quiet, try High Tea by the Sea at the Lord Ashley Bar & Lounge, with gloriously vaulted ceilings and ocean views (daily from 12:30pm to 2:30pm). Traditional style nibbles such as tea finger sandwiches can be amped up by bubbly or cocktail packages. terrigalbh.com.au

Stop The great thing about having a spa in situ at a hotel stay is being able to float straight back up to your room, still in that pleasant bliss coma. Try something different with Endota Spa’s Soothing Stones massage: applied pressure with warmed Shiatsu stones for the body and jade facial rollers expand blood vessels while kick-starting circulation - and the scalp massage finale sends you straight to La La Land.

Soothing Stones, $160 (80 minutes), t e r r i g a l p a c i f i c. c ro w n e p l a z a . c o m / endota-spa

Pack your bags..

Sit in style over cocktails in restaurants, bars and cafés with the Swedishdesigned ‘Carrie’ purse holder, designed to keep your purse or bag swinging by your side securely at your table. No matter how messy you get, your handbag stays in mint condition.

CARRIE ATELIER ‘Carrie’ Purse Holder in Silver ($120), Rose Gold ($152) and Yellow Gold ($152), carrieatelier.com

CHILLY TOWEL Dry Chill Cooling Singlet ($40) and Shorts ($45 ), chillytowel.com.au

ROC EYEWEAR ‘Cubin’ Ombre Tortoiseshell Sunglasses, $55, Roceyewear.com

Page Six / You Beauty

YOU BEAUTY Refresh and Renew

Beauty Editor - Cleo Glyde

As the world comes out of its collective slumber, have we ever been more ready for a seasonal mood change? Jump out of lockdown and embrace the season of freedom and fresh starts. Beauty is waiting with dewy fresh colour that tints and enhances rather than covers, skincare that boosts complexions with an instant burst of hydration, and fragrance that conjures the sensory bliss of white petals after light rain.You’re so back.You glow girl…

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The season’s beauty bouquet of fragrant florals is bloomin’ lovely, complete with joyous packaging.

It’s game on for Gucci as brown sugar makes intoxicating gardenia sexy.

Rose is reimagined with a more audacious, Tom Ford-worthy blend of heady spices. Goldfield and Banks evoke the lingering, potency of the Northern tropics. Aerin Lauder’s wholesome, reassuring geranium is as uplifting as farmyard laundry in the breeze. French luxury brand Diptyque’s woodier floral transforms fragrance into a dressing room treasure with the exquisite Japanese furoshiki tradition of fabric wrapping.

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1.GUCCI Flora Gorgeous Gardenia EDP, $213 (100ml), David Jones and Myer 2.TOM FORD BEAUTY Rose Prick EDP, $485 (50ml), mecca. com.au 3.AERIN LAUDER, Wild Geranium EDP, $190 (50ml), esteelauder.com.au 4.GOLDFIELD AND BANKS Silky Woods Perfume Concentrate, $299 (100ml), adorebeauty.com.au, Sephora, goldfieldandbanks.com 5. DIPTYQUE Le Grand Tour Kyoto EDT, $257 (100ml), mecca. com.au

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Soft pedal into neutral with dusky rose, taupes and browns that glide or dust on to keep the eyes soft and let cheeks and lips take centre stage.

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Enhance the mood with the must-have candles of the moment.

Glasshouse Fragrance’s crisp green apple and grapefruit add sparkle to dew-fresh jasmine and ylang-ylang; nuggets of crystal add a stunning twist to this calming coconut showstopper.

This season’s rose pink lip trend is ultra feminine, but isn’t your grandmother’s bright pink of yesteryear a touch of taupe creates a modernised, duskier hue.

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6. GLASSHOUSE FRAGRANCES Flower Show Candle, $54.95 (380g), glasshousefragrances.com 7. CLEANSE & CO Pink Opal candle, $59.00 (400g), cleanseandco.com.au

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13. GIVENCHY Le Rouge Sheer Velvet lipstick, $61, Sephora, Myer and David Jones 14. TOM FORD BEAUTY Lip Color in Vermillionaire, $72, 1800 061 326 15. CTZN Nudiversal Lip Duo in Barbados, $39, theiconic.com.au 16. VELVET CONCEPTS Luxe Lip Gloss in Cassis, $27, velvetconcepts.com

Put on your PJs and have a girls night in to treat dull, dry skin and chapped lips with turbo charged antioxidants.

