The small coastal towns that inspired The Inspired Unless – realestate.com.au

Matt Ford and Jack Steele are the satirical duo behind The Inspired Uneloosen; known for parodying Australian culture and social media trends through their viral videos.

They traded their lives as tradies in 2019 to focus on comedy careers – a lucrative move so far. Many of the sketches they create are inspired by men they worked with on locations while living and working on the NSW south coast.

From Kiama to Gerringong and Minnamurra, Ford and Steele spent their childhood skating, surfing and hanging out with friends in these small towns where they remember everyone knows your name.

It’s where they saw surfing legend Kelly Slater hit the waves when they were 12 years old; and where media personality Eddie McGuire once inspected a house on the Minnamurra River.

“I remember riding past Eddie and being a little star because as a kid he was big with ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’,” Jack Steele remembers.

“I almost fainted in the water 30 feet away from Kelly Slater when I was 12,” said Matt Ford. “He spent a while surfing this way and everyone would wait at the parking garages to get a photo of him.”

Steele worked as a plasterer for nine years before taking the plunge into comedy full-time, while Ford was doing traditional work in the 2010s and was keen to find an inspiring way out of the rut.

“Our comedy definitely borrowed from the tradies we worked with, as well as our fathers and uncles,” Steele said.

“The Inspired Unless came to life in the workplace and parodied those we worked with – everyone is a character on the south coast of NSW, where we grew up, and they don’t take themselves too seriously,” he says.

Grew up on the South Coast

Matt Ford: I grew up in Gerringong, NSW and met Jack Steele when I was at Kiama High School. It was 10 minutes south, but it’s a fun time to hang out with friends before and after school. It was my first taste of leaving the nest, going to high school and feeling a little more independent.

Matt Ford grew up in the coastal town of Gerringong in NSW. Image: supplied

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The south coast is known for the beautiful beaches in the area: here the mountains meet the sea and many car commercials are filmed here. It’s a cruisy coastal town – my earliest memories are of surfing, going out for fish and chips with friends and then surfing again. I would ride a bike or skateboard anywhere – it’s the most beautiful place on earth.

Jack Steele: I lived in a beautiful coastal town 10 minutes north of Kiama called Minnamurra. Every weekend I saw my parents for breakfast and then again when it got dark. They asked no questions; it was a place where you could walk around freely. We surfed, skated and played a game called Knock & Run.

Jack Steele grew up in Minnamurra, a coastal town north of Kiama. Image: supplied

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The community here meant that barbecuing with your neighbors was a regular occurrence. It was a wholesome childhood experience. We did what we could to keep ourselves busy as kids. It was a sleepy town, but one where tourists liked to come for a relaxing weekend away.

Favorite places:

Mat: I lived at Jock’s Bakery in Gerringong. It was our local. As a teenager I spent a lot of time there, before and after school. Jock knew everyone’s name. Liz gave us free pink donuts every now and then. I grew up on a steady diet of meat pies and sausage rolls at Jock’s.

Jock (left) from Jock’s Bakery, which has now been taken over by Jason (right). Photo: Facebook / Gerringong Bakery

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The bakery has now been taken over by a new owner [Jason] who does everything he can to bring back the nostalgia to this place.

Jack: Kiama Downs Take-Away was my favorite activity as a child. They sold a selection of lollipops for just 20 cents. Every child went there.

A local character:

Jack: There was a local man called Phil sitting on a street corner near our house in Minnamurra. He built Paddle Pop baton clocks and tried to sell them. We would help him by giving him Paddle Pop sticks.

Minnamurra on the south west coast of NSW. Image: realestate.com.au

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Every local population knew him or had a story about him. We stopped often to sit and chat.

What is a favorite place now:

Matt and Jack: Jack’s Grill from Smith Street Foods in the Gerringong Hotel is highly recommended. It is the bistro attached to Cronin’s Gerringong Hotel. They have the best pub food. It hasn’t been renovated in years, but the food is what you’re looking for for a hearty meal.

You will also find us in the Kiama Pie Shop, where they make good Bahn mi.

No longer available:

Mat: I miss the BMX bike jumps that were demolished near the caravan park in Kiama. It was built by some misfits and we would love to go there as teenagers.

A young Matt Ford in Gerringong. Image: supplied

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Jack: Some of the paddocks we used to run around in are now new housing estates in Kiama. I also remember a great sushi place called Cactus in Kiama Downs, which I loved. But locals preferred cheap fish and chips. It broke my heart when it closed.

Jack Steele as a child. Image: supplied

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Now recommends:

Mat: The Hill Bar and Kitchen in Gerringong – owned by a family friend and we always order a chicken schnitzel or parmigiana from here.