Summer in Sydney means ... Traffic jams, hot chips at the beach, e-biking and too much sun

What does a Sydney summer mean to you?

Each has its own flavour. Last year’s was crepes at the petrol station car park in Bundeena and picnics in the Royal National Park. The summer before was Little L burgers while cat-sitting for friends in North Bondi. In 2017 it was taking an iced long black to Dawn Fraser Baths followed by a pub session in Glebe. In 2015 it was snacks in the car, blasting Adele’s new album up the Pacific Motorway to Bouddi National Park.

But there are the constants: the lightheadedness that means it’s time to find some shade; the sand that remains scattered through an overheated car for weeks, and the suffocated gasp for breath when you first open the door at the end of a 30-degree day; being stuck for an hour-and-a-half in gridlocked traffic on Cleveland Street or the Anzac Bridge, wondering if that beach trip was worth it; frequent anticipation; occasional disappointment.

Earliest memory of summer in Sydney?

The summer school holidays always involved sprawling picnics with family friends under giant trees on the grassy side of Balmoral Beach. The adults stayed seated under shade in picnic chairs for hours, while us kids ran in and out of the water.

When the sky turned pink, whichever parent drew the short straw had to leave their coveted parking spot to go to Military Road and order several family-sized trays of chicken and chips from Chargrill Charlie’s. There was an inevitable swarm when they arrived back – all these little hands darting into the paper bag to grab fistfuls of those delicious stringy hot chips.

When the weather gets hot I …

Head outdoors and stubbornly endure it for as long as I can.

First place you take visitors?

Depending on their inclination: the ferry to Manly and lunch at the Boathouse at Shelly Beach. A swim at Jellybean Pools on the way to the Blue Mountains. Or, on a cloudier day, a bike ride through Bicentennial Park stopping at the Armory Wharf Cafe in Newington.

Favourite café?

One of Sydney’s best coffees, an Uber driver and I once agreed, is from the Campos café in Camperdown. And a hat tip to the unassuming but colourful Rustic Pearl in Surry Hills, which still serves a quality double-shot coffee for $4.

Secret spot you escape to?

My most frequented for years was the private staff rooftop car park at Westfield Burwood. For 30 minutes in an eight-hour shift during five weeks of chaotic Christmas trade, that cement slab was a sun-drenched sanctuary.

The best summer food is …

Prawns. And the Christmas ham.

I know it’s summer when I smell …

Pine Christmas trees.

My favourite summer song is …

Missy Higgins’ cover of Perry Keyes’ NYE. The harbour is humming, punks are drinking long necks in the park, girls are swimming in the fountain... It’s joyous.

The worst thing about summer is …

FOMO when working indoors on a sunny day.

Guilty pleasure?

Sunbaking. I know.

What aspect of summer life would you change?

My heart is set on the prospect of a swimmable Parramatta River and a world where all of my friends ride e-bikes with me. At the risk of sounding like an evangelist, I believe there’s no better end to a day out than absorbing the celebratory summer energy from dozens of people drinking and dining on the streets as you fly past them – particularly as the sun sets.

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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