27 Nov 2012
by Emma
in Travel
Tags: Adventure, Australia, Beach, Great Barrier Reef, home, Lady Musgrave Island, nature, outdoors, Snorkelling, Travel
The first time I went to Lady Musgrave Island, on the Great Barrier Reef, I was three weeks old. My dad was competing in the Australian Scuba Diving Championships, so it was only natural that I went along on the boat too. It was the place where my love of the reef and ocean began, so it seems almost fitting that almost 30 years to the day, I returned to Lady Musgrave Island on a day tour to snorkel and hang out with the fish.
While I don’t remember my first outing to the Great Barrier Reef, I surely remember some of the other milestones lived out in this natural wonder of the world. I remember the first time I went snorkelling at five years old. Mum and Dad were on either side of me, holding my hands, and we leapt of the edge of the dive boat and plunged into the water. It was dark, but after a moment I adjusted and could make out the dark shapes of thousands of little bait fish swimming around us in a tight circle. I remember the first time I ever went spear fishing. I was so excited to spear my first fish, a docile Coral Trout that had sat there looking at me, while I lined it up. Later that night we cooked the fish up on our fire on the beach at Manta-ray Bay on Hook Island in the Whitsundays. Most of my weekends and school holidays from as early as I can remember until I was 14 years-old, were spent out on the beautiful Great Barrier Reef. And after the two-hour boat ride from the town of 1770, I walked out on to the pontoon and knew I’d arrived back home.
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21 May 2012
by Emma
in Inspiration, Travel
Tags: Adventure, Beach, Bucket List, circus acrobatics, dreams, family, Food, friends, lessons in life, Life, nature, outdoors, remedial massage, Travel, university, yoga challenge
I guess it’s better late than never. Making a Bucket List of all the things I’d like to do this year. It’s been easy putting one together. After sitting in front of my laptop all weekend typing assignments and with two weeks to go until the end of university for the semester, my mind easily wanders to the fun things I’d like to achieve in 2012.
So my bucket list for the rest of 2012:
1. Complete a 30 day Yoga challenge.
2. Watch the turtles hatch at Mon Repos.
3. Go to Tanzania (this is a cheat add-on to the list, because it is a new country I know I am going to visit soon).
4. Road trip all summer following wakeboard competitions and just generally hanging out in the sun and water.
5. Spend my 30th birthday on the beach chilling out with family and friends.
6. Do a remedial massage course.
7. Read a book written in Spanish and not understand a word of it (but try looking things up and see what they mean).
8. Learn to scuba dive.
9. Try a pole dancing class or circus acrobatics class.
10. Teach myself to make sushi.
I think in between university that’s a good list to aim to achieve in 2012. Now to stick the list to my fridge so that I am reminded of all the things I want to do with myself this year!
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15 May 2012
by Emma
in Study
Tags: Australia, Brisbane, inspiration, interesting things, nature, on the streets, outdoors, Ramblings, university
Having university assignments coming out of my ears for another couple of weeks, it means that getting away for very long is pretty much impossible. One of the joys of Brisbane, or I suppose anywhere in the world, is that even going about boring everyday stuff, there are always hundreds of little interesting things going on around you.
Here’s a few photos from my recent days around university and home…
Around Brisbane
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22 Apr 2012
by Emma
in Animals
Tags: 365 day challenge, Animals, Australia, Earth Day, nature, Neighbourhood, outdoors
Ever get the strange feeling you are being watched? Today I sat deep in concentration working on assignments when that feeling crept over me. Looking out my third floor window, I found a baby green tree snake staring back in at me. For a few moments it sat perfectly still, apart from its little tongue poked out at me vibrating frantically in the air. As I fumbled for a camera to capture the moment, the bright green baby wound its way back through the branch and into a hollow in the tree trunk. I spent the better part of the afternoon watching for it to return. But my back to nature moment was over.
