Melbourne 3 ways

As a traveller you can attack travel in many ways; solo, with friends, lovers, locals, tourists only, on a budget, with expense. You can escape to the country or basque in the hustle of a bustling night space. For me, I say why not do all of them?

I've travelled around before, domestically and internationally, chosen a style and stuck with it but nothing beats doing it all in one trip. So...in this daring palette of literature I endeavour to plate up a hunger for truly adventurous travelling and open minded experiences. Get ready, your about to dive into Melbourne 3 ways.

Melbourne- sightseeing style

Ever had a dining experience that awakened all of your senses, kept your taste buds entertained all night leaving you with memories that lasted beyond the occasion? This is what the Great Ocean Road will provide.

The Great Ocean Road is a stunning stretch of the Victorian coastline about 1 hour and 50 minutes from Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport. Whilst it technically begins at Torquay I highly recommend beginning your seaside journey with a quick stop off at Geelong Waterfront. A coffee at Baveras Brasserie on Cunningham's Pier cannot be missed. The staff are friendly and the view stunning. Here you are bound to set a relaxing tone for your special holiday.

Baveras Brasserie stunningly located at the edge of Cunningham's Pier

Beyond here you'll find Torquay on the fringe of the Great Ocean Road- its the first glimpse of the coastline to come. It also boasts the world's largest surf museum, Surf World, that would interest anybody- the display demonstrates the interesting innovations that saw the development of surfboard technology over time; well worth the $12 entry fee. In Torquay you'll also find a cafe restaurant right on the beach, Bomboras, that boasts a mean chocolate chip cookie, lovely wooden deckchairs and of course a very relaxing view. Make sure you head to the observatory deck on top of the cafe too to snap up some pictures of the bay.

Torquay- where the awes begin

 

After Torquay you'll encounter Angelsea which is a small yet quaint town, you will also encounter several beautiful little specialist cafes and wineries just off the main road- experience them. In fact you will find there are many places throughout the entireity of the Great Ocean Road that you will want to stop off at so I suggest you have an idea of how far you want to drive, your must sees and how much time you want to spend at each place, then you'll know how much 'play' time you have because on the Great Ocean Road you will want to be flexible.

 

Speaking of stop offs if you are worried that you might not be able to capture the images you find on Google fear not- the road has many landings to park your car and soak up the views. Do pull over and soak it up, also make sure you get off the beaten track, some of my best experiences were stopping where no one was (and where no signs labelled the destination) because you saw completely unspoilt views of the magnificent landscape that is The Great Ocean Road.



A secret unspoilt view of the precious landscape.

 

Now onto Bells Beach. Well to many the name says it all, surfing mecca of Australia where surfing is made famous every year by the Quicksilver and Ripcurl Pro Surfing competitions. What is not explained to Australians or Internationals alike is that the locals are one with the ocean here. They know it inside out, they live it, breathe it, love it and most of all aren't afraid of the ocean's sheer power. When I visited I spoke to a father of  a boy about 13years of age and I asked him about the temperature of the water and whether he was worried about the waves (about 1.8metres and dumping heavily at the edge of the beach). He informed me that it was typically 13 degrees in winter and that he never feared the water or its power because they had grown up learning about it, understanding how to time the waves, the dangers of the sea and what to do should anything happen. Surfers of all ages frequent the water all year around here and you can see why, the sets never stop rolling in and the water is stunning. You will encounter males, females, teenagers, 60year olds, young children, nonchalantly removing their working attire to get amongst the waves- in their droves. It is something else. For non or amateur surfers its pleasurable within itself sitting on the dunes and cliffs and witnessing the talent carve up the waves, completing tricks we only dream about. Next stop?



Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia

 

Lorne. Lorne is a lovely town that is probably the most picturesque with the most facilities until you get to St Petersburgh. It has great little shops, the beautiful and easily accessible Erskine Waterfalls and a local pub with postcard views. Enjoy a beer there or take a drive further along the main road to Lorne Pier to soak it all in. Unfortunately however you will pay a lot more for meals in Lorne because it is a high tourist area which is made popular by tourists frequently. Don't skip it, just be prepared for some more hefty prices.

