A seaside holiday

A seaside holiday

We got our first proper taste of winter this weekend past – clear cold days with gusty, chilly winds. It had the entire family reaching for thick jumpers and woolen hats and there were ample golden leaves to crunchily walk through, with the breeze almost stripping some trees bare.

The way the weather was, it’s hard to believe that just a few short weeks ago we were in Queensland on our first proper beach holiday, where our days were spent, trying to a catch a breeze, swimming in the ocean and eating outside as often as we could. While daydreaming of that lazy week by the seaside, I realised I never shared with you what we did, so today I thought we’d skip back in time briefly and reminisce…

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What’s making me happy: March

What’s making me happy: March

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this last month. March 2020 signified the start of the global response to COVID-19 and what was to become months of not faring far from home. Now in March 2021 for us in Australia, life feels a lot different a year on. While some things are still of the table (international travel mainly), we are living pretty normally again. Domestic travel has resumed with gusto, most people are back working in their offices, and the use of hand sanitiser and using QR codes to ‘check in’ to businesses has become almost second nature.

For me this month has really felt like the start of new beginning. The start of this new life, where COVID exists, where the wheels have to keep turning. This is what’s been making me smile this month…

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A morning on Mt Glorious

A morning on Mt Glorious

First of all, I just wanted to say a big thank-you for all of you who got in touch last week to wish me well.  I really appreciate your kind words and they did wonders while I was  feeling rather poorly.

Today I want to take you to a stunning spot, just outside of Brisbane.  I mentioned my little trip to Mt Glorious the other day on the blog and I’m still thinking about the few hours I spent enclosed in misty forest…

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Wallabies on the beach

Wallabies on the beach

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…

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Up the valley

Up the valley

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

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Whitsunday wanderings

Whitsunday wanderings

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…

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Tropical days

Tropical days

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…

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The suitcase guide: Mackay & the Whitsundays

The suitcase guide: Mackay & the Whitsundays

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…

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Disasters and distances

Disasters and distances

Over the last few days I’ve been watching from afar the build-up, impact and effects Tropical Cyclone Debbie has had on Queensland.  The category four storm bashed into the Whitsunday coast between Bowen and Airlie Beach earlier this week, with my hometown of Mackay (just over an hour’s drive to the south) copping its fair share of destructive winds and torrential rain too.

Mobile phone screen shot of weather radar showing Cyclone Debbie hovering off the Queensland Coast.

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