Quick Update

Sadly, I left my camera cord back in Sydney, so I won’t be able to upload my pictures from this trip yet (I have taken…probably 500).

However, I just have to say that these last two weeks in the backcountry and small towns of Australia have been nothing short of a dream, and I can’t wait to tell all about it. For the last 11 days, I have been writing, researching, interviewing, creating and writing again, reading again, and delving into all the material from the folklore of the Aborigines to the tales of the hero (?), Ned Kelly, to the stories of the old gold rush, to the stories of killer whales in a land called Eden. With a heavy heart, I say that I am currently in my last stop, about 6 hours from Sydney, and tomorrow we’re going on a whale watch.

Not only have I tried to discover the real voice of Australia, but I’ve been lucky enough to be able to fall into the past, embrace the roots and the times of old, and explore who Australia really is through the sounds and stories of her people.

The writers with me are extraordinary beings, and I can’t wait to see what these talented people put forth in their observations and explorations after our adventure (sadly) ends.

In 11 days, I have observed the pinks, oranges and mint green of a sun set in a winter sky across the blue hue of Australia’s mountaintops. I have spoken with, and interviewed people in nearly 9 towns across the backcountry, trying to uncover their stories and history. I have been to the top of one of the highest mountains here, and have absorbed the pure depth of a valley from a twisting and winding road that leads nowhere but down into more loveliness. I have made good friends in former strangers, absorbed the literature and language of this part of the country, and probably most impressively, successfully handfed a wild kangaroo an ice cream cone (and that was day 1 of the trip).

Here’s to a better update with pictures, and hopes that you enjoy these very special travels to come, as this girl from the smallest state of the Union falls in love with a big country, and continues to discover the hidden treasures of the grand and rich Australian landscape.

Happy travels from an amazing place,

xxx