The Guest List: Places We Swim with Caroline Clements
Dalhousie Springs, WA. Photo by @placesweswim
Well, the entire country of Australia is quite literally on fire, so our chat with Caroline this week has us dreaming of cool water and less apocalyptic conditions. CC and her partner Dillon Seitchik-Reardon traveled the country for 9 months, and the result was a book (perfect for Christmas presents), a print shop and one of our favourite instagram accounts! Listen in for a hot spring oasis down a corrugated road, nature’s version of wet and wild and the Sydney beach known locally as ‘the slab’ (we’re such an eloquent people). Go get wet!
You guys shared your secrets with us too. Check out our swimming highlight on instagram for all your best tips.
Caroline’s Top Seven!
Dalhousie Springs, SA - after two days drive through the South Australian desert, this 38 degree hot spring is a literal heaven sent oasis.
Greens Pools / Elephant rocks, WA - hang out with the locals as they do their laps in the crystal clear water in CC’s favourite corner of the country.
Maguk Gorge, NT - the secret tip here is to clamber up the cliff to find the small rock pools you can float in.
Josephine Falls, QLD - CC describes this as ‘Nature’s wet and wild’ park.
Clovelly, NSW - The slab! SoMo finds Clovelly impossible to navigate, SoRo once flashed a group of teenage boys here, CC reckons it’s got everything you need in a beach. (The people watching is second to none).
Bushrangers Bay, VIC - a little bit wild, a little bit cold, but the rockpools here are completely magical.
Wineglass Bay, TAS - if the water wasn’t so cold, it’s blue enough to think you were in Thailand.
Hidden Sydney swims:
McCallum Pool - Cremorne Point.
If you live south of the harbour, take the ferry from circular quay to the Cremorne Point Wharf and walk the path along the coast to this harbour pool on the water’s edge. This leafy 33 metre pool has some of the best views in the city.McIvers Ladies Baths (one of SoRo’s faves) - next to Wylie’s in Coogee.
A ladies-only bath hidden among a thousand other swims on the south end of Coogee. This is a safe haven for women of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds.Lady Bay Beach - just past Camp Cove and Watsons Bay as you head to the Hornby Lighthouse. This is a nude beach quietly sitting in a very popular stretch of Sydney.
Kutti Beach
The best part about this spot is the entry via a narrow staircase. This is also what makes it hidden. It’s in Vaucluse, between Parsley Bay and Gibson’s Beach, and is dog friendly.Little Bay
Areal local’s spot tucked into the coastline between Malabar and the La Perouse headland. On a sunny day, this protected spot is perfect for swimming and snorkelling.
International:
Cabo do Gata Natural Park - southern Spain
This region fast became our favourite place to swim in Spain after a recent trip there. The driest part of Europe happens to have the most incredible Mediterranean coastline of calm, protected bays, white rocky cliffs and water so blue. Here you can swim from one side of the beach to the other in the shallows, dive into rockpools and explore the desert landscape among some of Europe's oldest geological features.
The Algarve - southern Portugal
The south of Portugal is so much friendlier to swim than the wild west coast. Praia do Marinha in The Algarve is the the Bondi Beach of Portugal, and the second busiest beach we’ve ever visited. A long, shallow bay set against golden sandy cliffs with calm, blue Atlantic Ocean gently lapping at the ankles of thousands of bronzed tourists. Like the eastern beaches of Sydney, this whole southern coastline is pretty speccy - apostles in the background and a cave through to the next beach.
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This episode is supported by Australia’s original natural wine retailer, drnks.com. They have the kind of rules we can get behind - order six bottles, get 10% off! Spend more than $100 and shipping is free! As always, enter HIGHLYENTHUSED at check-out for 10% off your order.
Go float on your back in the ocean and look at the sky this weekend.
S&S