A publication we dig: The Summersite

Rachel Rocky Barnes on the the cover. Photo: Sybil Steele

Despite what the internet’s led you to believe, print’s not dead. It never will be. As we viciously glue to our pixelated devices, there’s still nothing quite like what you can hold in hand, feel the density, flip through high quality paper, glossy photographs, and decorate your coffee table with. We’re a psychical throng in a square-eye’d world. But, just as vinyl’s never been out of style, print won’t cease to exist… it’ll become a collector’s item, a means of inspiration.

Summersite’s an electric publication strewn with beautiful, sometimes scantily gals, travel, film, music and style. What’s not to like? A winning collab of genres and sex appeal keeps the world switched on. We love it racey, nude, dark and light hearted. The universe is meshing opposites and we crave such dichotomy.

Havana, Cuba. Photo: Elise Hassey

The maiden issue of Summersite’s print edition is fresh off the press, and is a 248 page book fit to sit next to that Stab gloriously decorating your coffee table. A year in the making, it features journey’s from their fave lifestyle producers and travel adventures. From Cuba, Bali, Namibia, Greece, Tasmania, Mex, Alice Springs, Byron Bay to Miami it’s love, sex, surf and gloss.

Mr Jon Laurenson is the cat behind Summersite Media, and this book is his garden-picked vision out of Byron Bay, NSW. This is not Jon’s first project, he headed sales for Arnette sunglasses in the late 90’s and co-founded Electric Visual in 2000 before moving into the fashion industry. He was the distributor for Poko Pano Bikinis, Brixton and continues his involvement in Vampirate Surfboards, Fallen Broken Street, The Anchor Bar Bondi and Komune at Keramas in Bali.

“With Summersite I wanted to provide a platform to develop the best up and coming creative producers along with the crew I’ve enjoyed working with over the years,” he says. For Jon, the magazine concept is an synthesis of every story he’s told, idea he’s fostered on his travels and the darling humans he’s connected throughout the way. “The purpose of this magazine is to inspire people to travel, get out of their own backyard and enjoy the moment and everything this crazy little world has to offer.”

Ed Triglone on the trigger. Photo: Tim Swallow

“I always had this kooky dream to be a magazine publisher – which seems a bit of a pipe dream in this era of digital media and the big shift of content to online platforms,” says Jon. “But print isn’t really dead.”

The contributors to this issue are: Caitlin Miers, Ming Nomchong, Lauren Hill, Carly Brown, Tim Swallow, Ed Triglone, Olive Cooke, Kane Skennar, Steve Baccon, Sam Nolan, Sybil Steele, Jess Ingram, Michelle Van Dijk, Leila Joy, John Respondek, Hayden O’Neill, Jack Bailey, Carl T Rosen, Elise Hassey and Justin Crawford.

You can get your hands on one right here.

Zoe Cross desert dwelling for Summersite, you want the rest of 

. Photo: David Houserman