Skin cells, get with the program: it’s time to turnover.

8. SAND AND SKY Super Bounce Mask, $94.90 (100g), mecca.com.au; adorebeauty.com.au 9. PMD BEAUTY Hydrakiss Anti-Aging Lip Sheet Mask, $45 (5 packs), adorebeauty.com.au

Gel blush sweeps on nude cheeks, needs no powder and has a shiny texture that reflects light, evoking a naturally flattering ‘just ran through the meadow’ flush.

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12. KAT VON D Mod Con Liquid Gel Blush, $35 (12ml), sephora.com.au

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10. BASICS BY B Face Palette 2.0, $60, basicsbyb.com.au 11. VELVET CONCEPTS Eye Gems in Rose Quartz, $27, velvetconcepts.com

It all starts with spirit spiritsuper.com.au Advice on Spirit Super is provided by Quadrant First Pty Ltd (ABN 78 102 167 877, AFSL 284443) and issuer is Motor Trades Association of Australia Superannuation Fund Pty Ltd (ABN 14 008 650 628, AFSL 238718), the trustee of Spirit Super (ABN 74 559 365 913). Read the PDS at spiritsuper.com.au before making a decision.

On The Tools / Property Hotspot / Page Seven

On The Tools Tradie Talk!

Imogen Liljestrom Painter Imogen Liljestrom shares about the instantly transformative nature of painting and the meditative peace of her work day.

I was originally raised in Bellingen in northern NSW and lived in Sydney for 20 years. I moved to a friend’s magical treehouse in Avoca Beach in the middle of the night, woke up in paradise and am still here eight years later.

I have always been crafty and would paint my own furniture. People loved my personal projects and asked me to paint their houses, word of mouth spread and the business just evolved.

Once I bought my LDV T60 ute I could travel with all my equipment.

Professional painting requires technique and perfectionism and I love the focus of that mental state. I play my music and feel so tranquil. It is really fulfilling to bring a client’s vision to life because paint can completely transform a space; it’s also nice to be a part of something that will be appreciated through time.

Sometimes the client knows exactly what they want or they may prefer me to act as a guide. There is so much to take into account when choosing colour: the physical environment, scenic views and architecture, the style and personality of the person who lives there, even their furniture and artwork. Personally, I am really drawn to the Mexican Boheme

aesthetic: I love bright colours that really pop and bring things to life.

The real secret to painting is to take your time and not rush it. I think of myself as a basic, simple painter who pretty much gets the job done with rollers and brushes. Spray guns are messy and require electricity, generators or pumps. I just love the purity of myself, the tools of my trade and the ute.

Being a woman in male-dominated industries has its challenges but I say if you want to do it, just go ahead and do it. I had to work harder than everybody else just to gain professional respect.

A lot of men on a site will assume you’re not skilled enough at first, so it feels amazing to prove them wrong and earn their positive feedback.

Clients have told me that they love my painting or that the energy I put into the walls is as powerful as the painting; that’s wonderful to hear.

I am grateful that the coast is close to Sydney, without the mayhem. It’s beautiful to live by the sea and the people here are a lot more relaxed. I love to visit the women’s caves at the back of Kincumber and go kayaking in the local Avoca lagoon. I feel inspired by the environment here and can completely unwind and unravel.

To book Imogen Liljestrom Painting: text 0421950083 As told to Cleo Glyde

Property Hotspot Stephanie Mason One Agency

Toukley

Toukley is a small enclave at the northern end of the Central Coast surrounded by Tuggerah Lake, Budgewoi Lake and the Pacific Ocean.

Stephanie Mason, ONE AGENCY: “Toukley’s lakeside position makes it very relaxing and popular. It is close to the beach, has its own shops and, increasingly, a trendy cafe culture. Life is still slower here and the prices are more affordable than nearby Norah Head, which is right on the beach. Young families and empty nesters from Sydney are buying for the quieter pace and great value.”

GET STARTED..

IF ONLY..

Stepping Stone: 190 Main Road, Toukley Estimated value: $650,000 Three bedroom waterfront unit

You Wish: 56 Leonard Avenue, Toukley Estimated value:1.3 - 1.4 million Three bedroom home with pool on waterfront reserve

McGrath

One Agency

Page Eight / Coastie

Q&A

Know Thy Neighbour Graeme Blundell Killcare Heights

Actor, Director, Producer, Author, Critic

Bert, $45.00, Ebook $16.99

Graeme Blundell’s breathtakingly diverse creative career showcases many Australian cultural touchstones, from his biographies of TV icons Graham Kennedy and Bert Newton to acting roles in 1970s classics of Australian cinema’s Golden Age, which TV streaming is introducing to a new generation.

