Filming — "The Horses" Music Video (1991)
Sandbar Beach, on the shores of Smiths Lake on NSW's Mid-North Coast, holds a special place in Australian music history. It was here, in January 1991, that the iconic music video for Daryl Braithwaite's "The Horses" was filmed — one of the most beloved Australian songs of its era.
The song
‘The Horses’ was written by American artists Rickie Lee Jones and Walter Becker, and originally recorded by Jones on her 1989 album Flying Cowboys. Braithwaite's cover version appeared on his 1990 album Rise and was released as a single on 28 January 1991. It reached No. 1 on the Australian Singles Chart in May of that year and has since been certified decuple (ten-times) platinum by ARIA — one of the highest certifications ever awarded to an Australian single.
The filming
Filming at Sandbar Beach began at 4:30am on a scorching summer's day in January 1991. The video features Braithwaite running through the crystal-clear shallows of the lake's sandbar, filmed in part from a helicopter. The female vocals heard in the song were performed by New Zealand singer Margaret Urlich, who was unable to appear in the video due to other commitments; model Gillian Mather lip-synced her part on screen. Straight after filming wrapped, Braithwaite departed for a gig at St George Leagues Club in Sydney — sunburned and reportedly suffering from heatstroke. That's rock and roll.
The location
Sandbar Beach sits at the point where Smiths Lake meets the Pacific Ocean at Cellito Beach, roughly three hours north of Sydney. The name Sandbar refers to the sandy bar that forms naturally across the mouth of Smiths Lake — the very stretch of calm, crystal-clear water seen in the video. The lake's luminous quality and the surrounding natural beauty of the NSW Mid-North Coast give the clip its distinctive, sun-drenched warmth — a setting that has become as iconic as the song itself.
A timeline
28 January 1991 — Single released ’The Horses’ is released as a single from Braithwaite's album Rise.
May 1991 — No. 1 in Australia The song reaches the top of the Australian Singles Chart, where it remains one of the country's most enduring and best-loved recordings.
2001 and beyond — A life of its own The song becomes a staple of Australian pub culture, sporting events, and national occasions. By 2022 it had been certified decuple platinum by ARIA — equivalent to 700,000 sales — making it one of the highest-certified singles in Australian music history. Sandbar Beach, largely unknown before the clip, has since become a pilgrimage destination for fans of the song, drawing visitors from across the country.
"I would never have thought that 25 years down the track, 'The Horses' — a song that I heard quite by accident and then recorded — would be liked by so many people for so many different reasons. And for this I am eternally grateful." — Daryl Braithwaite, 2016
Sources: Wikipedia — The Horses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Horses · Pedestrian TV https://www.pedestrian.tv/music/video-clip-dissection-daryl-braithwaite-the-horses/ · Barrington Coast https://barringtoncoast.com.au/directory/sandbar-beach · Visit NSW https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/north-coast/forster-and-taree-area/pacific-palms/destination-information/sandbar. Content compiled for Villagefirst.