A total change of scenery — switching hemispheres, yet still on the same earth. This time: Australia. 🌏
I’ve travelled a lot, but somehow never made it here when I was younger. Back then, hotels weren’t quite ready to tackle the visa maze, and so the dream stayed tucked away — somewhere between curiosity and possibility. Years later, with age, a little patience, and family ties (my step-daughter lived there), I finally went. What followed was a journey of beauty, questions, and humility — a reminder of how vast and fragile our planet truly is.
Please swipe slowly — it’s worth it.
🌎 The Three Sisters, Blue Mountains — how different three women may be, yet how beautifully they stand together in silence, sculpted by time and wind. The landscape feels ancient, like a whispered conversation between stone and sky.
🌎 The XXL Stockton Dune near Newcastle — where the horizon dances and shifts. You realize how fast beauty can vanish and return again, with just one breath of wind. Every footprint is temporary, every pattern fleeting.
🌎 Kangaroo Beach near Emerald and Byron — where cliffs meet turquoise water, and even the rocks seem alive. Who would have guessed that both Capricorns and kangaroos share the art of leaping from stone to stone? 🦘
🌎 The Great Barrier Reef — pure awe. Floating among living stars, I felt both tiny and infinite. It’s one of those places that silences thought and teaches you to simply be.
🌎 Endless beaches — breathtaking, yes, but also home to crocodiles and sharks. The contrast between paradise and peril gives the coastline a mysterious dignity. You’re reminded: beauty isn’t there for us — we’re just visitors, borrowing its grace.
Reflections from the Other Side
Australia is magical — and delicate. Distances are vast, regulations are many, and evenings are calm. People seem grounded, their smiles slower but more genuine. There’s a deep awareness of nature’s rhythm — perhaps because you can’t live here without respecting it.
I hope the sacred Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander places are treated with care, and that more voices feel safe to share their stories. These lands hold wisdom older than any map, and every traveler should approach them with humility. Some wonders — like coral reefs — might even be best explored virtually, to protect what cannot be replaced.
This trip was not just about discovery, but perspective. It reminded me that travel is a privilege, and that admiration must always come with responsibility.
The gift of perspective
I loved visiting — and yet, I love the mountains, lakes, and wild places of Europe just as deeply. Maybe that’s age; maybe it’s wisdom. The older I get, the more I understand that nature doesn’t belong to us — we belong to it. Whether it’s a reef, a forest, or a field of alpine flowers, every place asks for the same thing: gratitude.
So yes, Australia took my breath away. But so does the quiet sunrise over the Alps, or a walk through a misty forest in autumn. The scale may change, yet the wonder remains the same.
I return home filled with respect — for the vastness of the world and the smallness of my own footprint within it. 🌿
Grateful for this tremendous opportunity. 💙
P.S. I know some of my followers live in Australia — I’d love to hear how these words resonate with you. Do they reflect a part of your own experience? What does “home” feel like when surrounded by so much raw, ancient beauty?
