I was once a gardener, but now restrict myself to admiring the skill and dedication of people with far greener thumbs than I.
The Campbell Rhododendron Gardens at Blackheath, in the NSW Blue Mountains, is a vision splendid and a brilliantly colourful example of what can be achieved by passionate volunteers.
Join me for a gentle stroll up, down and around the paths of this floral fiesta.
Continue readingThe rain had eased to a few light sprinkles and the sun was doing its best to peek through the clouds. The grey start to the day didn’t worry us in the slightest as we knew we were about to start something very special.
Grab your hat and lace up your walking shoes, it’s time to head out on Day 1 of the Light to Light Walk.
Continue readingDespite what you may be thinking, I do actually work for a living, but when the opportunity arises to head out into the glorious Australian bush, I simply can’t resist. Even better when the walk delivers ocean views, Spring blooms and whale sightings.
Here are the Nuts and Bolts of the Light to Light Walk on the far South coast of New South Wales. It is a cracker!
Continue readingAt some ungodly hour of the night, I woke to hear the rain hammering on the tin roof of our hut. No amount of misplaced optimism on my behalf had been able to keep it away.
Oh well, time to break out the wet weather gear for our final day out on the Three Capes Track.
Continue readingHow lucky are we? We woke up to yet another gloriously sunny morning and, while a bit stiff, the legs were ready for another amazing day out on the Three Capes Track.
Let’s go….
Continue readingDespite a patchy night’s sleep (Yes, all those loud nocturnal noises from my fellow bunkhouse mates), we were all raring to go the next day. The morning was crystal clear and the bush looked so fresh and inviting, it was impossible to resist the call of the boardwalk snaking across the landscape.
Like frisky racehorses, we shot out of the barriers (well, off the verandas) ready to enjoy Day 2 of the Three Capes Track.
Continue readingWatching the rain teem down and spatter against the glass walls of the café at Port Arthur Historic site, I was wondering what I had got myself into. The Optimist in me kicked in though knowing that the weather forecast said that rain was clearing from 1pm. I am so much of an Optimist that I still believe the predictions of Weather Forecasters!
Grab your backpack (and raincoat), we are off on Day 1 of the Three Capes Track.
Continue readingYou and I are about to head off on a short-ish stroll and this one is an absolute stunner.
The weather gods smiled on us – most of the time – and it made for a glorious walking experience through the Australian bush and along some spectacular coastline.
Before we get too far down the track though, here is an introduction to the logistics of walking the Three Capes Track on the East coast of Tasmania.
Continue readingFeeling 95years old, with legs that simply refused to bend, I was starting to wonder when the ‘fun’ part of this ‘bushwalking for fun’ gig would actually kick in.
Instead, I just hoisted my backpack, pulled up my big girl panties and headed off for a decadently short day.
Is it my imagination? Or is it that Newcastle doesn’t seem to be getting closer?
Taking time to smell the flowers, it was Day 5 out on the Great North Walk.
Continue readingIsn’t it amazing how you think you can’t walk another step and then you wake up in the morning, ready to do it all over again?
I must be a slow learner.
Grab your hat, we are off on Day 4 of the Great North Walk from Sydney to Newcastle.
Continue readingWelcome back to the Great North Walk (GNW) Mach II.
It has taken a while to get back out onto the trail, but it has been worth the wait. It delivers equal parts physical challenge and outstanding beauty. It is also a bit unique for me in that I haven’t been able to walk the whole thing in one go – an approach that always appeals to my linear brain.
The wet weather on New South Wales’ East coast has meant damage to the trail continues to occur and parts are opened and closed with regular monotony. Maybe all these stops and starts are teaching me to be supremely flexible!
Fill up your water bottle, we are off on Day 3 of the Great North Walk, slowly working/walking our way from Sydney to Newcastle.
Continue readingSadly, my Bondi to Manly adventure is done and dusted. It is such a glorious experience with every stage of the walk delivering stunning views, intriguing history and a wonderful opportunity to get the heart rate, and daily step count, UP.
Here are my top tips for this must-do walk.
Continue readingAuthor: Bruce Chatwin
Promotional Blurb: The masterpiece of travel writing that revolutionized the genre and made its author famous overnight.
An exhilarating look at a place that still retains the exotic mystery of a far-off, unseen land, Bruce Chatwin’s exquisite account of his journey through Patagonia teems with evocative descriptions, remarkable bits of history, and unforgettable anecdotes. Fuelled by an unmistakable lust for life and adventure and a singular gift for storytelling, Chatwin treks through “the uttermost part of the earth” – that stretch of land at the southern tip of South America, where bandits were once made welcome – in search of almost-forgotten legends, the descendants of Welsh immigrants, and the log cabin built by Butch Cassidy.
An instant classic upon publication in 1977, In Patagonia is a masterpiece that has cast a long shadow upon the literary world. Source
Continue reading
Earlier this year I made a rather extravagant statement about 2022 being my “Year of Yes”. I wanted to publicly and privately rebel against the endless ‘No’ and negativity of the last couple of Covid-impacted years.
If nothing else, my plan was to consciously change my mindset from one constantly limited by circumstances beyond my control, to one where I actively sought out things (read: travel adventures big and small) that brought me joy. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I am one of those people who thrive on experiencing new landscapes, cultures and challenges. Yes, I have my homebody moments too, but I always need to have something interesting sitting on the horizon or pencilled onto my calendar.
Sometimes I wish I was more content to take each day as it comes rather than forever looking forward, however, looking forward and being positive is exactly what my Year of Yes is all about.
So, what has the first six months delivered?
Continue readingManly Beach is one of the best-known tourist destinations in Sydney, but Manly is so much more than one big name beach. Walking the Bondi to Manly path revealed Sydney to me and delivered more hidden coves and glorious beaches than I ever knew existed.
If you are after some sun, sea and sand, head to Manly and take your pick of eight different beaches – all within an easy 15-20minute walk of the Manly Wharf.
