Home
Search
thewest.com.au‌‌
OpinionChevron Right Icon

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

THAT’S LIFE The restaurant rule for parents that shouldn’t need stating

This week, a restaurant in California made the news for a very mundane reason and it’s something that has similarly left my mouth literally agape.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

THAT’S LIFEMy most memorable South Korea moment wasn’t the obvious one

A baseball game? Yes, a baseball game. All I’d been told was that it’s lots of fun. And I happen to like fun, so that was enough to pique my interest. 

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

THAT’S LIFE My latest episode in Things I’ve Observed in Other Countries

This time I’m in South Korea and seeing as I’ve been here for, like, days now, I feel qualified to wax lyrical about the things I’ve seen. Let’s call it cultural exchange.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
Why I can’t look away from the World Cup

Because if your heart isn’t stirred by the sight of thousands of Norwegian fans doing their Viking row accompanied by a guy banging on a drum and thousands of voices rhythmically grunting, then you need CPR.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
Where did all of my hobbies go?

When I was a kid, I had hobbies galore. Now, I’m wondering if tweezing the same three hairs from my chin with an alarming regularity or writing lists of the things that I’m aiming to do on the weekend count.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
The grainy photo the young generation can’t believe

The caption read “Facebook albums were crazy because wdym you’d go to a house party then upload a picture like this THEN TAG EVERYONE?” Umm, yes we did.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
What my fear of quicksand taught me about life

Finally, after decades of waiting, quicksand finally made an appearance in the news. You could almost hear my entire generation thinking: ‘At last. The training is relevant.’

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
Am I a cat or dog person? Why not have both?

Hosting the annual Cat Haven Quiz Night I get the inevitable question: “I thought you were a dog person!” I’m here to officially tell you that I swing both ways. I’m an anomaly.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
Have you earned my Good Neighbour badge?

A TikTok video demonstrating an act of neighbourly pettiness got my office thinking this week about one of the great suburban debates — should you mow your neighbour’s lawn?

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
I don’t mean to boast, but, my hometown is a big deal

A document of great importance was released this week. No, not the federal budget, Australian Traveller’s Australia’s 100 Best Towns to Visit in 2026. And Esperance has deservedly made the cut.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
Don’t make me wave my red flag this Mother’s Day

Guys, draw closer. I need to tell you something. It’s one day a year. All you have to do is make a bit of a fuss of the woman who carried your children, and who bears the mental load of raising them. 

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

THAT’S LIFE I adore Nicole Kidman . . . except for this one thing

She’s an Oscar winner and national treasure but, in my humble opinion, this two-minute act she insists on is one step too far.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
If anyone needs a rolling pin or a bag of bras, hit me up

As I emerge from my jetlag fog my algorithm is nagging me to declutter my house, but I’ve hit the obstacle of not knowing how to dispose of the things that are taking up room in my house, and my heart. 

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
Why I’m a completely different person when I travel

I’m still liable to fall over at any moment; who decided to cover the steep streets of Portuguese cities with slippery cobblestones? But I’ve realised I do things when travelling that I never do at home.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

THAT’S LIFE The latest in my Observations from Foreign Lands™ series

I’m writing this from the delightful town of Coimbra in Portugal, which is famed for having one of the oldest universities in the world. The uniform is a doozy, it’s basically the inspiration for Hogwarts.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
The trip that made me realise I’m not the tent type

With the Easter long weekend well and truly upon us, I have been reminiscing about Easters past, and the trip that stands out to me is the one that put me off camping forever.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
My dream plans for a perfect birthday

It’s my birthday this week and while I have never been one of those “It’s my birthday festival!” kind of people, I do have some ideas for the perfect celebration. This is what my dream birthday would look like.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
Is there anything cuter than a child obsessed?

There was the one who carried a tiny wheelie bin around like it was a teddy bear, and who am I to question his need for an emotional support Itty Bitty Bin? Or a little one absolutely taken with the Titanic.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
The dog park moment that unlocked a childhood trauma

It was a simple instruction from a mum to a daughter, but it sent me spiralling back to a time of long road trips, awkward bush squats all while hoping a dugite didn’t suddenly appear.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
A burst of good news as the world is imploding

From Punch the monkey to AI developments to detect women with a high risk of breast cancer, here are a few things to bring some positivity to a grim news week.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
Fellas, the shopping list is not a mystical art

The term “weaponised incompetence” means deliberately being bad at something so you don’t get asked to do it again. So I’m here with some tips to ensure your shopping venture is a success.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
My expert insight into why Norwegians are so good at sport

Well, having shared a sauna with them, I can confidently say that they are incredibly athletic specimens. Everyone is tall and robust and inexplicably outdoorsy.

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
Meet my hero this week

Mona Wiggins is 105, has better knee mobility than me and on top of twice weekly bowls, she also plays darts, hits the putting green and does her own shopping. Can we all agree that Mona is life goals?

Nat Locke

Nat Locke

opinion
opinion
THAT’S LIFE
opinion
Why the Winter Olympics are the hottest part of summer

There is something truly soothing about looking at all that snow and watching the athletes’ breath turning into condensation in the cold — that’s even better than air-con, if you ask me.

Nat Locke