Summer Stories: 'It's an Australian summer in a nutshell'
Summer stories is 9Honey's latest series where Nine reporters reflect on their favourite holiday memories over the years.
Every summer, Nine presenter Jane de Graaff visits the same spot on the NSW coast — and she wouldn't change a single thing.
"We go to our best friends in Coffs Harbour and stay with them at their house," she tells 9Honey.
"Between the two families there are six kids and four adults, and the kids all get on like best friends."
Jane, her husband Ash and their two boys, Kase, eight, and Rushton, six, unite annually with their friends Krystal and Michael and their four children.
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Every summer, the nine presenter visits Coffs Harbour with her family for the past 15 years. Supplied
"They're the family that we'd choose if you could choose your family," Jane adds.
With a lifetime of family holidays spent north of her Sydney home, the food writer believes she isn't on holiday until she's "crossed the Hexham Bridge" in the Hunter Valley.
"It's like every great holiday memory is hardwired to that point for me, and all the memories of every great holiday flood my system on that drive," she says.
Jane has visited her best friends in Coffs every summer for the last 15 years.
The families spent the week in swimmers and running under hoses in the backyard, and all six children sleep in a massive pile in one room.
Naturally, Jane says her sole job is to "fill the kitchen bench with fun food" to graze on all day.
"It's my happiest place," she explains.
Jane describes the annual holiday as "Australian summer in a nutshell".
"Good friends and family, great food, humidity and stormy Coffs Harbour afternoons while we doze in a sunburned stupor. It couldn't be any more relaxed," she says.
Jane notes that at times, the kids have played to the "point of unconsciousness."
"That is what I call a good summer holiday."
Jane describes the annual holiday as "Australian summer in a nutshell". Supplied
However, the simple, breezy coastal trips away haven't always been seamless. There have been a few incidents over the years that have made for more memorable - and at times, shocking - moments.
When Jane's youngest son was 18 months old and sitting in the middle of an empty playroom, a huntsman spider descended from the ceiling and landed on his head, shocking the adults around him.
Rushton was unfazed, but the parents, not so much.
"We were all nearby, we heard this thud as the spider hit the floor and then we all screamed in unison and ran to grab bub off the floor," Jane laughs.
The breezy coastal trips haven't been without their hilarious - and frightening - moments. Supplied
"Rushton just looked at us like, 'Why the hell are you all screaming?' Before all of us, even him, collapsed into giggles at the ridiculousness of the scenario."
Hoping to make the trip again this summer, provided coronavirus restrictions stay eased, Jane says the "long, hot car trip" and "long, golden days" that follow make the holiday so special.
"We all get to laze our way through eating mangoes at the beach and shaking sand out of our hair. It's picture perfect with no fuss," she explains.
"It's about knowing what summer means to you and having an experience that perfectly sums it up. These are the people we love and we all just get to relax."
Jane says it's best to "remember the good times" in light of the global health crisis. Supplied
While many families have cancelled their overseas trips due to the pandemic, Jane says it's best to "remember the good times" in light of the global health crisis.
"I'm hopeful that travel restrictions will ease, and we'll get to explore our wide and wonderful world again," she adds.
"In the meantime, I feel like staying close to home is a small price to pay for the safety of many and a perfect chance to appreciate our own backyard. I doubt I'll ever forget how beautiful it is again."
