Turia Pitt confesses she's watched hit Aussie TV series '637 times' in hilariously relatable post about her favourite things
The 37-year-old took to Instagram with a carousel post of "chaotic" confessions, from overthinking a fringe to donning "good" activewear with zero plans to exercise.
"If you've ever rewatched the same comfort show again instead of risking something 'too intense' or stared at yourself in the mirror wondering if this is the era you finally get a fringe… Then yep, we might be soul twins," she captioned the post.
One slide included a snap of Turia in bed with her son and read: "You'd rather rewatch a feel-good show you've seen 637 times like SeaChange than risk a new one being 'too scary' just before bed."
The iconic ABC series, which first aired in 1998, starred Sigrid Thornton, John Howard, David Wenham, Kate Atkinson and Kevin Harrington, and clearly still holds a special place in Aussie hearts.
Followers flooded the comments with love for both the show and Turia's honesty.
"In that case… we are besties Turia," one wrote, while another said: "SeaChange forever!"
A third added: 'Oh my goodness- all of them! And SeaChange is my ALL time favourite TV show…. Besties?!"
Celebrity mates also joined in, with Melissa Doyle writing: "Yep. Friends," alongside a heart emoji, and Steph Claire Smith adding: "Ahahaha yes yes yes."
Some of Turia's other favourite things included wearing her "good" activewear to school dropoff despite having "no intention of exercising" and thinking of new hobbies such as "pickleball" and "learn[ing] harp".
Turia's relatable post comes hot on the heels of her latest book announcement.
On July 2, she unveiled her sixth title Selfish, due for release in October- a project aimed at flipping the script on what it means to put yourself first.
"We're told that being selfish is bad," she wrote.
"That we should always think of others, put everyone else first, push our own needs aside. I bought into that story. And it led me straight to burnout. This is the book I wish I had during that time."
The Sydney-based mum of two has long been open about the life-altering bushfire that reshaped her path.
In 2011, then 25, Pitt was competing in the Racing the Planet: Kimberley ultramarathon when she and another person became trapped by a fast-moving grassfire.
She sustained burns to 65 per cent of her body, was placed in a medically induced coma, lost seven fingers, and underwent more than 200 surgeries.
Her recovery spanned two years- but since then, she's become one of the country's most beloved speakers, authors, and role models.
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SBS Australia
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SBS Australia
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The industry wants us to 'show up'. But can we afford Aussie music anymore?
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The band has also been impacted by the closure of several music festivals across the country, which would typically bring more exposure and broaden their fan base. More than 25 music festivals across Australia have been cancelled since 2022, according to data from the Australian Festival Association. Community-led efforts still not enough Caitlin Welsh and Joe Hardy run a manually curated gig guide born from the loss of local music press and the lingering effects of Sydney's lockout laws. The guide briefly shut down in June due to a lack of funds, before a flurry of one-off donations and sponsorships allowed Welsh and Hardy to keep going — for now. "People hugely underestimate the amount of time and human labour it takes to manually research and compile the gig guide, as well as put together playlists and post daily lists to socials," Welsh told SBS News. "It's made by a small team of humans — including musicians and creatives who work with us as researchers — who need to be compensated for the amount of labour we're all doing in order to continue living in one of the most expensive cities in the world." Caitlin Welsh and Joe Hardy founded gig guide after frustrations with the diminishing Sydney music scene. But the cost of living is making it difficult for them to continue operating. Source: Supplied / Caitlin Welsh But live music spaces are becoming increasingly rare as venues face even more pressure to keep the doors open. India Wallis is a Brisbane-based musician and head of youth-focused record label Starving Kids, which runs a dedicated 150-capacity all-ages venue in Brisbane, serving musicians who are often booking their first show. "The gap between local acts and established acts seems to be getting wider," she told SBS News. "Brisbane is home to some great large-scale venues, but with more and more small venues closing, there are noticeably less opportunities for artists to cut their teeth." More than 1,300 live music venues and stages across Australia have been lost since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a 2023 report from music rights management organisation APRA AMCOS. Welsh