 

Picture perfect Lorne

 

 

Erskine Waterfalls, just 5 minutes outside of Lorne, super peaceful

After Lorne there are several lovely little towns, many of which would make for excellent beverage stops if you can take turns driving and are lighter on the wallet. If going solo and driving back on The Great Ocean Road on your return to Melbourne make sure you have Wye River on your list. Locals enjoy soccer on the beach in the afternoons with branches as goal posts and you can meander across the road later for a refreshment at the local which has elevated views of the ocean.

 

Wye would you pass up these views? -Wye River Pub, Great Ocean Road, Victoria. 

Of course there are plenty of locations you can choose to stay at throughout the 200 plus kilometre journey on The Great Ocean Road, it simply depends on your style. I chose to use Airbnb so that I can experience it the local way. AirBnb is an online website whereby people list rooms or whole houses for rent and they include breakfast, as your host is typically present you get local knowledge and breakfast included in the price. My accomodation was located in Skenes Creek just 6km north of Apollo Bay (Lorne side). It was a perfect location as it was easy to go to Lorne quickly, a super fast trek to Apollo Bay (and the ridiculously cheap and tasty fish and chips in the main street) and the turn off to Otways National Park and Treetop Adventures (and the 2hour fast track back road to Melbourne airport) was 700 metres down the road. Each day I woke up with a lovely view of Apollo Bay, breakfast and travel tips for a ridiculous $70 a night. Needless to say I highly recommend AirBnb. This was the first time I used AirBnb as a solo traveller and I will be doing it again. My host was a male who lived on his own but I wasn't worried at all (thanks to plenty of great reviews that gave me superb insight), he was helpful, entertaining and fun but I guess you can expect that from a piano playing fisherman.


The stunning view of Apollo Bay from my $70/night Airbnb accommodation.

Beyond Skenes Creek and Apollo Bay there is so much I could write about and in detail so instead I'm going to write a list of must-do stop offs on the way.

• Apollo Bay Hotel- dinner approximately $24 for a main meal, food was tasty.
• Apollo Bay Fish and Chips- located in the main street, too cheap and tasty to miss. Skip the fish and chips in Lorne and get twice the amount for half the cost here!
• Cape Otway Lighthouse- the most important lighthouse for Australia. Wonderful views but you will definitely need a good jacket in winter and hats secured tightly as the wind gets up! It was 39 knots the day I walked up.
• Lavers Hill- one of major final fuel stops prior to Port Stephenson, also has some cute cafes. Otway Treetop Escape is accessible from here, approximately 12km away.
• Loch Ard Gorge and The Razor Back- MUST see. It is breathtaking. I sat there in awe, didn't speak, just captured it to memory until I realised I wasn't going to leave without an image of 'that' place. It was stunning. 
• Gibson steps- many people stop here but few get on to the sand and enjoy the experience of being right near the cliffs and the first apostle. You have to do this. The water was surprisingly warm for the chilly 7 degrees I was experiencing on sand. I do recommend flip flops or thongs though.

Cape Otway Lighthouse

Gibson's Steps- a trek well worth the journey

Razor Back

So what if a driving tour and staying with locals isn't for you? Perhaps you just have time for Melbourne- you want to see a lot but save the pennies for those special purchases along the way or some crazy fun nights out? Then you'll want...Melbourne's budget beauties.

Melbourne's budget beauties
If you are off to Melbourne and would like to experience all the joys of the city whilst ensuring you are in a great location and have a nice place to stay there is 1 hotel that I can recommend with pure confidence that you will be in superb hands- Seasons Botanic Gardens. If you choose to stay here you will immediately feel at home when greeted by the receptionists. Located on St Kilda road, Google Maps will have you thinking it is well out of the city but it is in easy walking distance to everything you would want to see and bonus, you wake up in the morning looking at the Shrine of Remembrance and surrounding gardens.

