A lot of people who book tours with us are from interstate and overseas. They love to camp and caravan by the river. All of them say they want to learn more about the natural environment; the flora and fauna. They’re really interested in things like bush medicine and bush tucker. They want to understand what it’s like to be Aboriginal and I love to share that knowledge.

I’m teaching them about the oldest living culture in the world. That’s important and I’m proud to do my part to cement our place in history and the present.

The main thing I want people to take away from a tour with Kaarak Dreaming is a connection to country – something they will feel any time they return. It’s about walking from two worlds – white and Nyoongar – into one where we all have the same connection. Dwellingup is a place you can do that.

Kaarak means red tailed black cockatoo and those birds always make their presence felt on my tours. Their call is something you’ll always hear when out in country.

As well as running tours, I am also an artist and there is endless inspiration around here. As well as teaching people about traditional Nyoongar art, I am also commissioned to create public art which I love because I get to identify a Nyoongar perspective of the area – what it means to my people.

I recruited a really strong team and over our three-year journey to date, the response has been fantastic. Our philosophy is centred around creating fresh and equally wholesome food. We believe that life should be about balance, not one fad diet, style of food or ‘on trend’ product should ever entirely consume you. It seems to really resonate with all our customers whether they’re regulars or just in town for the day.

One of the things I’m most proud of is that we’ve been able to realise the vision of activating the space around Mataya with a weekend market. It’s fantastic to see the authentic connections between producers, consumers and the community. This is an eco-friendly and sustainable project we at Mataya Eatery believe deeply in.

We are a family and pet friendly eatery so we see a lot of day-trippers who are out and about to check out all the fabulous things Mandurah has to offer.

I’m so glad I made the move here. Not only can I grow my business passion, but I also get to indulge my favourite activities, right on my doorstep; long walks, camp sites that also welcome my dog, and a cheeky cider and great food along the way.

I met and married my lovely wife Hilly and together we moved to New Zealand where we stayed for 26 years, raising four children.

One of our children moved from New Zealand to Perth and he convinced his younger sister to come over to. When she moved to Perth, she loved it so much that she convinced her younger sibling and so on until all four of our children had moved to Perth.

They then started telling us that we should come too. Of course, we didn’t need much convincing as all of our children were now in WA!

Hilly and I aren’t city people so we looked to settle somewhere either north or south of Perth. When we saw Mandurah, we were hooked! That was seven years ago and we still love it.

Mandurah is very inspiring when it comes to my art. I paint outdoors, or as the French would say, ‘en plein air’, with the local Mandurah Plein Air Artists. Each Tuesday. we go out and paint on location. If you see us around Mandurah, stop and say hello. There are so many beautiful spots to paint. Some of my favourites are Cooper’s Mill, Egret Point, Doddi’s Beach and Keith Holmes Reserve.

The foreshore, wetlands and rivers are things every visitor should experience. They offer so many nice spots for recreation or picnics. The foreshore in particular is one of my favourite spots. The view is great and there are always lots of people about enjoying it. It’s so nice to just sit and watch all the hustle and bustle or enjoy the peaceful bay.

Sailing is one of my great hobbies and Mandurah is perfect for that. Recently I’ve really got into taking road trips with the caravan and this is a great base from which to explore.

What’s the point of a pirate ship without a mast to hoist the Jolly Roger? The idea stayed with me and in the end, we came up with a telescopic mast and the Pirate Ship Mandurah was launched on 1 December 2018.

From day one the reaction to the ship has been amazing. People who live on the canals stand outside dressed in pirate hats and waving swords and we have received the most thoughtful and lovely emails and even gifts.

During the summer, around half of our visitors are from overseas and interstate, many of them here to see friends and family. But we also have a lot of local customers too. Mandurah is perfectly located for people from the South West and Perth to catch up. We come across these groups all the time.

Obviously, the Pirate Ship Mandurah is a big attraction for kids but the adults really get into the fun and the dress ups too. We even had a family drive all the way from Geraldton one Australia Day because they wanted to go for a cruise.