Grab your sunnies, towel and sunscreen – we are off to absorb some Vitamin Sea.
Continue readingI have been off the beaten track quite a few times in my life, but rarely have I experienced being so far ‘off’ that there is scarcely a track at all. What an adventure!
The Pipeline Track is a rather uninspiring name for a walk. Don’t be fooled. This path delivers breath-taking views of soaring sandstone cliffs plunging down into hidden valleys and breath-taking climbs to match.
Let’s go…
Continue readingAlas, today is the last day exploring the Bondi to Manly path. It has taken a while to find a window in the timetable to slot in this final glorious stroll and, perhaps, a small part of me was reluctant for it all to be over.
Grab your hat and water bottle, we are off for a short stroll around the North Head of Sydney Harbour.
Continue readingThe sun shone brightly and the thermometer topped out at 28°C. Autumn? What’s Autumn?
It was too hot for bushwalking for this happy wanderer, but once I commit to a path it is simply a matter of one foot in front of the other.
Fill up your water bottle, we are off on Day 2 of the Great North Walk.
Continue readingDon’t you love it when a plan comes together? You do all the research, fill out the spreadsheets and lay out your gear all over the floor, weighing every item.
And then the perfectly planned plan falls over!
Yes, my 15-day Great North Walk adventure was turned on its head when, at the last minute as I was starting to stuff gear into my backpack, I thought I should check the National Parks and Wildlife (NPWS) website for any alerts. And, you guessed it, wherever I looked and in letters writ large was ‘Great North Walk – CLOSED’!
The endless excessive rain that the East coast of NSW has experienced the last couple of months has created landslips, felled trees and generally made the path impassable. Bugger! Back to the drawing board.
With a little more research, I found I could walk the early stages through Sydney’s suburbs and that became my much-shortened Plan B.
Enjoy Day 1 of the Great North Walk.
Continue readingThe Mid North Coast of NSW is a favourite escape destination for us. It has a bit of everything to offer, with a heavy emphasis on long white beaches and laidback vibes.
What it also has is a large range of national parks with walking trails for all interest and abilities.
It was high time to kick myself out of my sloth and go for a wee wander in the Booti Booti National Park.
Continue readingThe days are getting shorter and the sun is starting to lose its bite. Staring out my window, tinges of red and orange edge the trees…ahh, it really is looking a lot like Autumn.
The Blue Mountains in New South Wales is a gorgeous destination at any time of the year, but never more so than when all the deciduous trees are aflame with Autumn colours. As I just so happened to be driving past the turnoff to the Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens, it was an easy decision to turn right, park the car and wander a while.
Come walk with me through … the Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens Mt Tomah.
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Hiking the Great Ocean Walk (GOW) was an amazing experience. Full stop!
It was not easy and I am the first to admit that it was much more physically demanding than I expected. That doesn’t mean it is not worth doing, it just means that you need equal amounts of solid training, packing preparation and gritty determination.
Seriously steep climbs and heartbreakingly soft sand provided endless challenge, but Oh, the beauty. Wherever you gaze is a scenic wonder and most of that landscape can only be accessed on foot. A fair reward for all that effort.
Don’t let me put you off. This is a true adventure and here are my Top Tips for the Great Ocean Walk…
Continue readingMy feet had wings this morning as I set out on the very final stage of the Great Ocean Walk. I was filled with anticipation to finally see the famous Twelve Apostles in all their glory AND I had swapped my +16kg backpack for a featherlight daypack. Bliss!
I started walking just after 7am and it was cool and dark with heavy clouds. It felt like the path was all mine as I scooted the final stretch westwards.
Continue readingThe first part of our day was rated ‘Hard’ and I was bit apprehensive about how we would handle it as we were planning to walk the hard section plus 8km of the next easy stage. So, I pulled up my ‘big girl’ panties (or compression shorts) and stayed focus on the fact that tonight I would be stepping into a blissful shower and sliding into a real, live bed! Heaven!
Pack covers on and off we strolled in the misty early morning light.
Continue readingWe were determined not to repeat yesterday’s mistake (getting caught walking in the heat) and we were out of bed, and packing in the dim, early morning light. It is weird how it gets light so much later in southern Victoria. Thank goodness for head lamps.
Overnight we had made good use of the campsite shelter and left our packs, shoes and all our gear (except food) inside to avoid any dampness. Ah, the joys of having a campsite all to ourselves.
Yesterday we passed the halfway point…all downhill from here! 😊
Continue readingThe one good thing about finishing the day climbing up and camping at the top of a steep hill is that theoretically you do not have to face that climb first thing the next day…or that is the theory anyway. Theories can always be tested and proven wrong.
Today was our first normal day i.e. one stage per day. We were determined to have a leisurely start and savoured having the entire campsite to ourselves. We learnt though that starting late means that you lose some of the precious cool hours.
Continue readingThe body creaked and groaned this morning as I rolled over onto my back and contemplated the ceiling of the tent, and the day ahead. Slowly stretching out my legs, back and shoulders, I checked for sore spots, strains and sprains, but luckily everything was in order and nothing out of place.
The sun was rising and it was time to get up and get on with the day’s double-stage walk.
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After thinking, dreaming and planning for so long, it was exciting to step out on our first real adventure for 2022. The wind buffeted us as we walked away from the protection of Apollo Bay township and the sand, whipped up off the beach, stinging our legs and arms. Loving the early morning views over the beach, the wind gusts hit out fully loaded (overloaded?) backpacks and we stepped sideways grappling with our hiking poles to remain upright.
Our Great Ocean Walk was underway!
Continue readingA few weeks ago I shared an overview of the Great North Walk – a +260km path from Sydney to Newcastle on Australia’s East coast. After a fair bit of reading, researching and scheming, it’s time to share my plan of attack.
Do you have any tips or tricks? Wisdom to share?
Even if you haven’t walked this route before, I welcome any do’s and don’ts when it comes to long hikes through the bush.