Irrespective of wherever you decide to stay you should definitely use the following websites to make your holiday accommodation less expensive, leaving more money for experiences, shopping and special memorabilia. The websites to use for cheap accommodation are:

• Hotel Club
• Lastminute.com
• Booking.com
• wotif.com

Now for the exploring, there really is so much to be done and you can (if you want to) squeeze a lot in, in a day. Here are my tips:

• Walk around the Botanic Gardens, have a picnic/take a book. Definitely take a camera
• Visit the Shrine of Remembrance
• Go to the AMCI centre in Federation Square- it is truly fantastic! I only went to the free exhibition however you can also pay ($15 or more) to see some superb shows. Don't miss the free exhibition! It was a highlight for me.
• Art museums- all of them! They all have something special- again definitely do the free ones, if you want to see something specific pay for the special showcases.
• Carlton Gardens- they are lovely (they also featured in Offspring!)
• Take the free city circle tram, I'd recommend you do this first you'll get an idea of where you want to go in the next few days of your trip.
• Take a walk in Southbank, it is very lovely- has art statues and a very lovely vibe- by now if you have done everything else you can enjoy a tasty feed in any of the delicious and ambient restaurants that line the bank. Also don't forget to take a snap of the city (the old and the new) from this side of the Yarra.
• Go to Haigh's Chocolates on Collins Street and taste test some of their lovely chocolates for FREE!
• Put some pennies on your myki and take a ride to St Kilda for a stroll along their beach and lovely café precinct

Melbourne from Southbank

Simple pleasures in the city

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The Shrine of Remembrance, your view from Seasons Botanic Gardens.

 

Want to spend your last few moments in sheer luxury? Then for your last few nights in Melbourne swap the budget for some style.

Melbourne in style
Now before I go on let's be clear Melbourne has a lot of style. The city boasts culture from all over the world so you can indulge in whatever in is that you desire but for me Melbourne in style is about soaking up the loveliness on offer and taking time. So for this itinerary be prepared for comfort, style and a slow pace.

For those who don't know Melbourne is a city who's laneways are the life of the party, so it is here you will find many hidden treasures that make you feel like your discovery is special. Don't get me wrong however there is plenty to discover outside of these laneways as well. Either way here's my top tips for Melbourne in style.

• Begin your day with a breakfast at Top Paddock where you can take the time to enjoy a delicious Eggs Benedict or get a little brave with some of their alternate menu choices.
• Heading into the city for some exploration? Take a step back in time and enjoy the luxury of old English charm with a tour of Melbourne city by a horse drawn carriage.
• For brunch head to Manchester Press and enjoy a seriously smooth coffee, ambient surrounds and great food. This little space is popular so try and beat popular eating times. You'll find this gem on Rankin Lane. It is also not far from Bourke Street Mall where all your shopping needs are sure to be catered for with high end boutiques in quaint laneways.
• After brunch why not head to the Royal Exhibition Building learn about this World Heritage listed site and check out any exhibitions of interest. A truly stunning building that runs regular tours at a surprisingly small cost, you'll also be able to explore the beauty of the Carlton Gardens just outside.
• Post brunch, its time to indulge in a lovely lunch. For me nothing says 'Melbourne' like Lygon Street and the Italian that is on offer. Stroll along the street and make your choice and enjoy a bottle of wine while you let the Italian chefs do what they do best...cook authentic Italian food.
• When your done you can choose to stay in the city or head out to St Kilda and splurge on a 1.5hour treatment by the Spa Dreamtime crew that will leave you in blissful peace and ready for a relaxed night out.
• Back in Melbourne and feeling a little peckish try one of these three places, Lindt Chocolate Café in Southbank, Gelato Messino for a cheap but ridiculously tantalising tastebud sesh or Burch and Purchese Sweet Studio. Enjoy there or take your treats with you to Hosier Lane to witness some amazing Graffiti artwork.
• Come dusk there's one thing you are going to want to make a priority- Eureka Skydeck. Most hotels do provide discounts but for the view it really is still worth the full price. Check it out and definitely walk out on to the ledge to get the adrenaline pumping- you'll also force yourself to soak up the view, because no cameras are allowed. Why dusk? The view is perfect, you see the lushness of the city's parks and lights starting to brighten the sky just as the sun falls to sleep. Perfect.
• Post here you can choose to eat at the restaurant on site, go somewhere else you discovered earlier in the day or head back to your hotel, enjoy a bath/spa soak and get ready for the last final stop off to make the day special...the cocktail bar. 1806 is a cocktail and wine bar with an amazing range of cocktails, liked by many Melbournians and known for its ambience, staff knowledge and great service. A great way to end a superb day I say.

