Other places: Trip to Wollongong (and P.S., I'm back!)

Well hello there! That was a longer break than I intended. Which is to say, I didn't really plan on having a break from here, it just happened. What better to break the blogging ice-come-rut than a photo-laden post from my recent trip home to Wollongong for my best friend's wedding.

Since my last post in June, I have done approximately this many things:

• Travelled to Darwin three times
• Travelled to Cairns and Mission Beach for a wedding
• Almost finished a semester of Contract Law
• Drank at least 140 coffees
• Attended one rodeo, one camel race, one 'bust the budget' rally, one fete, one eco fair, one festival and the Alice Springs Show
• Rescued my phone from a coma
• Received one strange parcel from Turkey*
• Rescued/dealt with one wayward kelpie, on two occasions
• Failed miserably at ten pin bowling
• Read many books**
• Read all your blog posts, and probably didn't comment (sorry!)
• Got two head colds, one of them current, both of which I'm blaming on planes
• Blogged nil times
• Possibly purchased new shoes, a couple of times.

And now, about my trip home:

1. One of my favourite things to do is get a big fat dose of ocean air. The weather alternated between moody and overcast, and bright and sunny. This day was the former: perfect for a walk along the beach followed by breakfast.
2. The Continental Baths are the quintessential east coast saltwater pools. This day they were being refilled by the high tide, following routine maintenance.
3. Wollongong City Gallery: I used to work here, starting out as a volunteer gallery assistant and guide during my uni days, to regular casual work as a gallery assistant working on front of house and in the gift shop, along with work as a curatorial assistant. The building was the former council chambers and was designed to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.
4. Mount Keira, through the grounds of the Botanic Gardens and Gleniffer Brae, an historic building that now houses the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music. Terrible photo, but nostalgic place.
5. Lunch with a magazine and a sea breeze on the balcony at Lee and Me on Crown Street.
6. Family lunch at Burrawang Village Hotel in the Southern Highlands.
7. Beautiful flowers from my parents' next door neighbours' garden.
8. Gorgeous sunny Saturday afternoon at Bulli. We spotted a humpback whale and calf frolicking off the coast and watched, mesmerised, as they splashed and played.
9. Since I usually wear my Saltwater sandals in the desert, I thought it only fitting that they meet their namesake.
10. Many a coffee was consumed, this one from Diggies at North Beach.
11. Another beach stroll on another overcast day, with spots of rain.
12. The wedding was just perfect, a day bursting with love. I was honoured to be a bridesmaid and share in a very special day.
13. The earth turns red, which means I'm almost back in Alice Springs.
14. It's not a trip away without bringing back new reading material.

* False alarm! It wasn't a stranger trying to hack my life, just my mum buying a scarf on Etsy.

** Will post about things I've read!

Three Saturdays in June.

 

What a month! The first half of June was all about preparing for my Semester 1 exam for Criminal Law. I felt happy with the way the exam went, in contrast to most of the semester where I felt like I was constantly behind or playing catch up. One of the joys of working full-time and studying, I suppose! Busy all around is an understatement. Here are three images that have been captured on three Saturdays in June, in three different places.

1 // Alice Springs, Northern Territory
I adore winter time in Alice Springs. The afternoons are bathed in glorious golden light and the mornings are clear and chilly. Many people assume that the desert is always hot and are surprised to hear that it becomes very cold during winter, with morning temperatures hovering around zero degrees (or below). Soup, baking, soaking up the daytime sunshine, reading under a blanket, walking in the afternoon all rugged up, riding to work and feeling the sharp air stinging my cheeks and fingers are all things I relish about this time of year.

2 // High country, Victoria
Amidst all the craziness of a busy time at work I managed to sneak a couple of days off and headed down to Victoria to visit my sister and niece. While Alice Springs winter consists of cold mornings, the sun generally makes an appearance during the day. In contrast it was nice to get a taste of cold, drizzly, misty winter in the Victorian high country. The fire was burning constantly and we warmed up during the day by going for long walks or country drives. I was there for winter solstice and we went to a bonfire night at a nearby property. It was the biggest fire I have ever seen. The sky was blanketed in stars, which gradually disappeared when the wintry mist rolled in.

3 // Darwin, Northern Territory
I had a day in Alice Springs before travelling north to Darwin for the week for work. Darwin in the dry season is infinitely more bearable than Darwin in the wet. The mornings are cooler (relatively speaking, around 17-18 degrees; people who live here actually complain about the cold!) and the air is dry and the breeze refreshing. It's still warm, around 30 degrees during the day, but minus the stifling humidity that renders you to a sweaty, lifeless mess during the wet. Yesterday we ate lunch with this view and a lovely breeze and it was rather pleasant. All the changes of climate (and the time spent in air conditioning, I suspect) have left me with yet another head cold but this time around I've managed to retain some energy.