Continue readingBy now you may be well aware that I don’t mind a walk when the opportunity presents itself. Even better if the walk is through the Aussie bush and it is a path I have been meaning to explore for years.
When I was a kid, our family were keen waterskiers and we would regularly make the weekend pilgrimage to Burrendong Dam near Wellington in Central West NSW. The road would take us through Wellington, past Mt Arthur and its surrounding hills. Yes, I could have spent the journey admiring the scenery, but more likely I was jumping out of my skin with the thoughts of the day ahead filled with skiing and generally frolicking in the water.
Much time has passed since those days and now it’s high time we make Mt Arthur our destination, exploring the rough beauty of the Aussie bush.
Continue readingTo continue my Year of Adventure theme, I am delighted to share with you a little-known walk that delivers an amazing blend of city hustle, harbour views, and a dose of suburbia, before it launches off into wild and pristine Australian bush, past hidden rivers, then lurching back into suburbia and swamping you with glorious ocean views.
Phew! What is this walk that includes a bit of everything?
Welcome to…The Great North Walk.
Continue readingI really do not like cooking.
When you think about it, it is the most pointless exercise. You cook, usually making a huge mess at the time, you clean up, you eat, and bugger me, if a short time later, you have to start cooking all over again.
Where is the fun in that?
My idea of fun is going for a nice long stroll in the bush. The flaw in my plan is that you need food to fuel that nice long stroll. When there are no cafes or restaurants within cooee it means I need to plan ahead.
So here is my very first attempt at dehydrating meals in preparation for our 6-day Great Ocean Walk adventure.
Voila! A very gruesome looking Spaghetti Bolognaise.
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Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that bring the most joy. A stroll in the sunshine through historic streets with your significant other is hard to beat. Our ‘built’ history in Australia is relatively new in comparison to many other places around the world, but it is still fascinating to us Aussies and provides an excellent insight into our times past.
Join me for a gentle stroll along the goldrush-era streets of Hill End.
Continue readingIt has been way too long between adventures AND blog posts. Covid19 clipped my wings so severely last year that I simply had to stay home in lockdown and I completely lost my blogging mojo.
I have now decided that 2022 is going to be a year of domestic adventures and my Year of ‘Yes’. There has been far too much ‘No’ over the past two years (‘No, you can’t do that – No, you can’t leave home – No, your plan has been cancelled’) and that has to change.
So, it is Yes to adventure, Yes to positivity and Yes to new challenges.
Both large and mini-adventures are in the wind, and in the short-term one of the mini ones is a stroll, or more like a clamber, along the Great Ocean Walk trail.
Grab your backpack and your tent, we are off again AT LAST!
Continue readingBook Title: Sahara – A Journey of Love, Loss and Survival
Author: Paula Constant
Promotional Blurb: A journey of love, loss and survival.
Having walked more than 5000 kilometres from Trafalgar Square to Morocco, Paula Constant finds herself at the westernmost edge of the Sahara Desert – and the brink of sanity. The wheels have fallen off her marriage and her funds are quickly drying up, but she is determined to complete the second stage: walking through the romantic Big Empty of Northern Africa to Cairo.
Sahara is the story of Paula’s struggle to overcome her innermost demons and take control of her journey, her camels and the men she hires to guide her through one of planet’s most extreme regions. Illness, landmines and political red tape stand between Paula and the realisation of a life’s dream.
Sahara is a thrilling adventure and a story of joy, heartache, inspiration and despair. But, above all, it’s a celebration of the human spirit in all its guises. Source.
Continue readingSome people insist on 5-star travel with the plushest of towels, king-sized beds and endless hot water in palatial bathrooms.
Others seek adventure under a million stars, rather than just five.
We were driven by a sense of desperation and urgency so our choice of accommodation was slightly different and pretty much out of our control.
Here are five very different accommodation options, all without gourmet room service!
Continue readingFollowing on from my Bibbulmun Track Overview post of a couple of weeks ago, I am starting to firm up my walking plans and I am not afraid to admit that I am a little overwhelmed by the scale of this adventure.
Yes, I have walked 1000’s of kilometres across Spain, Portugal and Italy, but this stroll in the Aussie bush is a whole new kettle of fish or 18kg backpack.
Can you help me?
Continue readingI can honestly say I have rarely used the words swimming and sharks in the same sentence. Living over four hours drive from the ocean, I see it infrequently and have even less desire to swim, or even contemplate being, in the same water as a shark.
So what possessed me to change my trusted approach/policy when I reached Western Australia?
Continue readingI am just a wee bit excited. After being locked down and locked in Australia for the past +18 months, I finally have an epic adventure on the horizon.
And it’s BIG!
Grab your backpack, tent, sleeping bag, dehydrated meals, maps and muesli bars, we are off on the Bibbulmun Track.
Continue readingRottnest Island is a little gem sitting just off the coast of Perth, Western Australia. At just 19km² it is only tiny in size, but it punches well above its weight with so much to see and do. And who would have thought there would be so many ways to explore its highlights?
Grab your walking shoes, cycling shoes, paddles, lifejacket, swimmers and camera, we’re off to see Rottnest Island.
Continue readingAuthor: Kate Harris
Promotional Blurb: As a teenager, Kate Harris realized that the career she most craved – that of a generalist explorer, equal parts swashbuckler and metaphysician – had gone extinct. From her small-town home in Ontario, it seemed as if Marco Polo, Magellan and their like had long ago mapped the whole earth. So she vowed to become a scientist and go to Mars.
Well along this path, Harris set off by bicycle down a short section of the fabled Silk Road with her childhood friend Mel Yule. This trip was just a simulacrum of exploration, she thought, not the thing itself – a little adventure to pass the time until she could launch for outer space. But somewhere in between sneaking illegally across Tibet, studying the history of science and exploration at Oxford, and staring down a microscope for a doctorate at MIT, she realized that an explorer, in any day and age, is by definition the kind of person who refuses to live between the lines. Forget charting maps, naming peaks, leaving footprints on another planet: what she yearned for was the feeling of soaring completely out of bounds. And where she’d felt that most intensely was on a bicycle, on a bygone trading route. So Harris quit the laboratory and hit the Silk Road again with Yule, this time determined to bike it from beginning to end.
