My home in Yamba

I  think I am in this business of photographing homes and places because to me, the spaces I inhabit and spend time in hold such value in my life.

For the last decade we have been so privileged that we had a place to call home in Yamba - a coastal town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. 

The love affair began with my parents first visiting together in the 80s, and then through the 90s and naughties, we would all go - my parents, my two brothers and I. Often accompanied by my best friend's family.

Back then, the drive would take four hours and we would always stop at Humble Pie, Billinudgel, which was roughly halfway. I always loved the part that came after, when the highway would climb up into the Byron Bay hinterland. Even as a teenager I knew this area was special and it was the part of the route I most looked forward to. 

We would often stay for a week or two at a time. Mornings on Main Beach. Prawns and salad for lunch at the unit. Then a nap and a swim at Convent Beach, followed by starfish-gazing in the rockpools for the afternoon. There would always be an annual dinner with our cousins at the Pacific Hotel.

When my parents celebrated the end of school fees with a purchase of a unit in Yamba, it was an exciting time and we would go down as often as we could.

As adults, we have made different routines there. Mornings on the southern stretch of Pippi Beach with the dogs. Maybe a swim at the northern end of Pippi. Still prawns for lunch and still Convent in the afternoon. Late afternoons would be for sunset walks on the rock wall or a boozy picnic at the Marina.

We have made friends too. Often stopping into the village to chat with Meredith and Scott at Kitchen to Table, beg to pay for books from our dear friends Jen and Nero at The Nook, and praise Zach and Claire after the divine meals served to us at Karrikin. 

We got engaged there, on Pacific Parade, where the road dips and there is a vista across Lover's Point. We scattered Arthur's ashes there on Flat Rock, Pippi Beach.

This chapter of our lives has closed for now with the sale now finalised, and I find myself incredibly grateful to had had the opportunity to foster an intimate relationship with such a beautiful region. A piece of my soul will forever be tied to it.

Home has such a special meaning for many of us and for many of us places we call home evolve over time. If this story resonated with you, I would so adore to hear a story from you about a home you have loved and lost.

I hope to be in touch again once more before the year is out… let's wait and see if I can keep that as a promise.