Summer in Sydney means ... Dawn Fraser baths, stone fruits and Otis Redding

What does a Sydney summer mean to you?

Leaning back against sun-warmed sandstone, book in hand at a favourite harbourside swimming spot. Watching the old ritual of Sydneysiders marshalling beach paraphernalia to stake out a patch of burning sand on a scorching day. Blessedly long evenings and blessedly fewer clothes. Cicadas at full throttle. Neighbours throwing front doors open to the street on hot nights, sending half-heard snatches of conversation trailing into the evening air (think an Antipodean version of Under Milk Wood).

Earliest memory of summer in Sydney?

My sister and I attended boarding school in Coogee for a couple of years when we were young. In summer, our cohort would head down Coogee Bay Road to the ocean pool in loose twin-line formation (not unlike the Madeline books), eager for the relief of salty water on sweaty skin. Over-filled cream buns from the baker fuelling the walk back were a wonderful reprieve from boarding school rations.

When the weather gets hot I …

Head for the water, naturally. Favourite spots harbourside are Dawn Fraser Baths in Balmain, Greenwich baths, and Murray Rose (formerly Redleaf) harbour pool in Double Bay.

First place you take visitors?

The Bondi to Coogee/Maroubra coast walk for sheer jaw-dropping beauty. Ditto the walk around South Head and the Gap. Anywhere around the harbour on a ferry (especially Manly, when a rollicking big swell is up).

Favourite cafe?

The owner declined a mention! (He wants to stay hyper-local, one reason why we love him). Otherwise Kafeine on Darling Street in Balmain. Appetising all-day menu, fantastically healthy and delicious smoothies.

Secret spot you escape to …

Not so secret, but not well-known outside the inner west. Ballast Point Park, Birchgrove. The nearest ferry stop, now renamed Balmain, sits beside the old shipbuilding dock at Mort Bay. Stunning harbour views, plentiful fishing spots, the old concrete docks ideal for kids’ scootering or skating, shady grassed areas for picnicking, and a secret path through a patch of remnant bushland.

Best summer food?

Summer fruits, especially the stone fruits; Middle- Eastern inspired salads; home-made pav smothered in passionfruit.

I know it’s summer when I smell …

Mozzie coils, steam rising off hot tarred roads after a storm, charred meat wafting across the fence from the neighbour’s barbecue.

Favourite summer song …

Summer chill out mixes on Spotify. Or for nostalgia value, the Beach Boys, Otis Redding and Jack Johnson put out good summer vibes.

Worst thing about summer?

Lost thongs. (It’s a rule of summer that everyone has to lose at least one pair).

My closest bolthole is …

We rent a small unrenovated shack on the central coast. No glitz, no glamour. One shop, no pub, a cafe. Perfect.

Guilty pleasure?

Taking a smallish boat out on the harbour – it doesn’t need to be flash. Find a friend or friend of a friend who has one, or consider hiring one for a few hours. Drop anchor and swim ashore at somewhere like Greenwich baths or Chowder Bay. Hire a kayak from Rose Bay and paddle over to Shark Island (keep a weather eye out for ferries and seaplanes).

What aspect of summer life would you change and why, and what do you want to always stay the same?

More trees, anywhere we can squeeze them in. Let’s try to future-proof summer by not screwing up the climate any further. Keep the city’s commons - public foreshores, beaches, parks - free and open to all, without the creeping commercialisation. And long may the humble tinny rule hold its own against the floating gin palaces.

A cultural guide to going out and loving your city. Sign up to our Culture Fix newsletter here.