Summer in Sydney means ... North Bondi, prawns, clichés and lots of them

What does a Sydney summer mean to you?

It’s all a terrible cliched but: long, hot days on various beaches, fanging down arterial roads with the sunroof open, hiring a boat with a dozen friends and swimming in the harbour, a plate of oysters and a glass of wine at North Bondi Fish, clinking beers on the grassy knoll as the bongo players settle in. Those endless, sticky, humid nights with no threat of work in the morning. Told you: terrible cliché.

Earliest/first memory of summer in Sydney?

Collecting cicada shells on bushwalks around the north shore. I would pick them off the dry, scrappy bark, chuck them into a plastic bag and store them in the garage. There was no bigger purpose: the point was simply to amass numbers. The bigger the shell, the better. I suppose I was an odd child.

First place you take visitors?

North Bondi (never south). While some Sydneysiders recoil at the thought of our city’s most famous beach, I lean into it. It is its own world; a sliver of Byron Bay nestled in a corner of our city, packed with stunningly beautiful people, calm turquoise waters and a permanent holiday vibe. NoBo has it all - locals, gays, influencers, tourists, bohemians and surfers. It’s utterly Sydney.

Favourite cafe?

If it’s summer, it has to be the Boathouse – any of them. I know, I really can’t ween myself off the clichés. But when it’s 30 degrees you want to be by the water eating fish and chips, swilling an Aperol Spritz and lapping up the ocean decor.

Secret spot you escape to?

Maitland Bay Beach. It’s just past Killcare in the Bouddi National Park, north of Sydney. You need to walk through the bush for a bit, which means it’s usually quiet even when everywhere else is packed. There are no beachside kiosks here, or boats selling ice cream, so bring your lunch.

The best summer food is …

Prawns dipped in mango sauce. And is beer a food?

I know it’s summer when I smell …

Bushfires, unfortunately.

My favourite summer song is…

Whatever is leading my nominations for the Hottest 100. Then there are the evergreens: Soak Up the Sun (Sheryl Crow), In the Summertime (Thirsty Merc), One Summer (Daryl Braithwaite), Breathless (The Corrs), anything by San Cisco and Bernard Fanning’s entire Tea & Sympathy album.

The worst thing about summer is …

It ends.

My closest bolthole is …

Seven Shillings Beach, the adjoining sister beach to Redleaf pool in Double Bay. There is something of a rough, unspoken agreement governing the entire stretch of sand: the families have the Redleaf end, the gays have the Seven Shillings end. As a bonus, you can sit and stare at the mansions of Point Piper and wonder where your life went wrong.

Guilty pleasure?

Swimming in the ocean or chlorinated pools necessitates long, hot showers afterwards, and I refuse to feel guilty about that.

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

The middle of summer is haunted by the uneasy debate about Australia Day. That date can never be a unifying day for all Australians, and so it should change. The good thing about it is how it forms a natural endpoint to the carefree part of summer; no serious work shall be done before January 26. We should preserve that at all costs.

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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