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PODCAST

The Blue Room

A podcast celebrating the joys of outdoor swimming and the incredible sense of community it creates. Join us as we explore the beauty and thrill of swimming and dipping, in ocean, rivers, and natural waters — often with friends and fellow enthusiasts. Each episode features inspiring interviews with diverse personalities and groups who share their passion for aquatic adventures, connection with nature, and the positive impact of swimming on health and well-being. Whether you"re new to outdoor

sports swimming

All Episodes

00:21:18

BONUS EDITION: Splashing good! Glenorchy Community...

The Blue Room ·

2026/10/01

The Glenorchy Memorial Pool closed three years ago, when the council ruled it was too dangerous. But the community fought back, launching a campaign to save it.The pool reopens on October 3, 2026 - after a $6.5m refurbishment. The Blue Room joined some community members for a 'soft' opening and a chat about what this pool means, and the value of communities fighting for what they want.Features:Anne Henderson/First Tasmanian to swim the English Channel.Helen Conway/Honouree, Australian

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00:31:41

In Conversation: Weedy Seadragon founder, Harold Gatenby

The Blue Room ·

2026/09/25

The Weedy Seadragons swim at Kingston Beach, south of Hobart every Saturday. In summer, some members swim from Kingston Beach to Blackmans Bay and back - about five kilometres. Harold Gatenby is one of the founders of the group, and he sat down with the Blue Room's Sabra Lane for a chat about the group, and about the addiction that is ocean swimming.Features:Harold Gatenby, founder of the Weedy Seadragons.Sabra Lane - the Blue Room host.Themes:ocean swimming, open water swimming, cold water

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00:29:13

Meet the Weedy Seadragons

The Blue Room ·

2026/09/11

This is family. Meet the Weedy Seadragons of Kingston Beach, where swimmers become buddies, form life-long friendships and many feel this tribe is family.The Blue Room speaks with some of the Weedy Seadragons to find out how they got into swimming, how they discovered the Weedys - and what this group means. This Tasmanian tribe is special too for the Blue Room host Sabra Lane, as it's her regular Saturday morning swim group.Interviews:Weedy Seadragon members - Andy, Grainne, Anita, Rachel,

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00:22:19

Swimmer and artist Catherine Stringer

The Blue Room ·

2026/08/28

The Blue Room's Sabra Lane joins artist & swimmer Catherine Stringer in her studio for a chat about her art and swimming. An exhibition of Catherine's work is about to open - it's called Below and Beyond. Catherine is now 71 years old, she started swimming with tribes seven years ago - and started her working life as a doctor. Water is a big part of her art - we talk about that and being in the Blue Room.Features:Catherine Stringer - swimmer and artistSabra Lane - TheBlueRoom.auMore

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00:38:20

Whaley excellent! Talking the Blue Room with whale...

The Blue Room ·

2026/08/14

Dr Vanessa Pirotta spends a lot of her time in The Blue Room, or what she calls our Blue Backyard. As a kid all she wanted to do was to become a dolphin trainer - she's now a whale scientist and become a regular contributor in the media, explaining science. Vanessa talks with the Blue Room's Sabra Lane about her fascination with the ocean, whales and science. We also discuss the approaching 70th meeting of the International Whaling Commission - and what YOU can do to help protect whales.Features:Dr

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00:35:14

Bitten not beaten: Joanne Norman on being the first...

The Blue Room ·

2026/07/31

The Blue Room's Sabra Lane interviews marathon swimmer Joanne Norman on becoming the first Australian woman to complete the Oceans Seven Challenge. What makes Joanne's story truly remarkable is that she was bitten by a Cookiecutter shark on her first attempt at the Molokaʻi channel. She recovered and successfully swam it a year after the attack. What makes her tick, why did she start marathon swimming - and Jo reveals she swims with her eyes closed - all of the time.Features:Joanne Norman,

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00:26:23

That's how I pray; singers Vika and Linda Bull on...

The Blue Room ·

2026/07/17

Pop divas and sisters Vika and Linda Bull have just been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, released a new album "Where do you come from", are currently on a national tour and have written a song for swimmers called "That's how I pray". The Blue Room host Sabra Lane interviews them both to talk about how the song came about, what swimming means to them and about their careers, life, Tongan heritage and how strongly they feel about community harmony. Features:Linda and Vika

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00:32:02

BONUS: Cold water shock, depression, swimming v...

The Blue Room ·

2026/07/10

Dr Heather Massey is a marathon swimmer. She's also a researcher at the University of Portsmouth’s Extreme Environments research group in the UK. She's just recruited people for a study comparing cold water swimming with medication in treating depression. Heather joined the Blue Room's Sabra Lane for a chat about her marathon swims, the science of cold water immersion, after drop and floating. Plus what do we know, and what don't we know when it comes to proven results from cold

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00:48:20

Talking the Big Blue in the Blue Room with author and...

The Blue Room ·

2026/07/03

Australian author Tim Winton joins the Blue Room podcast host Sabra Lane for a long chat about his obsession with the ocean. Tim is admired the world-over for his salt water stories. Nearly all of his novels are love letters to the sea. As Tim says in his dedication in “Land's Edge" - For my family and for those who know that a bad day's fishing is always better than a good day's work. Tim says swimming is family culture and ‘pretty precious' for his tribe. We talk about swimming, what it means,

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00:31:36

Why a humble Tasmanian Swam the Freedom Swim

The Blue Room ·

2026/06/19

Join The Blue Room for an inspiring chat with Tasmanian swimmer Brett Stephenson as he recounts his journey to complete South Africa's renowned Freedom Swim. Brett shares what motivated him to take on the challenge, the emotions of swimming through waters steeped in history, and the special moments that made the experience so meaningful.Brett talks with podcast host Sabra Lane and takes us beyond the swim, sharing stories from his travels including to Zanzibar, and the early childhood home of

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00:37:58

Mark Sowerby, Don't be Prey!

