Swell Magazine

19/03/2026

They don't call it Big Sky Country for nothing. ✨ Thinking about just how lucky we were to experience and share the magic of places like over the past 7 years. Pure joy 🏕️
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15/03/2026

It's the little details at that make all the difference. From colourful furnishings to luxury finishes, a huge modern kitchen and your own pool, it truly does have everything. Take a tour in Issue 25 - and let us know if you're thinking about a staycation here! We definitely are.

📸 Photos by

12/03/2026

Boring tiles, be gone! What's your pick? 1, 2 or 3? 🔲 Fab tiles by none other than

09/03/2026

Friends, mums and co-founders of .co 💙 What a joy it has been to get to know Anna and Danielle and tell their story in Swell. Find out what it's like to start a business with your bestie in Issue 25!

📸 Photos by

05/03/2026

Don't forget that Issue 25 will be available at our wonderful local stockists until the end of March! Support the legends that have made Swell possible and get yours hands on a piece of local history 😍 Find our full list of stockists on our website.

03/03/2026

It doesn't get much better than at dusk. What an icon! A few more pics from our Issue 25 feature. What a pleasure to feature so many amazing Newcastle restaurants over the years (the taste testing was a definite perk!) 😉

Photos by

25/02/2026

When we started Swell, we just wanted to tell good local stories and make something beautiful in print.

What grew over 25 issues was bigger than we imagined - a community of readers, contributors, partners and small businesses who believed in slow media and real connection.

To everyone who featured, advertised, stocked, photographed, wrote, delivered, shared and read - thank you.

Print might be slowing down - but what we built will last.

Love team Swell xx

25/02/2026

A sad week for the team

The co-creators said it was difficult decision.

23/02/2026

After 7 years & 25 issues, we’ve made the difficult decision to close Swell Magazine.

Swell began as a labour of love - a creative outlet born from a desire to tell thoughtful stories, celebrate our community and make something tactile in an increasingly digital world. What started over a coffee and a commitment to create Issue 1 grew into something far bigger than we ever imagined. We never set out with an end goal, and reaching 25 issues feels like a milestone to be proud of.

As the years passed, life shifted. Early in Swell’s journey, we both became mothers. Kristy welcomed her second child shortly after Issue 1 was released, and Bec soon followed. As our families grew, so did our responsibilities, and the realities of running a print magazine changed. At the same time, Swell sat alongside our long-standing studio, Design Bug - our bread-and-butter business of more than 16 years. Rising production costs and the demands of managing both meant that the creative outlet we once escaped into slowly became a source of stress. After a lot of reflection and sleepless nights, we’ve made the deeply considered decision to step away.

What mattered most to us was never compromising on quality or our values. We didn’t want to cut corners, reduce standards or create something that didn’t feel like us simply because it might be cheaper or easier. Ending Swell now means finishing on a good note - with a body of work we genuinely love and are proud of.

And oh boy, are we proud! The stories told, the local voices amplified, the creatives, writers, photographers, stockists and community partners who trusted us with their work - all of it mattered deeply.

To our readers and subscribers, thank you for showing up issue after issue. To our community partners and advertisers, thank you for backing an independent, print-first magazine and believing in what we were building. And to everyone who shared Swell, stocked it, gifted it, featured in it or simply read it quietly with a coffee - you are the reason it existed at all.

While this chapter is ending, the gratitude we feel - and the pride in what we created together - will stay with us always.

With love,
Kristy & Bec

20/02/2026

If you've ever spent time with a small child, you'll know how easily they experience awe. A ladybug crawling on a leaf, an aeroplane flying overhead, or hearing their favourite song for the eightieth time that day are all experiences that open their little eyes in wonder. 💫

As adults, it takes practice to see the world in this way. We are busy and consumed by a never-ending to-do list but making the effort to see a new art exhibition, listen to music without distraction, or read a positive story (instead of doom scrolling) is an easy way to add a sprinkle of novelty to your brain's information diet.

In issue 25, Melinda shows us how to be an awe hunter. 🩵