Bourke Street Mall, a shopper's paradise.

Royal Exhibition Building & Carlton Gardens, Melbourne

Manchester Press, Rankin Lane, Melbourne, Victoria.
 

So there you have it, Melbourne 3 different ways, with expense and style, sightseeing with local knowledge and on a budget. It really is possible to do it all, and it opens yourself up to meeting a very wide range of people- from homeless to hipsters and even potential moguls; for me that is what travel is about- immersing yourself in culture and taking away all the good everyone has to offer. I hope you enjoyed the post and that you make the locations mentioned a part of your 'to do travel list' for the future. Till next time...

Jules 

 

Swearing...for good. #whiteribbonnight #domesticviolencenomore

We have all met one of these special ladies in our lives before. They adorn a bubbly, outgoing, peaceful persona with a certain ease or grace about them. They help others unconditionally; they are the women everyone in a room labels as strong; and you would be right. But behind the peaceful, friendly, helpful outlook these women, young girls, adults, middle aged women, grandmothers, are women who have suffered and dealt with the effects of domestic violence at the hands of men.

Despite all of their efforts there is one thing these women will all share in common, at one point in time they were deathly afraid, disgusted, physically sick and mentally taunted by men. The beauty, if anything can come from it, is that these women, the surviving victims of domestic violence, are reminders of the utter strength, determination and bravery of women.

Each week, each year we hear of another case of a man assaulting his wife or de facto, a family member getting his way with a young relative or a random person on the street deciding a woman is no more than a piece of meat he can have his way with. This has to stop. NOW. The only way that happens is if society, beginning with men, demand better attitudes and respect for women from their fellow man. This means bringing back the days when men would respectfully and singularly approach a bloke if he was misbehaving in a bar or speaking inappropriately to a woman. This means no more standing by and waiting to see if 'she'll be right.' It also means verbalising your commitment and reinforcing everyday that you swear to develop and uphold a society that values the lives of your women. It's about exclaiming that 9 years of jail for committing rape is a blasphemous joke when you're talking about the entire life of one of God's children being destroyed at the hands of a monster. It is never exalting people, including the famous, if they have been convicted of heinous crimes against women.

This evening, July 25 is White Ribbon Night. Tonight I want to say well done to any woman who has ever suffered and survived at the hands of domestic violence. You are the definition of a fighter. I also want to say, I am sorry to anyone reading this who has lost relatives or loved ones to this insidious crime and I am sorry for those who have experienced unspeakable pain in order to learn their inner strength. Whilst I would love to keep my focus only on this (all the time) sadly we still must emphasise how much culture in Australia, and the world, needs to change. If you detest domestic violence and value the lives of women please go to White Ribbon Australia now and pledge your support for a society free of domestic violence.

 

Time flies when you're having fun

July already. Wow! It is the time of year when people get excited about tax returns filling their bank accounts and future travel plans. For some its an anxious time as they begin making decisions about what school their child should be enrol in and for others it really is just another month. By now you are all so privy to my positive mentality that I'm going to skip the prelude and cut to the chase. Over the last month and especially since my recent holiday to Victoria and South East Queensland I have had the luxury of being inspired by many people, places and unexpected encounters which can only mean great writing. Most of my days have been spent walking about the place smiling in wonderment at how lucky I am. If you've seen me about town I'm the quirky one who exudes joy for no apparent reason, and that is the best part.

You know when you walk past someone who has so much light in their eyes you just want to know their story? You even create the story in your mind- something funny just happened, they just met someone, they just won some money, they just received a compliment- it becomes such a force that you want to be around it, know about it and find out what they've got and where to get it. The best part is, we've all got that goofy happy joy within us that can inspire us, we just need to look for happiness, see the positives and surround ourselves with it. You can not have writer's block when there is an infinite amount of joy and beauty to be noticed.

