What drives thousands of Australians to swim nude in winter? Inside the Dark Mofo tradition
Nude Solstice Swim
. The dip marks the end of
Dark Mofo
, Tasmania's winter arts festival.
On the morning of Saturday, under the rising winter sun, nearly 3,000 participants, wearing only red swim caps, rushed naked into the cold Tasmanian waters. Lifeguards from Surf Life Saving Tasmania were on hand, and the water temperature was about 12 °C, a few degrees warmer than the chilly air.
The Nude Solstice Swim began in 2013 as a community ritual triggered by the winter solstice. Initially banned, it now draws around 3,000 eager participants each year.
It caps off Dark Mofo's Winter Feast, Winter Mass, and other events. The festival is designed to explore extremes, light, darkness, warmth, and exposure, with ritual at its core.
Why People Do It?
Live Events
For many, the plunge is about liberation, camaraderie, and self‑challenge. Veteran swimmer Ms Knight, 64, said the swim is 'liberating and empowering.' She said how the supportive atmosphere lets participants 'shed their inhibitions', their bodies, no matter the shape or age, are accepted equally.
Others spoke of connection and inclusion. Stranger-turned-friends groups, like Brisbane's Dave Abary, described meeting new people in the past years and returning for the shared experience.
Many residents, such as Alana, called it a 'sense of unison' in vulnerability. The mix of euphoria, joy, and shock during the run and swim is cited as a ritual that bonds participants.
This year set a new record for participation, up to 3,000 swimmers. Safety measures include 40 lifeguards, briefing sessions, and on‑site thermal blankets and tea for post-swim warmth.
Dark Mofo, the swim, winter feast, and other events draw hundreds of thousands of visitors. The
Nude Swim
is the festival's biggest single ritual moment—a bold communal act in the depths of winter.
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The Hindu
11-07-2025
- The Hindu
Indian Chef makes a mark at Tasmania's Winter Feast
Amid the chaos of Mumbai, Niyati Rao first learned the language of flavour — not as a technique, but as a form of listening to her surroundings, to memory, and the hush of ingredients coming to life. Growing up in a city alive with sound, scent, and stories, Niyati's journey started well before she wore a chef's coat. She had found her rhythm between the sizzle of street food and the slow stews of the home kitchen. Trained at the Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai, and shaped by time in some of the exploratory kitchens, such as The Zodiac Grill, Wasabi by Morimoto, The Chambers, and Goa's A Reverie, it was a stint at Copenhagen's Noma where 28-year-old Niyati sharpened her technique and perspective. That clarity found its expression in Ekaa, the ingredient‑first, cuisine‑agnostic restaurant she co-founded in December 2021. In just three years, Ekaa became a place where traditions met invention, where each dish carried a trace of her memories, the kitchens she had been part of, and her many travels. 'Much of my menu is inspired by nostalgia,' she says, 'but just as much comes from the road, from the people and places that reshape how I see food.' One such place, far from the noise of Mumbai, was Tasmania. As the first Indian guest chef invited to Tasmania's Dark Mofo Festival, Niyati arrived not just to cook, but to discover new flavours and stories. Held in June, under a sky lit by crimson bulbs and veiled in fog — the 11-day festival is a celebration of fire, mystery, and the elemental. 'It reminded me of Stranger Things,' she laughs. 'It's dark, but there's joy in it. And cooking in that cold, it felt like every food stall was an oasis in a Siberian winter.' At the Winter Feast — the festival's culinary centrepiece held over eight nights — chefs from around the world cooked amid flames and music, serving thousands. The event featured more than 70 stallholders, including food vendors, chefs, and bars, selected through an application process. Niyati was one of the invited chefs, curated to collaborate with local culinary voices. She teamed up with Australia's Craig Will, Bianca Welsh, and James Welsh of Stillwater, a Launceston-based restaurant. 'There's nothing quite like it,' Niyati says. 'It's not just about food. It's where art, music, ritual, and cuisine are woven together.' Even while working, music lingered around her, sometimes faint, sometimes striking, changing her rhythm, infusing her cooking with pace and pulse. 'For a chef, it's vital. It shapes how you move, how you feel. And that ends up on the plate.' That rhythm found its way into her creation at the event: long-spined Tasmanian sea urchin served in a spice broth, a mix of Tasmanian produce with Indian technique. 'We were nervous mixing spices from India with something so local, but the result was seamless, even better on the plate than in our heads,' Niyati says. But what struck her even more was Tasmania's reverence for its land. From Aboriginal traditions to European techniques, the island is a blend of influences, held together by respect. 'It's a melting pot,' she says, 'but every ingredient still has its voice.' 'As a chef, you're always excited and inspired,' she says. 'Because something like this opens up a new doorway.' In Tasmania, that doorway led her beyond the kitchen. She walked bush trails, tasted sea succulents, and watched as the land revealed itself in layers — through herbs once foraged by Aboriginal communities, oysters shucked by the sea, and stories rooted in place and practice. Niyati also encountered ingredients she hoped to carry into the future. Pepperberries that echo the zing of spices from India's northeast, a soft, fragrant boysenberry jam, native cheeses infused with bush spices, and a triple cream she cannot stop thinking about. She is already imagining how Tasmanian whisky might find its way into Indian desserts — not as a gimmick, but as an evolving thread in a larger conversation. As she packs her bags to return, there are more than just ingredients in her suitcase. 'We came with empty bags on purpose,' she grins. 'We're going back heavy — with ingredients, ideas, and inspiration.' Her haul includes 'pepperberries that hum with umami, a jar of soft berry jam, bush cheeses and a luscious triple cream, strawberry gum, native dried kunzea herbs and Tasmanian whisky,' she says adding 'just as importantly, the way people cook, listen, and care. All of it comes home with me.'
