On a Floating World

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Artist @AmySharrocks has been on a water-led journey her whole life: from early days as a swimmer, to tracing the lost rivers of London, to instigating @MuseumOfWater. Now she is questioning her own worldview and looking to the past for a better tomorrow — onafloating.world/the-drift/muse…

Today, Port Stephens is an idyllic holiday spot, but it was once an integral part of Australia’s war effort, providing a training ground where tanks and soldiers stormed the dunes while planes bombed the beaches — onafloating.world/fathoms/the-wa…

"People had to get on top of their hay sheds until the next day ... There were live cows going down the river. One cow ended up on the top of a hotel" An account of the 1955 Hunter Valley floods with 5th generation farmer John Wright — onafloating.world/seafolk/on-pho…

Under Morpeth Bridge is a farm that has been in one family for five generations. Today it belongs to 80-year-old John Wright, who has survived floods, droughts, and the death of the river. Despite tragedy, he still works every day & loves his rural life — onafloating.world/seafolk/on-pho…

Hidden away near the start of the Pacific Motorway is a perfectly preserved former coal-mining village by the sea. The remnants of its past can be found throughout a majestic coastline, almost like a heritage treasure hunt. Visit Catherine Hill Bay — onafloating.world/the-zones/cath…

You can learn a little more about my “day job” as an environmental scientist thanks to @onfloatingworld onafloating.world/seafolk/on-hex… and plenty of profiles on other “seafolk” too

The unique bathing culture of Newcastle rose in the early 20th century with a range of projects built to get people into the water. One of these was a grand experiment designed to bring the ocean into the city — onafloating.world/fathoms/the-lo…

"It’s a moving meditation of sorts, a regular mindfulness activity, a study of light and texture, and importantly, it’s a joy to do." Newcastle photographer Brydie Piaf on documenting the eternal beauty of the ocean — onafloating.world/seafolk/on-mer…

With its ancient sandstone cliffs and pristine azure waters, the Newcastle coastline is a photographer's dream. Brydie Piaf is not only capturing the natural beauty of this place, but the stories of the people whose lives are intimately connected to it — onafloating.world/seafolk/on-mer…

With Woodcock Smokery, Sally Barnes has built a sustainable, ethical business over 40 years. Now, from her keep on the Irish coast, she is passing down her skillset, keeping culture, tradition, and self-suficiency alive — onafloating.world/the-drift/wood…

For Sally Barnes, the founder and for many years the sole operator of Woodcock Smokery, curing is not simply about supplying good quality food, it is also about family and community. Read her inspiring story — onafloating.world/the-drift/wood…

What began in the late ’70s as a way to generate income & keep away the doldrums of the Irish winter has evolved into Woodcock Smokery, a celebrated, in-demand operation that has stuck to the ethical principles and ancient techniques it was founded upon — onafloating.world/the-drift/wood…

From fisherman’s wife to world-renowned artisan. Out of adversity and against all the odds, Sally Barnes has built an enduring business founded on the principles of family, wild fishing, local culture, and sustainability — onafloating.world/the-drift/wood…

“This was buggy I built with mates. Originally a 1935 V8 Ford Roadster with dual back wheels and shortened chassis. What a sin to chop up such a beautiful car I think now!” Read some tales from Newcastle's homebrew beach buggy scene of the '60s & '70s — onafloating.world/fathoms/hunter…

“Pulling down dad's EJ to build a beach buggy.” Unlike the parade of brand-name 4X4s you see out on the dunes today, the '60s and '70s were dominated by hobbyist buggies made from scrap in suburban backyards — onafloating.world/fathoms/hunter…

It’s a movement that seems to have risen and disappeared almost as quickly as the drift sand that flows across the dunes: Newcastle’s own homemade beach buggy scene. Take a look back at our lost history of coastal custom culture — onafloating.world/fathoms/hunter…

“As of five years now I’ve been sober. I had about ten years of what you’d call a rough patch. I found that my relationship with the ocean during that period wasn’t what it is now" Read spearfisher Tom Dyer's journey of self-discovery through the sea — onafloating.world/seafolk/on-nob…

Coming from a family of surfers & sailors, Tom Dyer was destined to enter the ocean. The personal relationship he has made through spearfishing has helped him maintain sobriety, connect with his Aboriginal heritage, and become the person he wants to be — onafloating.world/seafolk/on-nob…

Fishermen's shack at Dudley Beach, 1959. Photo by Alex Hunter.

Walka Water Works has had many lives, firstly as a pioneering pumphouse, then as a power station, and now as an open-air museum. Open seven days a week, this is an important part of local history that you can reach out and touch — onafloating.world/the-zones/walk…