I have dreamt of a boathouse escape for many years and all of my dreams have come true in a recent visit to a space that captures it all, The Salty Dog. This miniature house provides all of the nuances of boat building within its own minute space. Situated amongst the quintessential Sydney landscape of emerald green water and unique sandstone structures - surrounded by angophora gums.
With the extension of the dinghy & direct entrance to the water, this house evolves into an explorative landscape that extends beyond its petite footprint. If I were to create the ideal boathouse... This would be it.
An Interview with Judi:
Tell us your names and describe where you live
Judi, husband James and son William. The area where we live is the sort of place people come to for a holiday by the sea. We often look around us and say with wonder “we actually live here!” The feeling that we’re lucky to be here never fades. The atmosphere around Pittwater and particularly Newport is casual and relaxed, no one is in too much of a hurry and it’s always more important to check out the beach than make it to an appointment
What brought you to this part of the world?
My husband James is from this part of the world and as soon as I visited here (from Perth 30 years ago) I was so happy to move here - life on the Northern Beaches is nothing short of idyllic. There’s a saying about this place - you may leave to live somewhere else in the world for a while, but everybody who’s from here comes back.
What can you tell us about the history of the property?
Our love for houseboats started 25 years ago. We acquired an old boathouse style boat and renovated it. Our life consisted of weekends on Pittwater with our three boys...
days spent teaching them to row, paddle, fish, and swim.
Evenings playing board games and cards until the sun disappeared and the lights went out... what a playground.
Eventually they grew up, we got busy, life went on and our little houseboat was passed on to someone else. But we always had the idea that one day we’d build one from scratch ‘just the way we wanted it’.
With five generations of boat builders in our family the only stumbling block was finding the time. Then lockdowns created an opportunity to build our dream.
What do you love most about life on the water?
There’s this strange thing that happens with time when you’re on the water. If you spend an afternoon on a boat, you feel like it was a day or two. If you spend a weekend, it feels like a week...and so on. Maybe it’s the fact that you slow down once you’re out there, or maybe it’s that you live each moment more fully...whatever the case, time spent on the water is cherished and creates memories that last.
How do you source wares, produce, locally - made items, etc. for the property?
For wares it’s research: - Instagram, magazines, Pinterest and following my Style Queens – Sarah Andrews, Lynda Gardener and of course Sibella Court and @societyinc. For produce I go to the local people I know and who have a passion for what they provide – I’m a great believer that the feeling someone has about their goods will accompany them into our home.
If you had to run out the door of The Salty Dog and may not be able to return, what object would you take with you and why?
As much as I’d love to take my green velvet lounge, and all my knick knacks (but you did only say ‘what object’ so I am assuming only one)... it would have to be the dining table. It belonged to a very dear friend and mentor of my husband, Mr Don Burrows and was his fishing table. If only this table could talk... the stories and the fish caught and filleted and eaten all at this table... I couldn’t leave it behind.
Tell us more about your musical background, has it inspired this segment of your lives?
My husband and two of our sons are musicians and spend much of their time touring around the world performing. As wonderful as this is, it meant they were never going to get the time to build our dream boat. And it was important that we build it as a family, not just commission someone else to build it for us – there’s something special about working with wood and creating things with your own hands. Fortunately (apart from playing instruments) they have the skills to take on a project like this.
When the pandemic shut down all travelling, they suddenly had the opportunity to put a year into creating the Salty Dog...it was a blessing in disguise.
What was the process of building The Salty Dog? How did you get into houseboats?
Houseboats are always practical, with lots of accommodation for their length compared with any other sort of boat – but mostly that practicality is at the expense of aesthetics...it has been said they often look like a fridge that fell over! On the other hand, a traditional boathouse is almost always a charming, aesthetically pleasing ‘little wooden house’ that invites you to see what’s inside. For some reason, there are very few houseboats made in the style of a boathouse.
Our family built it from scratch, starting with floats and a heavy wooden frame, then building a traditional wooden ‘boathouse’ on top. We spent a year working on it, the process was sometimes exhausting, everything took twice as long as we thought it would... but I knew it would be worth it once it was finished, because I had a picture in my mind of how it would feel to be onboard... and I just love it
Even though it was a new build, we used many recycled things - old wooden joists from a local house being dismantled, an old fisherman’s table left to us by a dear departed friend, even bentwood chairs from a closed jazz club...
What’s your favourite time of year in your area and why?
Every time of year has its attractions, but if I had to pick one, I’d say winter is glorious on Pittwater. Crisp, clear days with the sun shining but never hot. There’s something about the air in winter that is so clear, it makes the water look almost like crystal. And in the evening, you can light a fire and sit with a hot cup of tea in your cosy boathouse, knowing that tomorrow if you sit in the sun, out of the wind on the back deck, it will warm your heart.
How can people find you? Please share your handles, and your preference for how people should contact you.
Instagram @the_salty_dog_airbnb Link in our bio to Airbnb – easiest way to find our website @thesaltydog.au Thanks so much for your time and thoughts!
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