If you're thinking it's a hard task, here's some I love and smile about frequently:

• The hot sun warming your skin on a chilly winter's day
• A heat through a coffee mug warming your hands, coffee/tea soothing your soul.
• Children laughing
• Happily married couples enjoying each others company
• The hilariousness of fresh young love and their frequent PDAs
•  Grass between your toes
• A polite word from a stranger
• Children speaking like adults (eg: don't misbehave or you won't get lunch)
• Sunrise
• How relaxing it is to witness the sunset.

What things make you feel goofy happy? Embrace them this weekend! Till next time...

  

The beauty in unpacking

When Everest didn't turn out I'm not too proud to admit I stayed with the olds whilst I got myself sorted and tried to figure how I felt about things, because even though I knew it was the right thing I could still imagine the walk in my head each day. Now that it is June it is much easier to talk about. I can unpack. Though I wasn't quite prepared for the real unpack that was to come.

I walked back into my house, the mini chalkboard eyeballed me like a lioness to its prey. 'Suspend health insurance. Pay final bills. Give parents my will. International driver's licence. British & Aus passports.' I hated how it looked at me wanting so much. I wasn't ready to wipe away my final list of 18months of lists. I turned to my cupboard to put away my clothes 'Your body can stand almost anything it's your mind that you have to convince,' 'Knock me down twice and I'll get up 10,' 'Tell me I can't do something and I'll do it.'
Mount Everest was in my bedroom and I had to conquer my own mind yet again. I looked back at my cupboard door 'sometimes you just have to shift your focus from how did I get here; to how do I leave here.' I don't know why I thought this statement would be easier than verbalising to myself 'the Mt Everest climb is postponed.' I had no answers, I sat on my bed, legs nonchalantly dangling, daydreaming about a mystical creature arriving to sit beside me and enlighten me with all the right responses I wanted, craved. Unfortunately though it's not the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe and a great noble creature isn't going to give me the answers when I demand it. I contemplated for a few moments encapsulating the life of an angry bird and tearing all my quotes, goals, nutrition and exercise logs off my walls screaming and crying outrageously. Thankfully for my housemate and neighbours I didn't awaken their spirits with my heightened mood but rather laid silently in my bed, took long breaths and let the tears roll down my cheeks. Ahhhh.
I had to let it go, all of it. The early morning starts, vegetarianism (not too upset about that admittedly), long hikes, 3hour gym sessions- my life consumed by training. What would life look like? What would I hang on my walls now? When is the right time to do Everest again? How will my friends and family feel if they knew I had it on the agenda again? I couldn't bear more doubt from others than I had already felt for almost 2years.
I turned on the aircon, set it to freezing cold and tried to mock the freezing temperatures I was missing. For a moment I began to think that burying yourself in ice and snow at -20 degrees when anyone asked me about a myriad of Everest questions was a grand option, then I realised one fatal flaw- I live in Queensland and I can't access those kind of resources even if I willed it. Sadly that meant dealing with the situation at hand and going back to work and the rest of my life as it was.
I knew people would ask the dreaded 'Are you OK?' question; that I would want to avoid people for a bit, that I'd get sad about the inability to be submersed in ice and snow for avoidance purposes but most of all that I would gradually be able to talk about things. I sat up on my bed looked around at my motivational images, nutritional and fitness logs, a smile formed on my face- an involuntary reaction to my emotional connection to the dedication of my almost 2years of effort.

Life is interesting it teaches you a whole host of things & I am a firm believer that you learn things just as you are meant to. But life in all the forms it takes, even those really terrible days (lets be real here Mt Everest for me was disappointing and I still tear up but if it was a really terrible day I wouldn't have it on my blog- those are just for me and my special ones to know about) has some beauty in it. We have numbered days, we never know when we will be gone and yet every single one of us, myself included, have things we are bitter about. We might be bitter because we are disappointed things didn't work out as they did or because we got hurt, it is very human of us however the sad thing is that bitterness steals us of our beauty...and life, well it really is beautiful. Spot its beauty, the peace you're granted when you don't know you had the capacity to feel it, the relationships you have, the love you have for yourself, how blessed you are to live where you are and look for the lovely. When something gets you down and you find your shoulders near your ears for your own sakes unpack whatever it is that is going on with you and be ok with it to take time- but don't make excuses for not dealing with it. After all we all have baggage by choice, you can be a litesaver or checked baggage traveller, its up to you!