Weaving adventure and deep reflection with the history of science and exploration, Lands of Lost Borders explores the nature of limits and the wildness of a world that, like the self and like the stars, can never be fully mapped. Source.
Continue readingThe adventure through Karijini National Park continues and instead of scrambling, down, down, down into gorgeous gorges, today I am taking you on a scramble up, up, up to the very top of Punurrunha or Mt Bruce.
Grab your water bottle, slap on your hat and slop on some sunscreen. We are off to scramble up a bloody great hill…
Continue readingI have noticed a bit of trend over the last 35 years or so with major revamps underway in big cities all around the World.
Perhaps it takes a few bureaucrats or planners who can see past the industrial buildings, the rundown and seedy infrastructure, and picture a public space that is both beautiful and functional. Elizabeth Quay is just one small example of this visionary approach.
It’s a beautiful day, let’s go for a stroll down to the water.
Continue readingGrab your swimming gear and lace up your walking shoes (yes, the swimmers/hiking boots combo is a good look), today we are heading down into Kalamina Gorge.
Continue readingMy belly was full of a big breakfast, a bucket of caffeine was coursing through my veins and the sun was shining
Life does not get better, unless you are surrounded by elegant architecture, fascinating stories and it’s all set in an historic neighbourhood.
Join me for a stroll around the streets of Fremantle.
Continue readingA visit to a prison may not be high on everyone’s travel bucket list, but when it is an old prison, full of interesting stories, beautiful architecture and colourful characters then that is enough to push prisons to the top of my ‘must do/must see’ list.
Welcome to the Fremantle Prison…
Continue readingAuthor: Alastair Humphreys
Promotional Blurb: Seasoned adventurer Alastair Humphreys pushes himself to his very limits – busking his way across Spain with a violin he can barely play.
In 1935 a young Englishman named Laurie Lee arrived in Spain. He had never been overseas; had hardly even left the quiet village he grew up in. His idea was to walk through the country, earning money for food by playing his violin in bars and plazas.
Nearly a century later, the book Laurie Lee wrote – As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning – inspired Alastair Humphreys. It made him fall in love with Spain – the landscapes and the spirit – and with Laurie’s style of travel. He travelled slow, lived simply, slept on hilltops, relished spontaneity, and loved conversations with the different people he met along the hot and dusty road.
For 15 years, Alastair dreamed of retracing Laurie Lee’s footsteps, but could never get past the hurdle of being distinctly unmusical. This year, he decided to go anyway. The journey was his most terrifying yet, risking failure and humiliation every day, and finding himself truly vulnerable to the rhythms of the road and of his own life. But along the way, he found humility, redemption and triumph. Source
Continue readingAuthor: Sarah Marquis
Promotional Blurb:The epic story of one woman’s 16,000 kilometre, three year trek from Siberia to Australia.
Not since Cheryl Strayed’s Wild has there been such a powerful epic adventure by a woman alone.
In Wild by Nature, Sarah Marquis, a National Geographic Explorer, recounts her extraordinary solo hike that took her literally from one end of the planet to the other. Over 1000 days and nights she journeyed through six countries, starting in Siberia and finishing up at a place of special significance for her – a small tree standing alone in the vastness of the Nullarbor Plain in South Australia.
Walking for three years, Sarah overcame almost insurmountable odds to reach her final goal, surviving Mongolian thieves on horseback who harassed her tent every night for weeks, heavily armed drug smugglers in the Golden Triangle, temperatures from subzero to scorching, lethal wildlife, a dengue fever delirium in the Laos jungle, tropical ringworm in northern Thailand, dehydration and a life-threatening abscess.
Sarah’s story is an incredible record of adventure, human ingenuity, persistence and resilience that shows firsthand what it is to journey as a woman in some of the most dangerous and inhospitable regions on the planet, as well as some of the most beautiful, and what it is like to be truly alone in the wild. Source.
At last I had the time, energy, and the restrictions of Covid19 were staring to relax, to once again set out on the glorious Bondi to Manly path. So far I had only completed three of the eight stages and it was not calling my name, it was screaming it at full volume!
In the 12 months since I walked the early sections, major changes have been made. New signs popped up at regular intervals and a new app helped keep me on track if/when I became distracted by the beautiful scenery or the signs were not where I expected them to be.
Grab your hat and water bottle, and let’s enjoy some more stunning Sydney sights…
Continue readingI like to think I am a bit of a history buff and know my hometown well, but my illusions were shattered when I joined the Mudgee Heritage Walking Tour.
What wasn’t shattered was my love for my hometown, a little slice of rural NSW paradise.
Join me for a relaxed wander around the historical streets of Mudgee.
Continue readingAuthor: Raynor Winn
Promotional Blurb: The uplifting true story. A Sunday Times bestseller, shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize.
The story of the couple who lost everything and embarked on a journey, not of escape, but salvation. Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, the couple lose their home and their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset via Devon and Cornwall.
They have almost no money for food or shelter and must carry only the essentials for survival on their backs as they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea and sky. Yet through every step, every encounter, and every test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable journey.
The Salt Path is an unflinchingly honest, inspiring and life-affirming true story of coming to terms with grief and the healing power of the natural world. Ultimately, it is a portrayal of home, and how it can be lost, rebuilt and rediscovered in the most unexpected ways. Source
Continue readingFriday nights in our household are usually pretty relaxed with a few snacks and a cold beverage in hand to toast the end of the week. Going for a twilight paddle on a mild Friday night at Dunn’s Swamp adds a whole new dimension to the concept of relaxation.
Clip on your life jacket and grab your paddle, we are about to head down the creek…
Continue readingThis post follows on from a previous post describing the equally fascinating subject matter and photographic skill of the 2020 National Photographic Portrait Prize.