My possum neighbour
It wasn’t long either before the inner city daily noise took over. Helicopters and ambulances racing to the hospital down the end of the street, children playing in the car park and in a unit block nearby someone practiced their opera singing. But my moment with the tree snake got me thinking about how un-inner city my apartment complex can be. For starters there is the possum that lives in the pot plant on my balcony. Now that winter is on its way, my possum friend spends most of its days in my ceiling space to try to stay warm. Then there are the assortment of spiders that have taken up residence throughout the stairwell, my balcony and in the tops of trees. Lastly, are the bush turkeys. Regularly I’ll walk through the car park to find one scouring the gardens. Yesterday one was hiding at the end of the path leading out of my building. I’m not sure who jumped higher in fright, when we stumbled across each other, me or the bush turkey.
So on Earth Day 2012 I am pleasantly reminded that even in amongst the chaos of traffic and high density living, the natural wildlife still thrives. That my animal neighbours haven’t been wiped out to make way for urban renewal, tunnels and taller buildings.
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25 Mar 2012
by Emma
in 365 Day Challenge, Travel
Tags: 365 day challenge, Australia, Bush walk, Bushwalking, Landscape, nature, Photography, South-East Queensland, Travel
I’m not a knowledgable bush walker. I’m usually the slowest of the group, plodding along at the back, stopping to take photos of everything (whilst catching my breath). I haven’t been in a while either. But coming into the cooler months and with my knee back up and functioning I’m starting to get keen to head out again.
Below are a few of my favourite photos from bush walks I’ve done in South-East Queensland.
Walking track somewhere between Toowoomba and Brisbane
My Mum at Mt Maroon
Mt Maroon
Mum & I at Mt Maroon
View from Mt Moon
At the end of full day walk to the top of Mt Moon
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24 Mar 2012
by Emma
in 365 Day Challenge, Travel
Tags: 365 day challenge, Abseiling, Adventure, Australia, Bushwalking, Creative non-fiction writing, nature, outdoors, South-East Queensland, Travel
Leaving home at the crack of dawn and driving a few hours south-west, we arrived at an unmarked location somewhere in the bush. Vague description of an exact location? Yes. But this is as good as I can provide. It really was this vague as I sat in the back seat enjoying the fog gently lifting from the paddocks lining the main road, as the sun rose higher and warming the chill early air. Winding up a mountainside, maybe in Queensland or maybe New South Wales, I’m not even sure which side of the border we were. Half an hour walk along cow tracks and over one barbed wire fence, then another fifteen minutes through light scrub and we had arrived.
The destination a set of three waterfall. We were perched at the top drop off, with around 100m of waterfalls to abseil down over the next few hours. Ropes were set up and gear checked. Everything safe and secure ready to go, it was time to leap over the edge for a bit of fun.
The first waterfall taking the longest as the excitement and novelty had not had time to wear off. Every tiny plant growing out of the rock face, angle looking up/down and rainbow of water had to be photographed. The second two waterfalls did not have such a luxury of time. The sun quickly disappeared the further we ventured into the gorge and the colder it got. The cold aside, it was definitely an adrenalin rush. The force of water gushing down over you, stepping bit by bit down the slippery, wet rock face. Not to mention the other obstacles to over come along the way – ropes getting caught in trees, plus getting over my fear of taking that first step off the edge. Eventually though we made it to the bottom of the last waterfall and swam out of the final pool. Soaking wet, we devoured what food we had left in our packs, while packing away ropes, harnesses and other bits and pieces of equipment.
Lastly the two-hour hike back up to the top. No tracks, just scrambling up through the scrub and rocks. Wet clothes, now dripping in sweat as we made our way back into the scorching afternoon sun and finally back to the barbed wire fence. Crossing back over the fence and it was like it didn’t exist. And in a way it didn’t. As I have no idea where it is exactly and I’d prefer not to know as it keeps a bit of the magic alive in the whole adventure.
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