After sixteen remarkable years of sharing her thoughts with readers, prominent Australian columnist Nat Locke has revealed the unusual inspiration behind her latest personal project - a complete garage transformation that emerged from a moment of clarity on a Mexican bus.
A Sixteen-Year Writing Journey
Facebook memories recently provided concrete evidence that Nat Locke has been writing her popular column for precisely 16 years. The discovery prompted reflection on her lengthy career spent often "waxing lyrical about how things were better back in my day," though she readily acknowledges some modern improvements like the internet, cronuts, streaming services, curly hair products and efforts to close the gender pay gap.
When asked how she consistently generates column ideas, Locke admits it sometimes comes "with a hint of desperation." While significant events occasionally make words "fall onto the page," other times involve "scratching around, trawling news websites and begging friends for suggestions." She even experimented with ChatGPT to write in her style but found the AI's attempt inferior to her own work.
The Mexican Bus Revelation
Many readers wonder about the financial rewards of column writing, often referencing the television show 800 Words where a writer supports his family with weekly columns. Locke clarifies this isn't her reality, noting she certainly doesn't make enough from these 800 words to sustain three adults for a week.
Instead, she strategically saved her column earnings in a separate offset account, waiting for the perfect expenditure opportunity. That moment arrived earlier this year while traveling on winding Mexican roads in a small bus. Apart from deciding to give up tequila, she experienced an epiphany about her underutilised garage.
Her garage had become a "dumping ground for things I couldn't deal with in the immediate term" and had even attracted rats feeding on fallen olives from her tree. The space wasn't used for car storage because early morning departures triggered her dog's excessive barking, creating neighbourhood disruption.
From Rat-Infested Space to Dream Gym
Locke's Mexican bus inspiration evolved into converting the problematic garage into a fully-equipped gym. This wasn't just any basic garage conversion but a completely finished, rat-proof, air-conditioned fitness space that required ten months of work and multiple qualified tradespeople to complete.
The impressive setup includes a treadmill, multi-function Smith machine, pink neon sign reading "Get it done," kettle bells, and even a potted palm for atmosphere. Despite its professional appearance, several sceptics questioned whether she would use it regularly, with one person betting she wouldn't exercise there more than once weekly after six months.
Proving her doubters wrong, Locke now uses the gym every morning at 4am for 20 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill, supplemented by weight workouts at more conventional hours. She describes the experience as delivering "self-righteousness you get from exercising at 4am" and finds the smugness particularly gratifying.
As she celebrates sixteen years of connecting with readers through her column, this garage gym transformation represents both a personal achievement and a testament to the unexpected directions inspiration can take - even when it arrives on a bus in Mexico.