Other places: Darwin street art.

Walking home from dinner the other night, we took a short cut down a lane. About halfway along, the walls became covered with bold, bright street art. For a moment, it was like being transported to a Melbourne laneway. The thick, humid air quickly reminded us that we were, in fact, still in Darwin. Our bellies were full of delicious Greek food and we stopped to look at each wall before wandering home.

Other places: Exploring the Top End.

We spent today exploring the a little corner of the Top End, as I enjoy a weekend with Peter following on from a quick visit to Darwin for work. After visiting the popular Parap markets, we headed out of town. (I was going to say 'headed south' but to be honest, I am still finding my sense of direction completely askew here in Darwin. I think we eventually made our way south. Anyway, I digress.)

First, a little zip around Humpty Doo (yes! that's really what it's called!) before reaching Batchelor. Best known these days for the tertiary institution of the same name (Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, or BIITE), the small town with a population of just less than 500 people lies near a former uranium mine called Rum Jungle. We stopped at a butterfly farm for lunch on a breezy and eclectically-decorated verandah.

Next stop was Berry Springs Nature Park, a popular picnic and swimming spot during the dry season. Since it's still considered the wet season, the swimming holes were closed, with water levels high and turbulent. We umm-ed and ahh-ed before deciding to continue around and head north through the Cox Peninsula. The end of the road brings you to Wagait Beach, a small and sleepy coastal community. It sits almost directly opposite Darwin with a stretch of clear blue water between, which is traversed several times each day by a ferry service. This means a 130 km trip by car becomes a 15-minute boat trip - very handy for residents who commute for work or school.

Dark and foreboding clouds cracked open for a heavy rain shower on our drive back, but in true Top End style it soon passed. I'm looking forward to being able to explore some more of the Top End - including Kakadu and Litchfield - during the dry season. Tomorrow, it's back to Alice Springs for the week ahead!

Other places: Unexpected trip home.

After spending a week in Darwin for work, I got the news that my grandfather wasn't well. So instead of flying back to Alice Springs, I was able to change my flight to Sydney (and book in some last minute leave) so that I could spend a couple of days in Wollongong with my family. I was a little bit worried leaving Darwin that I wouldn't have warm enough clothes, given that I'd packed for the humid (horrible!) wet season weather. Not to fear - Wollongong was in the midst of its own 'wet season', with humid, muggy, rainy weather for most of the time I was there.

Going back to Wollongong, the place where I grew up, went to school and university, and started my adult life (real job, mortgage, marriage...) is always a funny thing. In some ways, things are exactly as they were last time I was there (and have forever been the same). There are friends I can call - without notice - and spend time with, or even surprise them at their front door (yes! I really did!). Then, in other ways, it feels like a different place - old buildings making way for new developments, new shops, restaurants and cafes, new people, old friends who have moved on.

It was very much a last minute trip, meaning I didn't have time to plan to catch up with all the family and friends I would normally try to see. (Sorry! next time will be better planned!) But it was so good to breathe in the familiar salty air, hug my grandparents (and parents, sister and niece) and catch up with my longtime besties for chats and Mexican food.

1. Coming down the freeway from Sydney to Wollongong with the drizzle and mist.
2. A hazy day at North Beach, still warm enough to swim.
3. diggies, one of my favourite cafes, in the old kiosk building at North Beach.
4. diggies again
5. Hazel, my niece, is 11 months old and always busy.
6. Makeshift toys at Nana and Poppy's place
7. Have top knot, will crawl.
8. And... back up the freeway.
9. Sunrise over Botany Bay and a glimpse of the airport.

Joining with The Beetle Shack's weekly 'Stills' link up!

Belated family Christmas.

My family of origin are quite spread out (NSW, VIC, NT) and it was too tricky at Christmas time for us to all get together. Instead, we decided a belated family Christmas was the way to go and, taking advantage of the recent long weekend, we made our way from Alice Springs, Darwin, Sydney and Wollongong to my sister and her partner's place in country Victoria. I love it when we all get together, even more so now that Hazel is here. We ate, drank, patted the horses, chatted, laughed until we cried (a certain book about poo is to blame for that!), drank coffee, ate some more and the menfolk got stuck into building a railing for the deck. Here's a snapshot of our time together. It might not have been a 'real' Christmas, but it was everything Christmas should be - without the stress of the silly season.

(Linking up with Em for The Beetle Shack's weekly stills collections)