All of our visitors are enthralled by the dolphins and Mandurah’s beautiful, clean water in general.

My partner Anita and I are so happy to be raising our family here and often say to each other that if we were on holiday in the Greek Islands and saw canals and landscapes as beautiful as this it would be the highlight of our trip. We really try and remember every day that we are living in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Thinking about Mandurah and that ritual is what keeps me going. I spent 300 days on the road in 2019 and just imagining myself there keeps me grounded and energised to keep working. It’s a powerful place.

Another thing I love about Mandurah is everything seems to grow incredibly well. I love my gardening and have the most spectacular lime tree, passionfruit and a host of other plants.

There have been a lot of positive changes in Mandurah since I first started coming as a kid. I remember I used to ask, “are we there yet?” a lot! Now it’s just a short one-hour drive from Perth.

The foreshore redevelopment, Mandurah Forum shopping centre, new bars and restaurants, Dolphin Quay, accommodation choices, the canal development, world class golf courses and, magnificent cycling and walking tracks are all fantastic additions. Mandurah has really been brought to life. It’s the perfect mix of old and new and you can’t get bored. It’s just beautiful.

For me though, the very best thing about Mandurah is still the water. Whether it’s the beach, the estuary of the canals, there is always something to do. You get the best of everything with so many water choices and it can be extremely restful or exhilarating. You can go swimming, boating, surfing, kite-boarding, jet skiing, kayaking, crabbing, fishing, catch squid and, see amazing marine life like dolphins and pelicans; it’s a piece of paradise.

There are some fantastic tours available to help visitors enjoy it all too now such as Mandurah Cruises’ Wild Seafood Experience. It really highlights what’s on offer in Mandurah. You get to catch crayfish and a chef prepares them on the boat while you cruise around before settling back to enjoy them for lunch.

Catching crabs with a scoop net is one of my favourite pastimes and it’s my earliest memory of the Mandurah foreshore. There’s nothing more fun! Just seeing that colour of the blue manna crabs in the water is amazing and you start salivating knowing how good they’re going to taste later. Don’t worry about playing in a Boxing Day Test, this is just as exciting!

When I was asked last year to be an ambassador for Mandurah, it was a complete no-brainer. I didn’t have to think about it for even a second. It’s feels like I’ve been saying positive things about Mandurah forever and it’s so easy to sell. I wish everyone could have the opportunity to experience it – Mandurah is pure gold.

While that experience was fantastic and I learnt a lot, I think for most people there’s a time to come home and 13 years ago I came back to Mandurah. and bought a house.

The professional dream was always to own my own restaurant and four years ago I achieved that with the opening of Flics Kitchen on Mandurah Terrace. It’s been successful from the beginning and I’m extremely grateful for the overwhelming and continuous support from the local community from day one.

I think people were ready and looking for something different in the local food scene. Our farm-to-plate philosophy allows us to support and celebrate small local producers and farmers. If you enjoy food that is unique and different, you’ll love our modern menu which is continually evolving and changing.

We boast a diverse range of events throughout the year. Our most popular are Dinner in the Dark, Vegan and Truffle Degustations and our Native Dinner Series which showcases West Australian Indigenous produce hosted by a local cultural ambassador. New Year’s Eve we transform the restaurant into your childhood fantasy with themed events like Alice in Wonderland and Willy Wonka.

I’ve seen a lot of changes in Mandurah since first arriving here at age 10. The foreshore development is a stand out but the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre and Mandjar Bay Boardwalk, and Mandurah Forum are fantastic additions too.

I think my favourite change though, in more recent times, is the number of events and festivals that have popped up, particularly around the foreshore and the end of the terrace. They’re really exciting and fun and showcase all of the great hospitality offerings available in town.

I don’t get a lot of time out of the kitchen but when I do have some down time, I don’t think you can beat a walk with the dog on one of Mandurah’s beautiful beaches, a few vinos at Bar Therapy or a meal with friends at Silk Thai.