Tracey Holmes: The Ocean Is Home

We speak to Tracey Holmes, an ocean-lover, mother of four, ABC senior journalist and podcast host of The Ticket.

- Shevonne Hunt

Tracey Holmes’ story begins with the ocean. It’s a connection that has been a steady undercurrent flowing throughout her years, a place of refuge when she needs somewhere calm and quiet.

For Holmes, her childhood laid the foundations for what was to come: a love of the ocean, adventure and travel. Her parents were avid surfers and Holmes spent her early years chasing waves before eventually signing up for surf competitions.

“It’s where I always go in my mind when I think about being in the perfect place. I feel like the ocean is never far away from me, even when I’m nowhere near it,” she confides.

When Holmes was three, her parents heard rumours that the best waves were in South Africa, so that’s where they went. It was a holiday that ended up being four years long. Her early memories are filled with images of apartheid in South Africa and unique glimpses into how other people live. Later, her family moved to Hawaii, where they lived with a local family and she went to school.

“[I had] some really interesting and fascinating experiences. And I think having them as a child helped me carry that into my adult life,” Holmes reminisces.

The power of the Fourth Estate

Surfing may not be every young person’s start to a career in journalism, but it’s where Holmes first started honing the skills she would employ throughout her working life.