Simon Groth
@simongroth.com
Curious writer. ‘Heartwarmingly blunt.’ New book ‘Ephemeral City’ is available now. Stories and ephemera published in a box that can be read in any order you like. simongroth.com
I couldn’t get the full chicken wings from the butcher so there aren’t any wing tip off cuts for madam. She’s quite put out. 🥺
November 30, 2025 at 8:03 AM
I couldn’t get the full chicken wings from the butcher so there aren’t any wing tip off cuts for madam. She’s quite put out. 🥺
Well at least I’m not alone.
November 29, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Well at least I’m not alone.
The Commissariat Store is one of the oldest buildings in the city, completed with convict labour in 1829, only four years after the establishment of the Moreton Bay settlement on the river.
November 29, 2025 at 4:12 AM
The Commissariat Store is one of the oldest buildings in the city, completed with convict labour in 1829, only four years after the establishment of the Moreton Bay settlement on the river.
Of course it was home to Turrbal and Yuggera people for millennia. They're still here and I acknowledge the elders and community whose depth of connection and knowledge is something I can only gesture towards. By the early 19th century it had become a British penal colony, with all that entails.
November 28, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Of course it was home to Turrbal and Yuggera people for millennia. They're still here and I acknowledge the elders and community whose depth of connection and knowledge is something I can only gesture towards. By the early 19th century it had become a British penal colony, with all that entails.
Only a few more weeks of the Ephemeral City boxed edition on sale before the price goes back up. www.simongroth.com/ephemeralcity
November 27, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Only a few more weeks of the Ephemeral City boxed edition on sale before the price goes back up. www.simongroth.com/ephemeralcity
The final scene of this story takes place during spontaneous celebrations on the announcement of peace in 1945. A lot of the background details (dancing on rooftops, singing, makeshift streamers) might seem a bit far fetched but are taken from contemporary accounts.
November 24, 2025 at 6:39 AM
The final scene of this story takes place during spontaneous celebrations on the announcement of peace in 1945. A lot of the background details (dancing on rooftops, singing, makeshift streamers) might seem a bit far fetched but are taken from contemporary accounts.
Combined two of my interests by making this cheesecake from a roughly 10th century Byzantine recipe. Pretty pleased with it.
November 23, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Combined two of my interests by making this cheesecake from a roughly 10th century Byzantine recipe. Pretty pleased with it.
Local resentment towards the Americans—better paid and equipped, exotic accents and customs, and the haughty attitude of the provost marshall—boiled over on 26 and 27 November 1942 in a riot between the nominally allied soldiers, an event dubbed ‘The Battle of Brisbane’.
November 21, 2025 at 5:40 AM
Local resentment towards the Americans—better paid and equipped, exotic accents and customs, and the haughty attitude of the provost marshall—boiled over on 26 and 27 November 1942 in a riot between the nominally allied soldiers, an event dubbed ‘The Battle of Brisbane’.
A peek behind the scenes when you order a book directly from me. I started wrapping books years ago to protect them in transit and my technique has since become something of a signature.
November 20, 2025 at 6:45 AM
A peek behind the scenes when you order a book directly from me. I started wrapping books years ago to protect them in transit and my technique has since become something of a signature.
Snack haul: Balkan Edition.
November 19, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Snack haul: Balkan Edition.
The story is set between 1942 and 1945, when Brisbane was headquarters for the Pacific theatre of the Second World War. The city saw a huge influx of US soldiers.
November 15, 2025 at 9:28 AM
The story is set between 1942 and 1945, when Brisbane was headquarters for the Pacific theatre of the Second World War. The city saw a huge influx of US soldiers.
Fun side note. I was in Dubrovnik yesterday and came across this. Never not be promoting your book, kids.
November 13, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Fun side note. I was in Dubrovnik yesterday and came across this. Never not be promoting your book, kids.
This is the actual newsletter from 1930 I used as the template for the newsletter ephemera in the book.
November 13, 2025 at 6:46 AM
This is the actual newsletter from 1930 I used as the template for the newsletter ephemera in the book.
Opening in May 1930, the Troc was also used for dance competitions and debutante balls.
November 13, 2025 at 6:42 AM
Opening in May 1930, the Troc was also used for dance competitions and debutante balls.
The Trocadero Dansant was a popular dancehall on Melbourne Street in South Brisbane. It provided a backdrop for scenes in my story set during the Second World War.
November 11, 2025 at 7:39 PM
The Trocadero Dansant was a popular dancehall on Melbourne Street in South Brisbane. It provided a backdrop for scenes in my story set during the Second World War.
Convincing you to read EPHEMERAL CITY by sharing the first sentence except there is no opening sentence so here’s an opening paragraph from one of the stories. It can be your first.
November 11, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Convincing you to read EPHEMERAL CITY by sharing the first sentence except there is no opening sentence so here’s an opening paragraph from one of the stories. It can be your first.
Not their best by a long shot but volume 2 is an excellent comp and extremely shoddy. One of my gateways when I was kid.
November 11, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Not their best by a long shot but volume 2 is an excellent comp and extremely shoddy. One of my gateways when I was kid.
The lake…oh the fir fringed lake…
November 9, 2025 at 10:40 AM
The lake…oh the fir fringed lake…
Brisbane is also a city of hills. Jacob’s Ladder is a steep public stairway that dates back to the 19th century and the site of the climactic scene in one of the stories. Fun side note, it was also the location for a ‘reliability’ advertising stunt for a locally made car called the Whippet.
November 9, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Brisbane is also a city of hills. Jacob’s Ladder is a steep public stairway that dates back to the 19th century and the site of the climactic scene in one of the stories. Fun side note, it was also the location for a ‘reliability’ advertising stunt for a locally made car called the Whippet.
Hard to believe this was nearly a decade and a half ago.
November 8, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Hard to believe this was nearly a decade and a half ago.
The book features floods in 1974 and in 2011. I wasn’t around for the first one, but I definitely was for the second. Here are some photos I took at the time.
November 8, 2025 at 4:19 PM
The book features floods in 1974 and in 2011. I wasn’t around for the first one, but I definitely was for the second. Here are some photos I took at the time.
This is what we mean with that whole “river with a city problem” thing.
November 6, 2025 at 4:42 AM
This is what we mean with that whole “river with a city problem” thing.
It's become a bit of a cliché to call Brisbane a river with a city problem. The river features in a few stories from Ephemeral City. One has a reference to people swimming in its water which was a thing that happened up until 1930s. How these people avoided currents and sharks I don’t know.
November 3, 2025 at 1:24 PM
It's become a bit of a cliché to call Brisbane a river with a city problem. The river features in a few stories from Ephemeral City. One has a reference to people swimming in its water which was a thing that happened up until 1930s. How these people avoided currents and sharks I don’t know.
I come from a family of railway workers. My grandfather was a station master and I've often said we don't have a family tree, we have family branch lines. So I had to get at least one reference in the book to the city's tram network, ripped up in the late 60s in a fit of misplaced futurism.
November 2, 2025 at 8:22 AM
I come from a family of railway workers. My grandfather was a station master and I've often said we don't have a family tree, we have family branch lines. So I had to get at least one reference in the book to the city's tram network, ripped up in the late 60s in a fit of misplaced futurism.