Right next door to the dazzling photographic portraits is the Darling Portrait Prize.
When too many portraits are never enough? Gaze on…
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I don’t watch a lot of television, but even I can’t avoid the regular advertisements for the Australian soap opera, Home & Away.
Little did I know as I strolled around the far northern-Sydney suburb of Palm Beach that I was actually walking into Summer Bay and onto the set of Home & Away.
The things you see on an early morning walk…
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Well, who would have thought it? Here we are ten months down the Covid19 track and the World is still in a holding pattern.
I put my hand up and admit to being one of those ‘Pollyanna’-types, at the start I was thinking that it would all be over in a couple of months and we would be back traveling and adventuring in no time. But, No.
It has been a year of travel sadness, disappointment and frustration. As much as I tried to rationalise this in my little brain that it:
I still couldn’t help but grieve for what could have been.
So, what did travel in 2020 look like? And will we ever be able to travel internationally again?
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Lunch is my favourite meal of the day. Well, to be perfectly honest, every meal is my favourite meal of the day.
However, if it is lunchtime, nothing is better than lunch with glorious water views. Even better if you have to travel to lunch by boat with your head full of sea breeze and salty air. An excellent way to stimulate the appetite, as if that ever needs stimulating!?
Here…grab a chair, sit down, tuck in your serviette and let’s have some lunch and a wine or two in the tiny seaside village of Patonga.
Where’s Patonga? I hear you ask…
Continue readingBook Title: I’ll Push You
Author: Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck
Promotional Blurb: Two best friends, 500 miles, one wheelchair, and the challenge of a lifetime.
Friendship takes on new meaning in this true story of Justin and Patrick, born less than two days apart in the same hospital. Best friends their whole lives, they grew up together, went to school together, and were best man in each other’s weddings. When Justin was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disease that robbed him of the use of his arms and legs, Patrick was there, helping to feed and care for him in ways he’d never imagined. Determined to live life to the fullest, the friends refused to give into despair or let physical limitations control what was possible for Justin.
So when Justin heard about the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile trek through Spain, he wondered aloud to Patrick whether the two of them could ever do it. Patrick’s immediate response was, “I’ll push you”.
I’ll Push You is the real-life story of this incredible journey. A travel adventure full of love, humour, and spiritual truth, it exemplifies what every friendship is meant to be and shows what it means to never find yourself alone. You’ll discover how love and faith can push past all limits and make us the best versions of ourselves. Source
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I am taking you on a very short walk today, but it still packs a punch. Or perhaps that should be, jumpstarts the ol’ ticker!
Lace up your sneakers and let’s head out into the early morning light, stepping out on the path up to the very top of Tomaree Head.
Puff, pant, puff, pant…
Continue readingCanberra is a museum mecca. The Australian War Memorial, National Museum of Australia, the Royal Australian Mint, Museum of Australian Democracy and endless galleries will keep your brain active, mind boggled AND locked inside!
It’s time to get outside into the fresh air and explore Canberra on two wheels. A ride around Lake Burley Griffin, the centrepiece of Canberra, is just the ticket.
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Growing up and going to school in Australia, the version of history we were fed was very English and very white. And that is just what we were expecting when we strolled into the Endeavour Exhibition – more of the same.
How wrong could we be?
It was about time that we received a more rounded version of our history and it was no less fascinating.
I am a happy snapper from way back and one of those terribly over-organised people who dutifully have my photos printed and then neatly insert them into real, live photo albums.
Yes, how incredibly old-fashioned!
With my amateur interest in photography, a trip to the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra was an easy choice.
Snap!
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Following on from yesterday, today we continue our bracing stroll along the Kiama coastline. It’s a walk that just keeps on delivering stunning views and makes you glad to be alive.
Slap on your sunscreen, fill up your water bottle and walk with me…
Do you need a dose of the freshest air to blow the cobwebs and negative thoughts out of your brain?
Do you need breathtaking scenery with beauty at every turn and rise?
Do you want to fall in love with ‘your’ new architecturally-designed coast shack with sweeping sea views?
If you said ‘Yes’ to even only one of those questions, you need to tie on your walking shoes and get yourself to Kiama on the New South Wales South Coast.
It is a stunner…
Continue readingIt is probably rare to read the words ‘giggle’ and ‘museum’ in the same sentence, but not if you visit the Behind the Lines cartoon exhibition at the Museum of Australian Democracy in Canberra.
This Museum, housed in Old Parliament House, hosts an annual best of political cartoons exhibition. The theme this year is ‘The Greatest Hits Tour’ with a not-so-subtle nod towards our Federal election held early last year.
No one and nothing is safe from the acid wit flowing out of the cartoonist’s pen and I am so pleased about that…
Enjoy the cartoons below and feel free to giggle!
Not only does David Walsh’s Museum of Old + New Art contain a stunning collection of beautiful, clever, witty and sometimes shocking artworks, it is also an architectural masterpiece in its own right.
Its imposing façade is full of strong steel and rugged sandstone contrasts neatly with plantings of hardy native plants.
Let’s have a look…
On the 25th of April every year, Australia pauses to commemorate ANZAC Day. This day takes the form of memorial services at the Cenotaph in every small town and village across the country, with very large and well-supported parades in our major cities.
An important part of the annual ceremony is the playing of The Last Post. A haunting bugle solo that never fails to bring chills and goose bumps.
Unlike once-a-year ANZAC Day, The Last Post Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra is held every afternoon and, in my humble opinion, it is a must-do activity for every Aussie.
I had heard a little about the Last Post Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) and when planning a visit to Canberra, it was high on my list of things to do. Unfortunately, even though I was booking two weeks ahead, it was already booked out. Bugger!
Booking tickets prior to visiting is now required for all parts of the AWM. I even rang the AWM to see if I could beg a ticket, but no joy and they advised that we would just have try to our luck on the day. Oh well, not to worry. There would be plenty of other things to see and do.