added: "Venues are being bled by insurance premiums and rent and the alcohol excise, and they can't afford to run all-ages shows because they rely on bar sales to support putting on music at all, and punters can't afford to buy as many drinks as they used to because their rent is too damn high." "The narrowing of music participation to people who can afford to treat it as a hobby, or who are forced to accept poverty to keep doing it, is just as creatively flattening as the algorithm." Algorithms placing pressure on industry At the same time, streaming platforms such as Spotify are continuing to grow, with over nine million users in Australia. Date from market research firm Roy Morgan found Spotify had doubled its Australian user base between 2017 and 2020. Since 2017, the platform has moved towards algorithmically creating personalised music recommendations, informed by a user's listening history and preferences. Koh says this means that people are more likely to value platforms like these instead of community radio, which was traditionally a hub for music discoverability. "People lead such busy lives, so the amount of time that people can devote to going on their own musical journey and discovering new artists is getting more and more limited," he said. Koh says this convenience is creating a "giant homogenous culture". "One thing that social media and algorithms can't replace is the experience and joy of seeing a band. That's often where artists find their audiences and the people who they can take on the journey with them throughout their careers." Despite coming off their largest Australian tour so far, Floodlights say it's become harder to be discovered organically — even in the midst of a breakout moment. "There's so much music coming out every day, and unless you're backed by major playlists or algorithms, it's easy to get lost in the noise," Draffen said. Should Triple J be doing more? In the face of so many obstacles, musicians such as Ben Lee — who is expected to chart in Saturday's countdown for his hits Cigarettes Will Kill You and Catch My Disease — have called for the ABC's Triple J to do more to support Australian music, including restricting all Hottest 100 countdowns to only spotlight Australian songs. "At a time when there are so many platforms for international music discovery, I just don't see the logic in a taxpayer-funded station using their platform to promote international acts, many on major labels," Lee told SBS News. He said it was being run like a "commercial station that's constantly bending over backwards to increase listenership", primarily through bigger international artists. Lee added that it should move to play only Australian music across the board. "They could single-handedly lead the way to revitalising the Australian music industry if they wanted to. But it would mean stopping thinking of themselves as a commercial radio station, but rather as a mission-driven government utility," he said. The station has a mandated quota of 40 per cent for Australian music, but typically plays closer to the 50 per cent mark. Last week, Lee made similar remarks on both social media and to The Sydney Morning Herald. Head of Triple J Lachlan Macara told the Herald seeing local artists next to international names was what made the Hottest 100 " so special". He said the program "would love to see even more people and platforms supporting and prioritising Australian artists". Australian musician Ben Lee has called for Triple J to do more to support Australian music. Source: Getty / Martin Philbey But members of the industry are still conflicted over the best path forward. While Floodlights recently played their biggest headline shows across the country, Draffen said it's still difficult to cut through without support from Triple J. "We've really had to double down on staying connected with our audience and finding new ways to reach people but it's hard as Triple J doesn't really play us, which obviously makes it tougher to reach a wider audience in Australia," he said. Wallis said that while artists at her record label have seen "great support" from Triple J Unearthed, which features unsigned local acts, she wanted to see more. "I strongly believe Triple J should be focusing more on a diverse range of homegrown acts, rather than commercial, international acts that already have a platform." Welsh agrees the Hottest 100 should be all-Australian each year, but stopped short of supporting that across the board. "Nobody does more for Australian music than Triple J," she said. "The ones who are letting down Australian music are the commercial stations … There has been zero accountability for commercial radio formats to meet their local music quotas." Koh agreed: "We know that we're doing our bit, and I think Triple J does as well." FBi Radio also operates under a 50 per cent Australian music mandate, with half of that coming from Sydney. "I think it's important to see Australian music in a global context and that local artists just don't exist in a silo."
