You could say Caroline Clements and Dillon Seitchik-Reardon have been living the dream for the past seven years.

The creative couple quit their jobs in 2017 to take a road trip around the country, using their skills to document all the picturesque places to swim in Australia. That culminated in their much-loved book Places We Swim, which was so successful that they’ve gone on to release two more books, including new release Places We Swim California.

Clements and Seitchik-Reardon join us on our podcast Broadsheet Sydney: Around Town this week to chat about how they met, making travel a lifestyle and some of their favourite adventures. Plus, tips on travelling with kids, the television show they’re currently obsessed with, and more.

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On the memorable swimming spots from their first road trip

Clements: It’s Greens Pool in WA, sort of down on that south-west coast near a town called Denmark … It’s a very protected bay and the town doesn’t actually have its own public pool so it’s where kids learn how to swim and it’s very much a community spot.

Seitchik-Reardon: My favourite place would be Dalhousie Springs. It’s in the top corner of South Australia. So much of that is the journey, you literally drive for days across the desert on dirt tracks. And then you show up at this huge, natural hot spring in the middle of the Outback … it’s a literal oasis.

On their favourite place to swim in California

Clements: We actually found our favourite places were up in the mountains in Sierra Nevada and Northern California. Northern California is so mountainous and beautiful. Getting into hot springs and up into these beautiful clear rivers that are icy cold even in the middle of summer … there was something quite cleansing and purifying about that.

On road tripping with children

Seitchik-Reardon: We just take it in small pieces and encourage [our son] to go a bit further, or made it easier for him by carrying him in a backpack before he got too heavy.

Clements: I think it’s just introducing them to it, you know, making it fun and a bit of an adventure for them.

On why it’s culturally important to find these places to swim

Clements: Australians are so connected to the water because we all live close to the coast. What we found when we did our big trip around Australia, is that even if you don’t live near the coast, there is quite an innate feeling of connection to water. Inland, there are hot springs, lakes and rivers. And Australians actually learn to swim very young, so it just feels like part of our culture, really.

On top of that, people just enjoy the idea of finding something, discovering something, feeling like they’ve arrived at a place and that they’ve made their way there and learned something.

On the purpose of their books

Seitchik-Reardon: A big part of all of our books is about swimming, but [also] culture. It’s about what locals experience and celebrate, not really about finding a secret spot. It’s about how this place tells us about the area and the community and why it is important.

On tips for camping and travelling off the beaten track

Seitchik-Reardon: I think it’s really nice not to have too much planned so that you can fly by the seat of your pants a little bit. To some degree, that’s how we travel now, and it just makes for a lot less stress.

On where they’re heading for their next book

Seitchik-Reardon: This is really off brand but we’ve been really fantasising about a ski season. So maybe somewhere in the US or in Europe for a few months to ski.