Going Swimmingly
Interview with ‘Places We Swim’ authors, Caroline Clements and Dillon Seitchik-Reardon.
Originally published in Lodestars Anthology’s Australia (Revisited) issue, 2021
Dillon and Caroline. Photo: Supplied.
There’s something about stumbling upon the perfect swimming spot. You may have been searching for it, or you may have come upon it by chance - but you’ll know the minute you’ve found it. Your eyes widen, your pulse quickens and every fibre of your being is urging you to dive in, no matter what you’re wearing.
It’s this precise feeling that writer Caroline Clements and her partner, photographer and videographer Dillon Seitchik-Reardon, were chasing when they circumnavigated Australia in a beat-up 1988 model Land Cruiser (better known as the Troopy) in 2017. Armed with no real outback driving experience, no air conditioning, no fridge and a barely-functioning odometer, they set out to conduct almost 12 months of entirely first-hand research that would eventually become their debut book, Places We Swim.
“Swimming is something that, in Australia at least, almost anywhere you go, ends up being part of your day or part of your destination,” says Dillon about the mutual passion that first sparked their idea. For someone growing up in the landlocked desert state of New Mexico in the US, the pull of the water was perhaps even stronger for him - something that was always exotic and far away, yet somehow so universal at the same time. “Swimming is something that diverse groups of people connect with. It’s easy to talk about and it always gets people excited.”
And get people excited, it did.
Soon after embarking on their journey, their initial list of beaches, creeks, lakes, rivers and desert swimming holes ballooned into a collection of hundreds - most of them were scribbled on the backs of napkins by friendly locals and other travellers they met along the way.
Hammersley Gorge. Photo by Dillon Seitchik-Reardon.
Among their anthology is Yarrangobilly Thermal Pool, the ‘storybook landscape’ and tidal rock pools of Bushrangers Bay, and Dalhousie Springs, ‘one of the most remote places that any of us will ever swim.’ My heart skipped a beat looking at their photos of Bell Gorge, Arthur Bay and the staggering Tangalooma Wrecks, a snorkelling paradise.
If swimming has always been the great Aussie pastime, slightly less popular until recently has been the thought of bundling everything you own into a car and take to the road. But Caroline and Dillon were brilliantly ahead of the curve on this one too.
Even five years ago while on their trip, the ‘Big Lap’ was still largely the domain of the grey nomads. But today, there’s been surge of people in their 40s, 30s and even 20s shuffling it to the top of their bucket list. “Now it’s very appealing for people to hit the road,” explains Caroline. “The idea of learning more about our country is becoming more of a priority for people.”
Something else they’ve noticed becoming more of a priority is understanding and appreciating the land’s Traditional Owners - in part due to books like Marcia Langton’s seminal guide Welcome to Country. “The amount of interest and development in Indigenous travel that has spun out recently has just been incredible,” says Dillon. “For our second book, Places We Swim Sydney, we had an Indigenous consultant.”
The pair currently have in their sights set on releasing an updated edition of Places We Swim, for which they’ll focus heavily on the Aboriginal significance and history of their favourite swim spots.
As for the fate of their old Troopy?
“It eventually did cark it,” laughs Caroline. “Which was fine. It lasted a lot longer than any mechanic told us it would!”