After three hours of military history, death, destruction and a few small doses of humour we were just about overwhelmed with the whole AWM experience. As we headed across the empty grounds and towards the carpark, it was nearing the time of the Last Post Ceremony, and I suggested to The Husband that we should try our luck and check if they could squeeze us in.
We were rewarded with a warm welcome and ushered back through the doors of the main AWM building and into the Commemorative Area.
The Commemorative Area is often seen in promotional images for the AWM. It is a large open courtyard with a ‘pool of reflection’ running lengthways along the courtyard floor and overlooked by two long, arched verandas. These verandas are home to a seemingly endless Roll of Honour listing the names of 102 000 soldiers and service people who represented Australia and lost their lives in over 100 years of conflict. It was incredibly sobering to walk and read the names knowing that each bronze name represents a heartbeat and a life cut far too short.
Where the bronze alphabetical panels join each other there is small crack and friends and family are welcome to insert a small poppy next to the name of the person who is significant to them. The scarlet poppies add a brilliant flash of colour amongst the sadness.
As we slowly walked and read, letting the sheer volume of names sink in, I noticed a lady in tears as she tried to explain to her young son the seriousness and significance of all the poppies. I dug into the bottom of my handbag and gave her a packet of tissues. Probably not a 100% Covid19-safe action, but she appreciated it.
But, back to the Last Post Ceremony…
The Last Post Ceremony is the final activity held at the AWM before the close of each day and it is both solemn and powerful. I am getting goose bumps just writing about it many weeks later.
The light was fading and the air was taking on that early evening cool that gets into your bones as a respectful hush fell over the small (and well-spaced) crowd. The Master of Ceremonies stepped up to the podium, welcomed us all and acknowledged any returned service people in the audience.
Four wreaths were then laid at the end of the pool of reflection and a bagpiper accompanied the laying of the wreaths. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, bagpipes have a plaintiveness about them that makes everyone pause.
Colonel Frank Colley saluted and read out the story of Private William Charles Pinneger Brown. At each Last Post Ceremony a service person’s life is featured, bringing an immediate human touch to the event and ensures the audience focuses on the people of the war, rather than the guns, tanks and planes.
Private William Charles Pinneger Brown was born in 1885 in Adelaide, South Australia. Before enlisting in the 10th battalion of the Australian Imperial Force in May 1916, he was a carpenter, married to Ethel with a couple of young children. In December 1916 he joined the 27th battalion in the trenches of France, only to be killed a little over four months later by an artillery shell. He was only 31 years old. Although it was recorded that he died at Bullecourt, his grave has never been located due to the tumult of a moving battlefront and destruction caused by constant bombardment.
Private Brown was one 62 000 Australians who died during World War 1. That’s a pretty powerful number when you consider that Australia’s population in 1918 (by the end of the War) was only around 4.9million. A further 156 000 people were wounded, gassed or taken prisoner during the war.
The Ceremony then moved on the Ode. The Ode comes from For the Fallen, a poem by the English poet and writer Laurence Binyon.
“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”
You could have heard a pin drop…except for a pair of larrikin white cockatoos who chose that moment to dive bomb the ceremony and generally create a raucous racket, screeching and squawking as they wheeled above our heads. I couldn’t help but smile at the Australianess of this and our endless desire to poke fun and not take ourselves too seriously. (I note that in the YouTube clip of this ceremony, the cockatoos have been completely edited out!)
A lone bugler stood to attention at the edge of the courtyard and played the forlorn Last Post. A moving and fitting end to the Ceremony. As the last echoes resounded around the verandas, the piper and dignitaries turned and walked into the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the doors closed solemnly behind them.
What a powerful way to end a visit to the AWM.
Maybe war and military history is not your thing and I understand that completely. Can I recommend that you skip all the displays and body counts, touch screens and dioramas in the AWM itself, and just attend the Last Post Ceremony?
It is a must-do activity and a fitting way to remember those who have served our country – past AND present.
Lest we forget.
The Basics
What: It is possible to have your own family member recognised at the Last Post Ceremony. Simply lodge a request on their website. Be prepared to wait though, as it may take up to three years for your soldier’s turn to come around. You can also lay a wreath during the Ceremony itself. When you arrive, see one of the ushers and they will tell you whether all the positions have been filled. You do not need to be a family member to participate and they provide the wreaths.
Where: Treloar Crescent, Campbell (a suburb of Canberra).
When: The Ceremony runs for around 20 minutes and starts at 455pm. Book your ticket here.
Why: To pay homage to those who made it possible for us to live in freedom and in peace.
How: We stayed at the Quest City Walk right in the heart of Canberra. The location was perfect with easy walking distance to lots of restaurants and shops. We booked via AirBnB and at $139, it was very good value. (As an Airbnb Associate, I earn a small commission when you book through this link and it doesn’t cost you anything extra.)
Who: All Australians – young and old.
Related Posts: For more information about what else to see at the AWM. Read on.
Related Blogs: If you can’t make it in person to Canberra, then watch the Last Post Ceremony broadcast live everyday on the AWM YouTube channel or Facebook page.
Read About It: For an interesting and heart-breaking read about a soldier in World War 1, grab a copy of Crack Hardy by Stephen Dando-Collins. The story relates to Dando-Collins’ great uncles who enlisted in WW1 and none were unchanged by the experience. Highly recommended. Go straight to Book Depository.
#canberra #travelinspo #anzac #australianwarmemorial #worldwarone #thelastpost #militaryhistory #rememberance #redpoppies
Book Title: Bewildered
Author: Laura Waters
Promotional Blurb: What would move you to ditch your life and take off into the wild for five months? For Laura Waters, it took the implosion of a toxic relationship and a crippling bout of anxiety.
Armed with maps, a compass and her life in a bag on her back, she set out to walk the untamed landscapes of the Te Araroa trail in New Zealand, 3000 kilometres of raw, wild, mountainous trail winding from the top of the North Island to the frosty tip of the South Island. But when her walking partner dropped out on the second day, she was faced with a choice: abandon the journey, or face her fears and continue on alone? She chose to walk on.
