I took myself straight to Maroubra this morning. I was about 17th in line at the Grumpy Baker. It was worth it to cradle the warm sourdough I bought on the stroll over to the Mahon Pools.
I found a spot on the rocks below the path to nestle into − away from the likelihood of meeting someone who grew up one parish over from me or who worked with my mam.
The humidity has really dropped in Sydney now, making for much more pleasant days of warm sun flooding over my skin, gentle breezes by the sea and cool nights tucked under duvets.
Today, like many a day before, I have brought myself to the sea cure, like a Victorian, in an effort to cure melancholia.
READ MORE
Being by the sea is always grounding, but here I overlook the rolling, threatening waves in search of the complete-at-peace feeling that the Atlantic Ocean engulfs me in. It never quite meets the mark.
Everyone talks about the “Aussie lifestyle” (everyone except the Aussies). Now that is something that meets the mark. Early mornings of getting outdoors, moving your body and of course, coffee culture. Days on the beach, hikes, BBQs and early evening drinks in the sun. It’s everything that we Irish love, only we get about three suitable days a year to do any of the above.
The ability to wake up on any given morning and (usually) not have to factor weather into my day’s plan is a newfound luxury. One I am lapping up.
I have a resilience built up from days spent in Ireland on the beach, grin and bearing through showers and gusts of wind that hurled fistfuls of sand into my mouth. The walks where I was told to “wrap up well” and sent marching on. The days I would put on a wetsuit and jump in the sea under grey skies in the lashing rain because “you’re going to get wet anyway”. The scurry into a cosy pub for “a soup and sangwich” as refuge. Admiring the stars wrapped up in hoodies and blankets, seeing my breath as I exhaled.
Walking through Coogee makes me all the more grateful for what our coastlines are not. We don’t have a McDonald’s on the promenade. Our beaches have a raw, untouched beauty, framed with dramatic cliffs and overlooking beautiful mountainous regions.
I hope that when many of the young Irish here return home, they bring with them a love and appreciation for Ireland’s coastlines that is as rich and deep as their love for Coogee.
I’m aware that I did not have to endure the never-ending spell of rain in Ireland this winter. But I will also not get to experience sitting by an open fire, with blue lips, chattering teeth, the smell of salt water and my hands around a bowl of chowder this year. I look forward to the next time that I do.
Kate Lyons (26) is from Charleville, Cork and moved to Sydney in September, where she works as a care co-ordinator.
- Are you Irish and living in another country? Would you like to share your experience in writing or by interview? You can use the form below, or email abroad@irishtimes.com. Irish Times Abroad submission guidelines here.
- Follow us on Instagram to keep up with the latest
- Sign up to The Irish Times Abroad newsletter for Irish-connected people around the world.