Economic Times
21-06-2025
- Economic Times
What drives thousands of Australians to swim nude in winter? Inside the Dark Mofo tradition
Why People Do It? Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Thousands gathered at Hobart's Long Beach before dawn on 21 June for the annual Nude Solstice Swim . The dip marks the end of Dark Mofo , Tasmania's winter arts the morning of Saturday, under the rising winter sun, nearly 3,000 participants, wearing only red swim caps, rushed naked into the cold Tasmanian waters. Lifeguards from Surf Life Saving Tasmania were on hand, and the water temperature was about 12 °C, a few degrees warmer than the chilly Nude Solstice Swim began in 2013 as a community ritual triggered by the winter solstice. Initially banned, it now draws around 3,000 eager participants each caps off Dark Mofo's Winter Feast, Winter Mass, and other events. The festival is designed to explore extremes, light, darkness, warmth, and exposure, with ritual at its many, the plunge is about liberation, camaraderie, and self‑challenge. Veteran swimmer Ms Knight, 64, said the swim is 'liberating and empowering.' She said how the supportive atmosphere lets participants 'shed their inhibitions', their bodies, no matter the shape or age, are accepted spoke of connection and inclusion. Stranger-turned-friends groups, like Brisbane's Dave Abary, described meeting new people in the past years and returning for the shared residents, such as Alana, called it a 'sense of unison' in vulnerability. The mix of euphoria, joy, and shock during the run and swim is cited as a ritual that bonds year set a new record for participation, up to 3,000 swimmers. Safety measures include 40 lifeguards, briefing sessions, and on‑site thermal blankets and tea for post-swim Mofo, the swim, winter feast, and other events draw hundreds of thousands of visitors. The Nude Swim is the festival's biggest single ritual moment—a bold communal act in the depths of winter.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Time of India
What drives thousands of Australians to swim nude in winter? Inside the Dark Mofo tradition
Thousands gathered at Hobart's Long Beach before dawn on 21 June for the annual Nude Solstice Swim . The dip marks the end of Dark Mofo , Tasmania's winter arts festival. On the morning of Saturday, under the rising winter sun, nearly 3,000 participants, wearing only red swim caps, rushed naked into the cold Tasmanian waters. Lifeguards from Surf Life Saving Tasmania were on hand, and the water temperature was about 12 °C, a few degrees warmer than the chilly air. The Nude Solstice Swim began in 2013 as a community ritual triggered by the winter solstice. Initially banned, it now draws around 3,000 eager participants each year. It caps off Dark Mofo's Winter Feast, Winter Mass, and other events. The festival is designed to explore extremes, light, darkness, warmth, and exposure, with ritual at its core. Why People Do It? Live Events For many, the plunge is about liberation, camaraderie, and self‑challenge. Veteran swimmer Ms Knight, 64, said the swim is 'liberating and empowering.' She said how the supportive atmosphere lets participants 'shed their inhibitions', their bodies, no matter the shape or age, are accepted equally. Others spoke of connection and inclusion. Stranger-turned-friends groups, like Brisbane's Dave Abary, described meeting new people in the past years and returning for the shared experience. Many residents, such as Alana, called it a 'sense of unison' in vulnerability. The mix of euphoria, joy, and shock during the run and swim is cited as a ritual that bonds participants. This year set a new record for participation, up to 3,000 swimmers. Safety measures include 40 lifeguards, briefing sessions, and on‑site thermal blankets and tea for post-swim warmth. Dark Mofo, the swim, winter feast, and other events draw hundreds of thousands of visitors. The Nude Swim is the festival's biggest single ritual moment—a bold communal act in the depths of winter.