For five months, Laura battled not only treacherous terrain and elements, but also the demons of self-doubt and anxiety. As the kilometres fell behind her, nature did its work, stripping away her identity and guiding her towards a new way of being. At the end of Te Araroa, it was the hard-earned insights into the power of nature, emotional wellbeing and fulfilling relationships – with others as well as with herself – that were Laura’s greatest accomplishments. She emerged ‘rewilded’, and it transformed her life. Source
The artworks and art installations at the Museum of Old + New Art (Mona) are as varied as they are clever and shocking.
Modern Art may not be everyone’s art of choice, but it is pretty darn fascinating to think that a human brain can generate such wild and thought-provoking pieces.
In this post, mostly photos, I want to share the people of Mona including some examples of how humans, and their bodily functions, are represented in art.
Beware: there are some images below which may cause offence.
It is time for me to don the black skivvy, slide on the intellectual-looking glasses, and assume my movie-reviewer persona. Definitely not a hard transition to make when today’s movie review relates to walking a camino in Spain.
Grab a cuppa and a couple of chocolate biscuits (you’ll need some energy for all that walking).
Pull up your comfy chair, sit back and relax, and step out into the Spanish countryside….
Friday night free-to-air television viewing in Australia features the usual reality TV shows, football or cricket matches (depending on the season) and endless repeats of American sitcoms and B-grade movies. The only bright spot for the horticulturally-inclined is Gardening Australia on ABC TV.
I do admit to finding these and other home/lifestyle shows to be incredibly frustrating as everything is so effortless and perfect. I can assure you there is nothing perfect about my house and garden and it takes a fair bit of effort to even achieve an imperfect state.
Despite that, I do admire the conversation generated by Gardening Australia, especially around the importance of backyard vegetable gardens and fruit orchards. Hence my desire to visit Pete’s Patch, also known as the Tasmanian Community Food Garden, at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens.
I have enjoyed a couple of work-related flying visits to the iconic outback village of Silverton and when the opportunity arose to return as a ‘proper’ tourist, I couldn’t resist.
Even though Silverton is tiny and officially in the Middle of Nowhere, it delivers history, scenery and serenity in spades.
The popularity of walking a camino has gone through the roof over the past five years or so.
What is it, you may ask, and what is the attraction?
In this post I want to tell the camino story. The Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of the crazy passion for tying on your walking shoes, pulling on a backpack and strolling across Spain.
I know boat trips and cruises aren’t everyone’s thing, but in my humble opinion, there is no better way to blow the cobwebs out than to scoot down the stunning Tasman coastline, with the sea air pummelling your senses under sparkling blue skies.
Come with me as I step aboard a Pennicott Wilderness Journeys boat for a truly remarkable day out.
I was tempted to call this post “All You Need to Know About Walking the Italian Via Francigena”. However as we are all individuals, no doubt we all have quite different experiences of walking 1000km through Italy. Instead, this post has a more modest title.
Modesty aside, what I hope this post does achieve is a comprehensive summary of the planning, the actual experience on a day-to-day basis, and then the obligatory post-walk reflections. I also hope it saves you a bit of legwork as you tackle you own planning.
Ciao…
Apologies. That is a very deceptive title.
I wish I had enjoyed a quick trip to the snowy Antarctic.
Instead, I stepped through a set of vacuum-sealed doors into the fascinating Subantarctic Plant House at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens.
I don’t know about you, but when I picture subantarctic anything the last thing I think about is plant life. All I imagine is endless snow, blasting wind and horizontal sleet. But, No.
There’s a whole lot of mythology out there about walking a camino in Spain.
To you, it may appear to be an attractive romantic notion – out there strolling across the Spanish countryside, breathing in that fresh country air and restoring yourself at the end of each day with copious quantities of vino tinto.
It may also seem to be something well out of your comfort zone and far above your fitness levels.
But, No!
This post will remove some of the mystique and hopefully a few barriers stopping you lacing up your walking shoes and joining the friendly flow of folk on their way to Santiago de Compostela.
Love it or hate it the Museum of Old + New Art, affectionately known as Mona, is a must-see.
It is shocking.
It is thought-provoking.
It makes you smile and grimace in equal parts, and it’s a mind boggling inclusion in any visit to Tasmania.
Here are the nuts of bolts of how to make the most of Mona…
It took a particularly wet and miserable Autumn day to keep me inside. As a rule I love rainy days as they happen so rarely in Australia and it was the perfect excuse to dust off my well-loved copy of the movie, The Way.
I put my hand up and admit that this is possibly my sixth or seventh viewing of The Way so obviously I am a bit of a fan. It never fails to create a sense of wanderlust and the urge to walk out my back door and just keep going.
But, how accurate is it? Does it really portray the highs and lows of walking the Camino Frances to Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain? Or is it all glossed over with a thick layer of Hollywood schmaltz?
I need to be clear from the outset that I am prepared to go to any lengths to research interesting places for you, dear Reader.
If that means learning the finer points of beer-making and then tasting the output, I am definitely ready to put in the hard yards.
It may be early in the day here, but somewhere in the World it is a very appropriate beverage time to step through the doors of the historic Cascade Brewery in Hobart.
When visiting Outback Australia on the cusp of Summer, it pays to get outside early and then disappear inside under an air conditioner for the rest of the day.
That was our plan when we signed up for the Broken Hill Heritage Walk Tour.
History sometimes earns the reputation of being dry, dull and boring. I put my hand up as a bit of a history-lover so I tend to look for everything good in any history talk or presentation.
You certainly don’t have to worry about being bored when you take part in the Her Story presentation at the Cascades Female Factory in Hobart.
Walk with me and Mary James and listen to her story…
Just because we can’t physically travel at the moment doesn’t mean we stop dreaming of travel and planning our next adventure.