The Blue Room ·

2026/06/05

Mark Sowerby is The Blue Room's guest in this episode. Over a decade he swims the Ocean Seven, seven channels of water on five continents. The first channel (The English Channel) is achieved while he's at the helm of a successful start-up company. The rest of the channels become a form of therapy, recovering from the shock of a company going under which morph into the documentary 'Don't be Prey'. Mark attends a screening of the film in Hobart, and takes time out to speak with

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00:26:09

Coledale Oysters at Coles Bay Devil Swim

The Blue Room ·

2026/05/22

The Blue Room visits the 2026 Devil of a Swim, relocated this year from Bicheno to Coles Bay. Also visiting the tourist hotspot, the Coledale Oysters from NSW. The Oysters heard about the swim on the Blue Room in 2025 and made a pact to join this year's competition. Afterwards they joined podcast host and swimmer Sabra Lane for a special 'live' recording of the episode at Coles Bay to talk about the 5km swim, how they started ocean swimming, what they get out of being in the water - and

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00:25:00

Discovering ocean pools and historic lidos; fitness,...

The Blue Room ·

2026/05/08

The Blue Room's guest is Alison Orme and what has become 'a highlight of her life'. What started as a simple invite to friends to swim in some of Sydney's spectacular ocean pools became something much bigger. From discovering Harbour pools, to Sydney's ocean pools, pools along the NSW coastline, lidos in the UK and soon pools in France. Alison tells the Blue Room how this passion started, and how she thinks ocean pools are part of her DNA. It's a story of curiosity,

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00:26:34

The Kingston Swim Pod; how to become confident in...

The Blue Room ·

2026/04/24

It's a question pod host Sabra Lane is often asked; how to you become confident to swim in the open water? The Blue Room joins the Kingston Beach Surf Life Saving club in Tasmania, as the 'Dragons Swim Pod' graduates. The club has run a 10-week program aimed at getting swimmers confident to swim in the ocean. We join the pod on their final graduation swim, and talk with the trainers and trainees about the course and how they've progressed after 10 weeks of training.Features:Polly

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00:29:16

The Kingston Beach Sea Hags and Chat stroke

The Blue Room ·

2026/04/10

Five years ago, a group of women waded into the cold waters of Tasmania and found something much bigger than a swim. Meet the Kingston Beach Sea Hags: a bold, joyful community bound by saltwater, courage, and connection. This podcast dives beneath the surface of “just a bobble” to explore the magic of cold water, the rhythm of “chat-stroke,” and the quiet power of showing up for one another—again and again.Through choppy mornings, laughter-filled dips, and the kind of friendships that buoy you long

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00:25:05

Meet Miu; the Sydney marathon swimmer making history

The Blue Room ·

2026/03/27

At just 20 years old, Miu Tanaka is balancing university life in Sydney with record-breaking achievements in marathon swimming. The elite open water swimmer has already secured a series of remarkable firsts in Australia’s most challenging aquatic challenges.Miu Tanaka is the first woman to complete the demanding swim from New Norfolk to Bruny Island in Tasmania. She also became the first woman to conquer Tasmania’s Great Lake on the Central Highlands Plateau—one of the region’s most challenging

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00:41:06

The Desert Swimmer: how Brendan Cullen overcame...

The Blue Room ·

2026/03/13

Brendan Cullen works on an outback sheep farm near Broken Hill in NSW. In 2015 he sought help at the local hospital, not knowing what was wrong with himself. He was diagnosed with severe depression. Also that same year, he watched his brother compete in an open-water swim and he thought; "I want some of that". But how do you train for marathon swims, like the English Channel, when you live 600km from the nearest coast? Brendan's just published a book about his life, and how he trained

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00:28:42

Inside the campaign to Save Phillip Pool

The Blue Room ·

2026/02/28

Save Phillip Pool is a Canberra community group that's just had a big win. The ACT government has backed down on plans to replace a 50m outdoor pool with a 25m one. Canberra woman Sarah Ransom got in touch with The Blue Room about the long-fight to save the pool. The story is one of grit, courage and determination by a group of everyday Australians who persuaded the territory government to do the right thing by its community. Surf Life Saving Australia estimates 40 per cent of public pools will

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00:31:13

The Salty Bitches

The Blue Room ·

2026/02/13

The Blue Room is on tour visiting Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula during Christmas 2025. And what better way to experience the coast here than swim with the famous Salty Bitches? This is a tribe of fun, inspiring and brave women (mainly) who love celebrating life by dipping daily in the sea off Indented Head. This tribe's joined up with the local Indented Head yachting fraternity and won a government grant to refurbish the ageing club. For the swimmers that means a great place to change, get

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00:28:06

Alyssa - the Iron Pot Champ!

The Blue Room ·

2026/01/30

The Blue Room is back for another season, to talk with swimmers and dippers about the joys of getting into the ocean. They're all inspiring stories, about overcoming challenges, setting personal goals to achieve, and finding awe in the sea. In this episode podcast co-founder Sabra Lane interviews Alyssa Seckinger-Crow who is a Tasmanian by choice. The 21 year old has just finished the Tasman Bridge to Ironpot swim - a great feat. But she's already achieved a number of big swims, including the

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36 results

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