InFocus

Opinions, commentary, reviews and reflections shaped by curiosity and experience.

Childhood cross-stitch reading “Home is where the heart is” on mustard-coloured fabric.Jocelyn Watts
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What Makes a Home a Home?

Home Is Where the Heart Is, But Where Is Home? WHILE sorting through some of my mother's belongings recently, I found a small piece of my childhood. It was a wall hanging I’d made when I was about 10: a piece of mustard-yellow cloth, a white…
Exterior of The Place Urangan after redevelopment into a mixed-use precinct in Hervey Bay.Win Projects
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What It Took to Save The Place Urangan

How a Casual Lunch Deal Turned Into a Complex Building Rescue “We accidentally bought the building.” That’s how developer and builder Glen Winney at Win Projects describes the beginning of what became one of Hervey Bay’s most ambitious…
Glen Winney and Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour at the reopening of The Place Urangan in Hervey Bay.Jocelyn Watts
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The Place Urangan Revamped for Coastal Living

How The Place Urangan Went from Nightclub Icon to Coastal Living Hub THERE  are few buildings in Hervey Bay that can stir memories quite like The Place in Urangan. Mention the address — 8 Pier Street — to a long-time local and chances…
Hervey Bay Esplanade sunrise at Torquay jetty on the Fraser Coast Queensland
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Where Growth Meets Nature: Hervey Bay Resort Approval

Hervey Bay Resort Approval Tests Growth vs Nature FOR YEARS, coastal communities across Australia have walked a fine line between promise and pressure. Growth brings jobs, investment, and the kind of amenity that keeps towns alive. It also…
Coastal apartment living Australia with ocean view from modern living room.
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Coastal Apartment Living: Why More Australians Are Moving

Less Maintenance, More Ocean: The Rise of Coastal Apartment Living There’s a shift happening along Australia’s coastline... and it’s not just the tide coming in! From Hervey Bay to Hobart, more Australians are rethinking what “home”…
Clochemerle
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Clochemerle Explained: Pissoirs & Satire

Clochemerle: What’s with the pissoir in the town square? WHEN I was a boy, I think my mother had a problem with toilets. Not the functions but the architecture. Mum was quite “distressed” by the outhouse, which was situated some 10…
Oaks Hervey Bay Staycation - swimming poolJocelyn Watts
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Oaks Hervey Bay Staycation: A Holiday Just Minutes Away

Why I Chose an Oaks Hervey Bay Staycation — and Properly Switched Off THERE'S something a little rebellious about checking into a resort when home is just 15 minutes away. No airport queues. No packing the car like you’re fleeing civilisation.…
Oaks Port Douglas - night pool sceneJocelyn Watts
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Oaks Port Douglas: A Stay in the Tropics

What It’s Really Like to Stay at Oaks Port Douglas Resort OCTOBER in Far North Queensland has a certain magic about it. The humidity eases just enough, the skies behave themselves (mostly), and the crowds thin as the annual tourist season…
Lifestyle balance - woman working on a laptop
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Life Balance: The Key to Beating Burnout

Why Life Balance Matters More Than Ever in 2025 THE YEAR was 2008, and as a senior journalist for the Fraser Coast Chronicle, I thrived on uncovering truths and giving voice to the voiceless. It was a life full of stories, deadlines, and the…
coercive control laws - woman crying
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Coercive Control Laws: Bold Yet Complex

Unpacking the Challenges of Coercive Control Laws Since 26 May 2025, coercive control has been a criminal offence in Queensland, carrying a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment. Parliament passed the legislation in March 2024 as a significant…
Italy Meets Mexico Fusion - entréeJocelyn Watts
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Italy Meets Mexico Fusion at Barrel n Vine

Love Italian? Adore Mexican? Barrel n Vine Nails the Fusion! I WASN'T sure what to expect for my first Fusion event at Barrel n Vine in Hervey Bay, but I quickly learned to expect the unexpected! After thoroughly enjoying their Taste of…
A taste of Italy - a glass of red wine and people wine tastingJocelyn Watts
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Taste of Italy: Uncorking Flavours at Barrel n Vine

Sip, Savour, and Socialise at Barrel n Vine’s Events RACHAEL NOCERA and her husband, Joe, were searching for balance with their newest restaurant, and that’s precisely what they discovered in Hervey Bay. Barrel n Vine on the esplanade at…
McGuigan Gold Label wine rangeJocelyn Watts
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McGuigan Gold Label Wines

Want to elevate your dinner party? Try McGuigan Gold Label WHEN McGuigan Wines invited me to try their new Gold Label range, I was eager to see what they had crafted for an at-home premium experience. With over a century of winemaking expertise,…
Barrel n Vine - restaurant interiorJocelyn Watts
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Barrel n Vine: Italian Flavours by the Coast

A Taste of Italy and the Sea: Barrel n Vine Unveiled EXPERIENCE the flavours of Italy without leaving Hervey Bay at Barrel n Vine, the city's newest hotspot for dining delights. On Charlton Esplanade in Torquay, this new restaurant and wine…
Gift-Giving at Christmas - decorations
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Learn the Art of Gift-Giving

Exploring the art of gift-giving at Christmas WITH the arrival of Spring, it's hard to ignore that familiar, heartwarming thought – Christmas is just a few months away! Yes, that magical time of the year when twinkling lights adorn homes…
Alice in Croquetland - Illustration of Alice looking at a flamingo
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Alice in Croquetland: Adapting to the Queen’s Unusual Games

What can Alice's curious croquet match teach us? Most of us have been in situations where we have had to adapt to new and challenging circumstances. We can say the same for Alice in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, an 1865 English novel…
CSIRO Diet - prawn and mango saladJocelyn Watts
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CSIRO Diet: What I Learned After 12 Weeks

My top tips for losing weight with the CSIRO Diet In this review, I’m sharing what really happened during my 12-week round of the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet — the wins, the challenges, the mindset shifts, and the practical tips that made…
suicide in the news
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Mental Health Awareness: Suicide in the news

October is Mental Health Awareness Month, bringing a renewed focus on suicide in the news. It’s an important time to talk about suicide prevention and the impact on families, friends and communities. Here, I share words from ABC political…
McGuigan Wines - Five bottles of wine and cheese platterJocelyn Watts
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McGuigan’s Finest: 5 Wines Reviewed

The McGuigan Hunter Valley Wines label is one that has been around for over 100 years, and the family has consistently put out some great wines. McGuigan has been crowned International Winemaker of the Year at four consecutive competitions.…
K'gari Native Title - Butchulla people on the beach.Jocelyn Watts
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K’gari Native Title: Covering Determination on Country

In October 2014, I stood among hundreds of Butchulla people on K'gari as a temporary Federal Court sat on Country to formally recognise native title over the island then known as Fraser Island. Covering the determination as both a journalist…
Noisy MinersJocelyn Watts

Noisy Miners lured with nectar

Backyard birds: Noisy Miners ONE OF the joys of living on the Fraser Coast is being able to work in and around the garden for most of the year and study and enjoy the multitude of wildlife and birds on offer, such as the Noisy Miners. The…