What it does mean is that we can walk in the footsteps of others, all from the safety and comfort of our cosy armchair.
Here are five tantalising travel books to inspire and deliver a solid case of both envy and admiration.
A very good question and one I asked myself continually during our 17-hour visit.
White Cliffs, in Outback NSW, is located approximately 1 020km West of Sydney and 268km North East of Broken Hill. When we jumped in the car in Broken Hill to head towards our destination it was already 34°C and leapt to 38°C in three minutes and it was only 938am!
We were in for a long day…
When you are heading down Hobart way, there are at least two must-see places:
Salamanca is an area set slightly back from Hobart’s waterfront and wharf area. Its backdrop is a row of stunning old sandstone warehouses and on Saturday mornings, the foreground is chockful of market stalls.
Feel like a piece of chewy biltong? Want to buy some new socks?
Or how about a taste of the freshest and sweetest natural honey?
Then get yourself to the Salamanca Market…
It’s amazing what you can find in the desert.
Sand.
Rocks.
A few scrubby bushes.
And sculpture.
Our guide’s jeans were ripped and torn, and her eye shadow matched the hot-pink of her t-shirt. The fact that the fly of her torn jeans was completely open also did not add to her credibility.
What had we got ourselves into?
At least it was a gorgeous, blue sky day to set out to explore the streets of historic Hobart.
Book Title: Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria
Author: James Lasdun and Pia Davis Continue reading
I am a bit partial to wanders through lush, green spaces and nothing fits the bill better than a visit to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens on the edge of the Hobart CBD.
The gardens are one of Australia’s oldest, established in the early years of the colony over 200 years ago. While it may not be the size and scale of more famous gardens, it has a variety and beauty that makes for a very enjoyable couple of hours or a longer day out.
When you think of Outback Australia, you may think of wide open spaces, searing heat, endless miles of nothingness and dust. Lots of dust.
What may not immediately spring to mind is big hair, sparkly sequins and endless rainbows of feather boas.
That’s until you step through the front door of The Palace Hotel in Broken Hill.
Menindee? Where’s that? I hear you ask.
Head West out of Sydney. West over the Blue Mountains. West through Dubbo and past Cobar until you nearly drive into Wilcannia. So far you are a mere 960km from the Sydney Opera House.
Turn left on a dusty, bumpy dirt road and head south-west from Wilcannia and after about 160 dry, sandy kilometres, with any luck you will hit the tar again and be enjoying the bright lights of the thriving metropolis of Menindee. Population 551 (on a good day).
Your next question, “Why on Earth would you want to visit Menindee?”
Broken Hill is located around 1 150km west of Sydney and 520km from Adelaide and is officially in the middle of Nowhere! Despite its remote location, the city does have a fascinating history (which I will share in a later post) and its other huge selling point is the depth and diversity of artistic talent.
Here is a small taste of the 27 art galleries that can be found in, and around, Broken Hill.
When I am traveling overseas and I tell people that I live in rural New South Wales, they immediately assume that I come from Outback Australia.
Not by a long shot!
This is what Outback Australia really looks like…
This post discusses the next main path I will be stepping out on when I head to Spain in May 2020.
First will be the Camino Madrid starting from Madrid and second will be the Camino San Salvador from Leon.
Here is what I have found out about this little travelled path.
For us southern hemisphere dwellers Spring is here and Summer is threatening just around the corner. As soon as the weather warms my thoughts go to lazy BBQs and outdoor dining, and something cool and refreshing in my hand.
When I saw the promotion for a local ‘Gintelligence’ class, I thought that this was definitely something I needed to learn more about. Who knew that getting educated could be so much fun?
With a fellow gin-lover by my side, we rolled up our sleeves and poured ourselves into the history of gin.
Book Title: The Valley of the Assassins And Other Persian Travels
Author: Freya Stark
Promotional Blurb: Hailed as a classic upon its first publication in 1934, The Valleys of the Assassins firmly established Freya Stark as one of her generation’s most intrepid explorers. The book chronicles her travels into Luristan, the mountainous terrain nestled between Iraq and present-day Iran, often with only a single guide and on a shoestring budget.
Stark writes engagingly of the nomadic peoples who inhabit the region’s valleys and brings to life the stories of the ancient kingdoms of the Middle East, including that of the Lords of Alamut, a band of hashish-eating terrorists whose stronghold in the Elburz Mountains Stark was the first to document for the Royal Geographical Society.
Her account is at once a highly readable travel narrative and a richly drawn, sympathetic portrait of a people told from their own compelling point of view. Source Continue reading
Growing up on a farm, when things were good and the seasons were kind, we would escape to the beach for a dose of salty sea air and sand between our toes. Invariably the road would take us North to the North Coast of New South Wales (NSW) or even further north into the glitz and bling of Queensland’s Gold Coast.
It is only now that I start to discover the gems I missed out on tucked away on the South Coast of NSW.
Introducing…Kiama.
Walking into Porto on the Camino Portuguese, I instantly fell in love with the city. A trip to the stunning Livraria Lello bookstore tipped me right over the edge.
It seems ridiculous to fall in love with a building and its content, but I did, and I encourage you to include this store on your itinerary if you are heading over to Portugal.
Introducing…Livraria Lello.
As the title says, this post describes the third section of the Bondi Beach to Manly route, this time from Rose Bay to Darling Point. As this stage was my third for the day, I actually cut it a bit short as after +25km, the ol’ legs were starting to protest.
Interested in more stunning views of Sydney and palatial homes?
Then read on…
There is no better way to explore a city than on two feet. It gets even better when it is a sparkling Winter’s day and you have no time pressure to do anything other than stroll in the sunshine.
Welcome to the Bondi to Manly Walk.
Flying is stressful!
As much as I get excited about each and every trip, there is always that feeling of controlled chaos at the airport check-in and the bun-rush to get the ‘best’ seat, and get rid of your luggage.
It couldn’t have been more different with Singapore Airlines.
Life...one big adventure 