Tag: travel

Free to travel

One of my joys is travel. As a Sagittarius, I have always been on the move. I drove all over the countryside as a young adult and travelled overseas with nothing more than my backpack and a few pairs of jeans, t-shirts and jumpers. After marriage and babies, I travelled widely across Australia with my career and now that my children have grown, I love to travel again.

My husband Eric is able to join me in my current capers…vlogging for my platforms and social media, collecting history and a spot of ghost hunting when I can, or simply catching up with the sights and sounds, and the locals, in far off towns and villages. I especially love heading coastward, to the sea and its rolling green hinterland.

Last Christmas we embarked on the QEII to Tasmania and, I am pleased to say, we are doing the same trip this Christmas…only this time it is to attend a writer’s festival aboard the QEII. I can’t wait, learning and travelling…two of my favourite things.

Most recently we journeyed to the home of Australian motor racing, Bathurst NSW, and from there, wound our way through the rugged central western ranges to the goldrush towns of Sofala and Hill End. What a trip. I recorded them for you and here are the two videos: the first lapping the infamous motor racing circuit of Mt Panorama with Eric expertly narrating (he used to travel to the races as part of the pit crew for an old motorcycle racing buddy). In the second video, we head to Sofala and Hill End to meet the locals, enjoy a panoramic drive and try out hand at gold panning. I finish off at the old gold rush cemetery where tales abound of the dangers of working the gold mines. Hill End was once the fastest growing town in NSW due to the richness of the gold discoveries. Today, it’s a shell of itself with a pub and the remnants of civilisation.

Part 3 of our journey is to the Blue Mountains of NSW and the iconic and haunted Hydro Majestic. You can stay tuned for that video where I meet up with the ghost of a young boy who likes to swing from the chandeliers. In the meantime, please enjoy our Bathurst, Sofala and Hill End vlogs.

Mt Panorama, Bathurst NSW
Goldrush towns, Sofala and Hill End.

Taking a breath & cruisin…

As many of my kind viewers know, I spent Christmas and New Year grappling with a severe asthma flare. I am pleased to say that thanks to persistent investigation…medical and intuitive, and the wonderful prayers of my viewers, my breathing issues have improved and I now have more asthma free days than not.

I consider myself very lucky and blessed to have found a way through illness and, as with most challenges, I’ve become wiser in hindsight. I know that my asthma and allergies were not adequately controlled and we’ve made changes that probably should have been made a few years ago. However it is often difficult to see the woods for the trees, especially when the right treatment is elusive. Thanks to my regular doctor who returned from leave, who was prepared to ask and, importantly, listen, we trialled new medication and switched the timing of my allergy medication around. Both steps, some 30 days later, have meant I am feeling more like my old self.

Before Christmas, and in the middle of an asthma flare, I went cruising to Tasmania on the Queen Elizabeth II. It was meant to be a restful break and a treat which had been planned mid year. Looking back on it, even though I was on a fair whack of prednisone, the cruise was exactly what was needed. The sea air meant my allergies calmed and the gentle motion of the big ocean liner, soothed me into deep sleep. At one point, I slept for 24 hours, only stirring for room service meals. When I awoke, I felt renewed…rest and sea air…and I was ready to get on with my cruise.

Cruising in style onboard the Queen Elizabeth II just before Christmas.

One of the highlights of our trip was a visit to the Royal Tasmania Botanical Gardens. What a treasure of a place. As soon as we disembarked in Hobart enroute to the gardens, I knew we were in crystal clean air and, mostly, untouched land. For those who don’t know Tasmania it is a small state of Australia off our mainland. It is known for its stunning wilderness, its pristine environment and its laid back cities, towns and villages. Its largest city is Hobart with a population of around 247,000. Forty four percent of Tasmanians live in this city, with the state’s population is 572,800 as of June 2023.

You get the picture. I could not have gone to a better place to rest and recuperate…away from regional NSW’s wind and electrical storms which stirred dust and pollen almost daily to exacerbate my allergic asthma. But back to the gardens…

As soon as I stepped inside this magical place, I felt the healing balm of nature. Everywhere I looked, I saw green. It’s difficult to explain the sense of living heritage within the walls of the gardens and so I will let you look for yourself:

Royal Tasmania Botanical Gardens

Although steep in places, the gardens left me wanting more of Tasmania’s pristine, ancient habitats and nature. When I returned to the ship, and we headed back to Sydney, I realised there was so much of Australia and New Zealand I hadn’t yet seen.

As my health began to return, so did my wanderlust. As someone with a stellium in Sagittarius (multiple planets), it was time to dust off my walking boots and perhaps my sea legs also. Life waits for no one and exploring new places always stirs my soul.