Julia :)

New life, new pace

A few weeks ago I finished work on a full time basis to take a back seat and go and travel. My intention as everyone knows was to climb Mt Everest- we all know how that worked out, if you’re not privy get to Why Everest can wait and be in the know- since that didn’t come to fruition life has become completely different. For the first time in 7 years I have taken time off for myself that is not on a scheduled time frame (like set holidays). I am still working on days I decide to work but otherwise I am enjoying doing what I would like to do and it is lovely.

Since slowing down I have done a few mini trips to various locations near my hometown namely Rockhampton, Agnes Waters, Rainbow Beach and Brisbane (a little further away).  I have enjoyed soaking up people’s company, meeting other people and taking time all the while knowing I am not in a rush to be anywhere. I have been able to spend time with a good quality friend Emma, a supply teacher turned renovator extraordinaire; work on my fitness at any time during the day and entertain myself to my heart’s content, and it is splendid. Em and I joke about being the young retirees of our town and we are still trying to determine who is going to pay for our lifestyle while we tour about the place determining what activities and destinations are the most fun and cost effective. In a sad but highly satisfying way I enjoy the idea that others are looking at me thinking ‘why isn’t she working’ meanwhile other members of the public are probably muttering under their breath about my need to contribute to society and become responsible. I couldn’t agree more. In fact I myself find that the longer I have off work (its been 4 weeks now) the more I morph into a ‘grey nomad’ who looks at others in shopping streets or holiday destinations begging the question ‘why aren’t you working’ all the while forgetting I’m in my 20s. It is pretty hilarious actually, I have to shake my nosiness off and get real with myself.

Aside from this little quirk I’ve acquired this time I’ve enjoyed off really feels like a new life and a new pace which is nice. As a young (but almost 30) adult I have always felt the silent pressure from society to get a house, grow up and be satisfied with what I call the ‘boring’ life- work, sleep, work, sleep, play for 2 days a week if routine hasn’t snatched your spirit. I actually had a ‘melt down’ about it earlier this year when I actually remembered my numerical age and got surprised then realised I better get my butt moving sometime soon, so it is actually nice to take a break to ensure my head is right for what I want in my next stage of life, that I have set a pace I am happy with and that I have an idea about how to excite my life regardless of how hard it tries to ‘bore-ify’ me. I’m not expecting any miracles or a package delivered to me with all the answered but I guess I just have time to think about what I really want instead of getting caught up in the ‘should have’ mind field we can sometimes let our hearts and mind be filled with instead of those things that makes us truly happy.

My topsy turvy world. Why Everest can wait.

Hi All, it has been a while since I have written lots has been going on. I finished work and began finalising things for my Mt Everest trip when I awoke one morning to news of an avalanche on Khumbu Icefall. When I first heard of the avalanche I was gobsmacked, worried for people, namely Toowoomba girl Alyssa Azar and a random I had begun following on Instagram, Preston. Both people I have never met in person but I knew that Alyssa was on her way to attempt the summit of Mt Everest and Preston to base camp. When you hear news of dead bodies being pulled from the ice and no updates (at least from one person that is away) even if you don't know them you still get worried for them and their families. This also led me into worry about my own trip and whether it would be viable. The most distressing thing though was receiving several text messages from friends begging me not to go, some almost mourning over me already. It was full on. I had to cocoon myself for a few days and limit the chatter.

Luckily for me however I found out that my trek could still go ahead so despite experiencing sadness for the Sherpa community I was happy I could still go to base camp as planned. I was relaxed despite the event that had already transpired and my normally highly stressed mother was cool as a cucumber knowing I was still going. Fast forward a few more days however and I hear of 2 more avalanches on the mountain, protests in Kathmandu and plenty of hiking adventurers stuck at Base Camp. I won't lie this news, of further avalanches, got me quite scared and physically sick with chest pain.