Graeme Blundell lives “happily ensconced” in his garden oasis with author and journalist Susan Kurosawa.

You’re an early adopter. How did you find your way to the Central Coast?

My move here was totally accidental. I had never even thought about having a ‘weekender’. I’m originally from a working class background in Melbourne and, like most arty people there, thought that moving to Sydney meant living by the beach or in the Cross, which was wildly colourful.

Over two decades ago, Susan had family here and a glamorous friend of hers in the hotel business had spoken highly of the coast as a hidden gem, so we travelled up.

As soon as we drove down the main street into Hardy’s Bay and saw the little boats and panorama we fell in love. We were shown a gorgeous little fisherman’s cottage on the hill in Heath Rd that had been built by a ferry captain in the 1920s, who rowed goods back and forth from Ettalong. We bought it within days, kicking off

our coastal adventure.

After living in the epicentre of Sydney’s underbelly, where red roof suburbia goes to sin, how did you adjust to the seachange?

After living amongst the crooked cops and artists of the Cross for 20 years, suddenly I was part of this tranquil environment close to water. Susan and I found it extraordinarily pleasant to potter around our cottage. Bit by bit we built a deck and an adjoining house and I started landscaping.

We have moved and renovated other properties: it has all been great fun. We still have an apartment in the city, but we just wanted to be here more and more.

You got to know the coast decades before the current boom. What is changing most about the region?

The cultural and recreational infrastructure that just didn’t exist here before. When we first arrived a friend of ours from Pearl Beach told us:“there is a butcher in Erina worth going to and a good pie shop in Ettalong.” Today there are patisseries, resorts, pastry shops, bars - a tantalising number of choices.

Do you gallivant or tend to nest in your own neighbourhood?

The peninsula is large enough to explore and we shop locally. Our house has that Japanese notion of, as Susan calls it, the ‘borrowed view’. There’s lots of fabulous trees and bamboo in the surrounding properties that have become part

Naked Truth $35.00, Ebook $11.99, Books - hachette.com.au

of our aesthetic. We are happily ensconced in our little compound.

How would you describe the community feel here?

Funnily enough, we probably have a larger group of friends here than we had in the city. Out of lockdown we entertain a bit at home. I have performed in shows at the local hall and used to compère the local Australia Day ceremonies.

There are a lot of artists and actors here - Hardy’s Bay has been nicknamed ‘Hardywood’ - and the increasingly strong gay community often refers to Pretty Beach as Pretty Bitch. The community is quite diverse, with relatively separate groups that intersect in various ways. Susan used to joke that I would adopt a ‘yeah, mate’ persona when I had my ute or we were renovating and tradies were coming and going, tramping through the house. The mix of people keeps life interesting.

As a long time local, how do you feel about the current Central Coast boom?

The bays and beaches are a big drawcard, but I don’t want it to change too much. You can spot the Sydneysiders coming in and pushing the prices up a mile off: chaps with white hats wearing pleated trousers that their wives have organised for them from Country Road, driving in lackadaisical fashion down the center of the road. We hear them ordering a range of bizarre and exotic coffees, traumatising

the local shops. “No, I said Panamanian soy milk!”

You have worn so many hats: the star of cult 1970s sex comedy Alvin Purple, the wry critic on Foxtel’s movie show... How do most people that you come across remember you?

It’s an accumulation of roles - in a lot of different contexts, across a lot of years. Some of the obvious roles make you kind of oddly famous, then you become known for reviewing yourself on the television interview circuit, which is this strange kind of meta thing. An accumulative presence eventually builds up around some performers.

It’s like cultural composting.

Yes! And working on location for years with TV families that you never see again is like 60 amicable divorces.

HIGH FIVE Graeme’s Local Loves Narara Valley Nursery, Narara “Look out for the half price plants at the back of the nursery.”

Bells Bakery at Bells At Killcare “The takeaway sausage rolls and pies were a godsend during lockdown.”

Young Barons pasta bar, Woy Woy. “A taste of Europe in the middle of Woy Woy.” Cinema Paradiso, Ettalong Beach “An eccentric place to see a little indie film.”

Bar Toto, Ettalong Beach “Great cocktails right near the cinema.”