A walk in a leafy, peaceful suburb in regional New South Wales is, for these South African nationals, a far cry from the violence that has unfolded in their home country.
The group of expats find solace with each other as their loved ones are caught up in the unrest, triggered by the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma for failing to appear at a corruption inquiry.
Confronting images of ransacked shops, fiery main streets and destruction across the country have inundated Ms Chippendall and her friends' social media feeds over the past week.
She and her friends live in Coffs Harbour on the NSW Mid North Coast, which is home to a large community of South African expats.
Among them is Beverley Harper, whose parents — both in their 70s — are living in Emalahleni, where some of the rioting has occurred.
The country’s government has deployed more than 25,000 soldiers to try to quell the riots, which have left 212 dead so far.
For friend Michelle Collard, it is the worst violence she has seen in the nation.
"I've never seen South Africa as bad as what it is now."
Living in fear
Despite the ongoing conflict, Ms Harper says her father is continuing to work, meaning her mother is alone listening to the commotion in nearby streets.
"She was barricaded in the house," Ms Harper said.
"She was home alone and in fear of what was going on."
Ms Harper has been calling her parents daily to provide as much emotional support as possible from afar.
"It's extremely heartbreaking," she said.
Bunkering down, limited supplies
Fellow expat Mark McClurg has also been in regular contact with his friend Ryan Pembroke and others who are in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal province — one of the major rioting hotspots.
"It's pulling at the heartstrings — this is the country I grew up in."
He said some have chosen to isolate themselves in their homes.
"This was an unexpected protest and looting situation. People didn't have time to go and get food," Mr McClurg said.
"So now they’re bunkering down at home with limited food supplies."
Fuel in high demand
The violence has disrupted food and fuel supplies across the county and has left many — like Mr McClurg's friends who want to leave Durban — in precarious situations.
"The problem with the guys who want to get out is that there's no fuel and the very few places that are still selling fuel have kilometre-long queues," Mr McClurg said.
He said he felt "complete helplessness" despite his efforts to provide support from afar.
"It's hard. We're over here — it's a safe place, it's a safe country," he said.
"Maybe if we do that other governments can offer some kind of support."
President Cyril Ramaphosa said calm had been restored in the worst-affected areas of South Africa.
More than 2,500 people have been arrested for theft and vandalism as the country faces a clean-up bill expected to be in the billions of dollars.
