Wagga Wagga to Worcestershire & back again
Sunrise on the beach is pretty spectacular no matter where you are, but at Cape Hillsborough in Queensland every morning a mob of wallabies gathers on the sand to pick at the seaweed, seed pods and grasses on the shore line.
Earlier this month, Adam, myself, our English visitors and my parents rose extra early to watch this amazing sight…
The other week I found myself in the unenviable position of not being able to ‘switch off’.
I’d had an exhausting day at work, both emotionally and mentally, and I was still digesting some heartbreaking news involving some friends in the U.K.
My mind just wouldn’t shut down. I couldn’t concentrate, I felt twitchy and knew I needed to eat, but didn’t feel hungry. After an evening of TLC by wonderful fiancé and a deep, uninterrupted sleep I felt 100 times better.
So starting from last weekend, I’ve been trying really hard to look after my soul and I’ve found one thing that’s helped me…
The Pioneer Valley, to the west of my childhood home, is quintessential Queensland. It’s full of to sugar cane farms, Brahman cattle munching on lush green grass and sleepy communities. Life always seems simpler there and I instantly feel relaxed whenever I return. At the top of the valley is the gem in the crown – the Eungella National Park.
It’s a magical place, atop a mountain range. A haven for ferns, waterfalls and platypus, and over the years I’ve spent hours and hours bushwalking, rock hopping and exploring there.
It’s always been a special place for my family, so we made sure we visited when our English visitors were in Australia…
It’s a little over six months until Adam and I get married and planning for the big day is slowly, but surely progressing.
We whizzed through a heap of wedding tasks before we moved from England back to Australia and then we sort of hit a bit of a standstill while we got our lives back in order after a year and a half abroad.
Over the last week or so though, it feels like we’ve got refocused…
One of the highlights of my recent trip to Queensland was a day spent at Whitehaven Beach.
Whitehaven, on Whitsunday Island, has some of the purest silica sands in the world and the beach is regularly rated as one of the top 10 around the world.
I’ve visited Whitehaven a few times before, but this is place I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of visiting…
There’s nothing quite like a few days spent in the sunshine. Where the breeze is warm, the air is tainted with the slightest hint of sea salt and it’s warm enough to pad around morning, noon and night in bare feet.
Adam and I are back in Wagga Wagga now, where the autumn weather has finally arrived. Although it’s my favourite season, the last week I’ve spent in Queensland in all it’s year-round summery glory has been magnificent…
Adam and I lucky enough to live relatively close to colony of koalas. The koalas were brought into a reserve on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River near Narrandera in the 1970s, after local native populations died out. They’ve remained there ever since, happily munching on the leaves of the giant gum trees that reside in the area.
Before we flew up to Queensland with Adam’s mum and step-dad, we decided to all head over the reserve one afternoon, to see if we could spot a koala or two…
A little over 24 hours ago Adam, his mum, step-dad and my brother landed in sunny Queensland and made our selves comfortable at my parent’s house.
It’s been around seven months since all of us have been in the same room together and it’s the first time Adam and I have seen my folks since arriving back in Australia.
So far it’s been a whirlwind of cuddles and conversations as we celebrate a holiday, an engagement, and an impending wedding all in one.
Adam and I have travelled very light on this break, as we left quite a few things at my parent’s house before moving abroad. I can’t really recall what – so instead of throwing a few random things in my bag and hoping it’d match up with what was waiting for me in Queensland, I decided to use my recent 10 x 10 challenge to help me pack…
Continue reading “The suitcase guide: Mackay & the Whitsundays”
Last month during Wagga Wagga’s annual food and wine festival, Adam and I ran into our old friend DJ, a sommelier we’d gotten to know before moving to England.
She made us promise that we’d come out and visit her at her new job, at the winery at our local university -living in Australia’s food bowl has its perks ;).
So one afternoon a few weeks back we went back to school for an education in wine…
Last weekend Adam and I welcomed our first visitors from the United Kingdom – his mum and stepdad.
Just like it was a little surreal seeing my family in Worcestershire, it’s taken a few days to get used to seeing Adam’s family here in Wagga Wagga…
Wattle and Ash 