For someone who didn't do drama at school, 18 year old Gabrielle Scollay has come a long way.

'I danced my way through childhood', says Gabrielle, 'I did modern, contemporary, jazz and tap but I haven't danced in the last two years because I've been working.'

Gabrielle made the transition into acting after meeting an agent and scoring a role at 16 in Blue Water High as Amy Reed, she found jumping straight into it easier than she anticipated. 'Learning your lines I thought would be really hard and terrifying, but it wasn't really that hard… having people around you and a camera right there was a bit confronting, but a lot easier than I thought too.'

Gabrielle grew up in Foster on the central coast of NSW with two brothers, Tom and Joe, her parents, and Goldenboy, a much-loved long-haired Chihuahua cross cavalier who 'thinks he's a champion', says Gab.

She played plenty of sport like basketball and netball which she says was a result of growing up in a small town where there wasn't much to do. With three keen surfers in the family, they took plenty of holidays to Indonesia. 'I can surf, but very badly. I had to surf a bit in Blue Water High, so thank god we had surfing doubles!' she laughs.

Gab's sense of the world and its possibilities is remarkable for someone just starting out. Currently finishing year 12 through night classes at TAFE, eventually she would like to study social work at university.

'I would love to work with kids and would love to learn to understand them and the reasons behind why kids turn out the way they do these days. With the way the world's going at the moment, in my opinion, in such a wrong direction. I'd like to understand why, see how that happens and change it.'

And she agrees that along with the dramatic twists and turns for her character Tamsyn, the show also has storylines that address the bigger picture world, such as her mother's gambling addiction and child neglect. 'Yeah I think they do tackle alot of very up-to-date stuff, a lot of issues that are present in society at the moment and things that kids can relate to these days.'

But we're sure Hollywood will beckon for this talented girl at some stage and she does have aspirations in that department. 'I'd love to get into art house films. I think it's such a tricky industry to move your way into; you have to wait and see what happens. I don't think I'm ready for America quite yet, but I'd love to get there someday.'

In the little spare time she has Gab says she loves the beach, drawing, painting and reading. And movies too. Her favourite film? 'Little Miss Sunshine is my favourite film at the moment. I love that movie, it's great.'

So what's in store for Tam? Well she re-discovers a family connection in The Bay and takes a shine to Geoff, who is completely out of his depth with this attractive street wise young girl. Stay tuned for some great chemistry.