My thoughts of this long term goal had immediately changed. My initial reaction when thinking about what to do was to cry and be ok that the goal was over for now. But then my travel agent told me that my hike was still going ahead, this time I didn't get any excitement I was just afraid, worried and highly anxious. I pride myself on being mentally tough but I couldn't overcome this gut feeling that I shouldn't travel to Nepal. I cannot explain how I got to this I just did. It was a weird thought for me, to get up early in the mornings, travel to mountains, work hard at the gym, change your diet and the rest to then put my dream turned goal to bed. I wanted to be excited but I couldn't. I spoke to my travel agent and she said just wait and see how you feel when you get your papers, I didn't think I would feel any different. Then I got my papers.

I saw my VISA and my excitement came back. Nerves, which never left, were there too but with excitement. I smiled about my trip for the first time in a couple of weeks. It was a good feeling. Then 6 days out from leaving for Nepal still a little apprehensive but a bit excited too I prayed to be shown any sign or indication that I should or shouldn't follow through with the hike. Maintaining excitement I completed a 10km run the Saturday night (3rd May) which was very relaxed and enjoyable but not long after completing it I was coughing and splattering on my recliner and in chest pain that brought me to tears, at night I got nightmares of plane crashes and burning to death- it wasn't nice. Still, determined to make sure Everest would be happening I decided to go for a peaceful slow walk for about a kilometre from my parents place to a local fishing event, throughout this walk and upon finishing it I felt terrible. Tight in the chest, stabbing pains and I could only sleep flat on my back. Staying in a house on my own was a blessing because talking out loud meant that I had to be ok with cancelling a trip I have trained 18 months for. But on Monday 5 May I cancelled my trip to Mount Everest. How I feel can only be described as both a relief and a 'lull,' my mind is sort of blank. I imagine how I feel is like how a professional athlete feels when they have to pull themselves out of a competition because of an injury and they don't really want to. But I know that there is plenty of positives to gain from what I have been working on, my fitness hasn't gone anywhere, not has my preparation, my mindset is still strong, though I have learnt plenty about further training I would do for extreme climates, Mt Everest is not moving (other than by about 4mm each year to greater heights). I haven't lost anything. What's more there is something bigger to learn and gain from this.

For several years I have had dear friends talk to me about my attitude towards fitness, I have spoken about it before, that I know I have a 'switch' if you like whereby if I let my fitness passion get too far I can make fitness become my whole life to the point where I am sleep deprived, unhealthy and almost devoid of friendly attention. The biggest thing my closest friends have always said to me is that I needed to learn about REST. So in this same post I'm going to address this most important topic.

As you probably know life is a race, a hurry, a challenge, a competition. Whether we are privy to it or not we are all in this 'hunger games' race to juggle the compartments of life in a way that appears to outsmart the other. We are almost searching for the best way to win the 'game'- how does she do it? How does he do it? Why can't I do it? So much so that we forget about the mentality of loving life rather than competing for it.

For most of my life I have been in a competition (in fact all of us have), from competing for top grades, competing for football positions in particular representative teams to competing for school captains, job positions, job promotions, biggest salaries. It seems to be if you aren't competing society questions, 'what is wrong with you? why don't you want it?' But I beg this question, isn't the real challenge with the greatest reward the ability to REST? To realise why you are competing, to sit in the moment and enjoy it, to get off your phones, to live life without competing with others but rather striving just for you and the life you want to love living?

