Down At the Dog Beach
My new children’s picture book, Dog Beach, celebrates two Aussie favourites: dogs and spending time on the beach. I first started writing its rhyming verse over Melbourne’s 2020 pandemic lockdowns. They were a time when daily walks with my kelpie-cross rescue dog, Banjo, held special significance and, sadly, trips to the beach were only a fond memory.

Julie Murphy and her dog, Banjo, at the beach, courtesy of Julie Murphy
Julie Murphy and her dog, Banjo, at the beach, courtesy of Julie Murphy
Now, Melbourne illustrator Annie White’s joyous illustrations bring my sparse rhyming text to life, with clear blue skies, sandcastles, crabs and a delightfully diverse array of doggy delinquents running amuck on the beach. What more could a reader want?

Spread from Dog Beach by Julie Murphy and Annie White from NLA Publishing, 2024
Spread from Dog Beach by Julie Murphy and Annie White from NLA Publishing, 2024
This is where NLA Publishing’s books go above and beyond the average picture book brief. With special access to the National Library’s archival photo collections, creators can broaden their topic for curious children.

Fairfax Corporation, Sheepdogs herding sheep in the saleyard at Homebush, New South Wales, ca. 1925, 1, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-157559789
Fairfax Corporation, Sheepdogs herding sheep in the saleyard at Homebush, New South Wales, ca. 1925, 1, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-157559789
In the case of Dog Beach, two pages of back matter provide a child-friendly overview of important jobs that Aussie dogs have filled as our nation has developed. These jobs include husky sled-dogs in Antarctica (which, surprisingly, only left the icy continent in 1994!), farm dogs specially bred for our environmental conditions, police dogs, search and rescue dogs, guide dogs and support dogs.

Charles Page, Australian Antarctic Territory, last husky run with ANARE club flag, 1993, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-137256019
Charles Page, Australian Antarctic Territory, last husky run with ANARE club flag, 1993, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-137256019
The mix of colour and black-and-white photos in the back matter conveys an unspoken sense of history; who we are, where we have come from and where we are heading. Story dogs, for example, didn’t even exist a few decades ago!

Story Dog Monty and Volunteer Camille Mrzyglocki Read with a Student in Madurah, Western Australia, 2023, courtesy of Story Dogs
Story Dog Monty and Volunteer Camille Mrzyglocki Read with a Student in Madurah, Western Australia, 2023, courtesy of Story Dogs
Dogs can only do these different jobs for us because of the special bond we share. I think the final photo in the back matter demonstrates this bond best. The unbridled joy expressed in Jean and her dog running at Bondi Beach (1925) not only ties back to the book’s main story, but also reminds readers that one of the most crucial ‘jobs’ dogs do is to be our best friend. And while beach fashions may come and go, some things never change.

M. H. Robinson, Miss Jean Watts running on Bondi Beach with a dog, New South Wales, 1925, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-142701035
M. H. Robinson, Miss Jean Watts running on Bondi Beach with a dog, New South Wales, 1925, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-142701035
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