Fishing, swimming, boating, camping. These are Steph Fetterplace's favourite pastimes.
But once her family expanded and she had a little baby to bring along on all of the adventures, a lot of the fun time was being sucked up by constant sunscreen breaks, mosquito repellent applications, repeatedly undressing her baby for nappy changes and swapping out wet swimmers.
And so, the idea for Little Fisho was born.
"Becoming a parent definitely changes the way you experience the outdoors," the mother and entrepreneur told the Newcastle Herald.
"Something as simple as going fishing suddenly involves thinking about the sun, heat, mosquitoes, nappies and whether your little one is going to be safe and comfortable. But becoming a parent shouldn't mean you have to leave behind the things you love.
"Sometimes it just means finding a different way to do them."
Steph discovered a gap in the market and in 2024 started working on a full-body swimsuit for kids, that would provide protection from biting insects and the sun's harsh rays, while still being comfortable.
The UV Defender Onesie was designed specifically for babies and toddlers and can be worn both in and out of the water.
The lightweight, quick-drying design features full-length arms and legs, fold over hand and foot covers for additional protection when needed, a vented mesh back panel to help with airflow and a two-way zipper designed to make nappy changes easier.
She launched the range catering to sizes 000 through to three. In what seemed like a dream brand deal, Steph reached out to BCF and within months had a deal to stock Little Fisho in the retail space.
"I was just really lucky that one of the guys I spoke to had just had a baby himself and was literally looking for a product like ours and couldn't find anything," she said.
A move to be closer to family has seen the Queensland-based mum move to the Hunter Region. This has allowed her to expand Little Fisho to more local retail spaces, with BCF Rutherford becoming one of the first NSW stores to stock the brand.
The range already includes fishing shirts and hats, but is now expanding into kids swim sets for the parents who are toilet-training, as well as fishing dresses for women.
"We do a lot of fishing and outdoor stuff and everything [clothing] has big ugly fish prints or it's just a t-shirt," she said.
"The dresses have a long front zip which makes it breastfeeding friendly, it's got vents on the side of the body, under your arms, just to increase that breathability. And then hand coverage as well because I've found I get really burnt hands when fishing."
Anywhere Steph sees a gap in the market, she is pushing to provide a product to fix the problem.
"The biggest part of our mission is just to help parents have the confidence to keep saying yes to going outside, to going and watching the sunset, fishing, camping and to doing all that good stuff."
More details can be found at littlefisho.com.au and bcf.com.au/brands/little-fisho
Lake Mac Holiday Parks have cleaned up at an annual industry awards night, taking home two top gongs and narrowly missing a third.
Swansea Lakeside Holiday Park won the Innovation Award at the 2026 Caravan and Camping Industry Association NSW gala ceremony on August 13, while Holiday Parks coordinator Garry Ellem was named the industry's Employee of the Year.
Swansea Lakeside also won bronze in the NSW Holiday Park of the Year category and was a finalist for best NSW Holiday Park on Crown Land.
Lake Macquarie City Council's property and business development manager Elizabeth Lambert said it was "humbling" to receive the accolades.
"Swansea Lakeside Holiday Park is our largest park, with more than 380 sites, but we were up against some really big corporate parks including sites by Big4, Discovery and Ingenia," she said.
"We are so proud of the whole holiday parks team, but particularly Garry who has dedicated the past nine years of his career to making our holidays parks better and more accessible for everyone."
The innovation award recognised a suite of measures and facilities introduced at Swansea Lakeside in the past 12 months, including new sensory rooms, new accessible barbecue facilities and amenities, a new all-abilities exercise precinct, a new website designed to be fully accessible, and specialised training for all staff.
Mr Ellem said all the awards, including his, were a team effort.
"Every step forward and every improvement is guided by our vision to make inclusive tourism mainstream," he said.
"Through the universal design lens, we are always on the lookout for what else we can do that makes our parks easier to navigate and enjoy."
Mr Ellem said more improvements were in the pipeline across all five Lake Macquarie Holiday Parks sites, starting with the installation of two new tiny homes and an accessible ensuite unit for caravanners at Belmont Lakeside Holiday Park.
"We're also looking to further push the boundary of tourism tiny homes, with designs taking shape for an accessible version," he said.
"The project is in its infancy as we work through the challenges of fitting everything we need into the width of a caravan, but where there is a will, there's a way."
Jayco Newcastle won gold in the NSW Trade Dealer/Retailer/Wholesaler of the Year category, Broadlands Muswellbrook was named NSW Land Lease Community of the Year, and Hometown Australia Port Stephens took out Team of the Year (Land Lease Communities).
Newcastle-based visibility mentor and author Bec Sands is releasing her first book, What You Came Here to Create, on September 15.
She says many women put their ambitions on hold, waiting until they feel more qualified and confident, or until the "right" opportunity comes along.
But life rarely unfolds as expected and sometimes you have to create a new path forward. In her book, Ms Sands offers a practical roadmap for women ready to step out from the sidelines and stand out for the right reasons.
She explores why so many women spend years waiting for permission before pursuing their ambitions; how childhood experiences of financial insecurity can shape the way we work, earn and view our own worth; why confidence comes from taking action; and how to stop letting self-doubt and the fear of being judged hold you back.