Mt Everest was a goal I was going to complete successfully, and I will in due course there is no doubt about it. It was also a goal that rendered no less than 25 hours a week exercise in the gym, approximately 12 hours of hiking (minimum), a lot of hours reading (especially in initial stages) to understand the demands on the body, the nutritional requirements for the body at high altitudes and over long time frames and a lot of money. I do not regret training one bit, I loved every minute of it all but what is the point if you go away and your mindset isn't right or your potentially so anxious you've made yourself physically sick? There is no point. If there is one thing I know about myself it is this: I struggle to know how to rest and it is about time I learnt. So now on May 10 the day I am meant to be in Lukla beginning my ascent to Mt Everest via Namache Bazaar I am in a little coastal town in Queensland chilling out, taking exercise very slow and listening to my body. The chest pain has slowed but still there & I am now looking at a relaxing holiday in Melbourne to enjoy the cold, culture and the lovely Great Ocean Road to celebrate a long journey of effort. Switzerland and Europe is booked for Christmas for 6weeks and I'm ready to attack some Alps in the freezing cold where again I'll be in my element. Mt Everest will happen again but for now I'm looking after me.

Thanks for being patient for the post. Will write soon :)

Time.time.time.

Recently I commented on a fitness post on Pinterest that suggested controlled inner thigh movements were a 'lazy woman's workout' . This bothered me for two reasons:

1. Whoever is doing them is exercising, they should be supported

2. People criticised without knowing the actual exercise it's purpose, the muscles it engages and if completed under different conditions the varied positive effects it can have on the body.

So me being me decided to respond putting my two cents in and commenting that I in fact do these 'lazy exercises' and then I outlined the exercises I do in a week, approximately. After I wrote 4000jump squats and 12kms of stairs, 40km hikes (there was more but I'll stop because you get the point and it's not about me) a random female user responded to my comment with 'well some people have to work don't they'.  They were quite surprised when I informed them that I work in excess of 40 hours a week, including weekends and am only paid for 25hours. Isn't it embarrassing when assumptions really make an ass out of us. 

Needless to say we all assume things all the time. Today is about TIME. What we have,what we don't and what we should do with it. Since the clock is ticking I'll begin...

Time. Irrespective of where you live time stands still. There are 24 hours in a day for you, for me and for the random you commute with everyday. Daylight savings is for shopping it's not because the world decided to give us a 'golden hour' of happy time. In fact for some this means more work, for others children still haven't gone to sleep yet and your craving your break and for others  it's a chance to pretend like you have an extra hour when really...you don't. Common theme here- we all have the same time.So what don't we have time for?

First and foremost we don't have time to complain about time. Ironic isn't it. The amount of people talking about time on a daily basis almost cements this falicy in our minds that time will suddenly gong later than right on the 12, just because it can hear us talking about it. Wrong. All the time we spend talking about time means that we lose time. Instead we should be making sure we aren't wasting time. Time is forever being referred to as the most valuable thing you can give to others or to yourself yet we give it away constantly on unimportant things, arguing or overthinking (cue for woman to start nodding their heads) - we absolutely have to stop this. If you have been to funerals you will notice time and again people always refer to what a person did while they were here. People aren't looking for amazing astronaut type feats they just want to know who you really are. Doing things that show us who we truly are is important and we MUST take time for this.

We must also make time for definitives or high modality language. Words like certain, will, definitely, can, have to permeate every single one of our conversations especially those we are having in the quiet times with ourselves. This leads me back to that first comment about the Pinterest  criticism. 

Firstly I can completely see how a person could assume that I don't work based on my fitness workload, I mean it's not as if everyone (though it is extremely popular now) is lining up to do Everest, but that is what I chose to do with my time. I own my time and I'm proud of what I do in my time, and you need to be too. Frequently especially as women we poke fun at each other, are quick to judge & even quicker to say that we don't have time and then sit back admiring others (like Bettina Rae at Little Old Souls and her mama efforts) however  that time we definitely need to be spending lifting ourselves up, being better people and encouraging others. 

As you can probably tell I am passionate about positivity and nurturing those who are motivated, determined and striving to achieve success, what I would really enjoy over the next few weeks is the opportunity to share some reader stories with you. What am I looking for? People with great positive attitudes, who are motivated for what they want to achieve.  I'm not asking for epic stories, even just your willingness to answer some questions would be superb. I really want to  celebrate  people, their achievements & their beauty because to me this kind of thing is always worthy of our precious time. 

If you would like to take part or have the contacts of someone you think would be suitable  to share a story/positive message please comment below or email to:

a.written.revolution@gmail.com