Heading inland, we finally arrive to one of Tasmania’s best known highlights – Cradle Mountain National Park – known for a range of features, including wild landscape, beautiful rainforest and alpine heathlands, glacial lakes and a wide variety of wildlife. The unique mountain range and Dove Lake at the foot of Cradle Mountain is one of the best sceneries you will ever see.
Author: Shain | Every Word Matters
Shain is a Sydney-based blogger and writer who believes there is much more to life than surviving the mad rat race. A father, a husband, a tennis fan, an IT professional.
Looking back at fond memories, looking ahead with big dreams, looking around and trying to focus on the present moment, the positives, the glass-half-full.
While I'm confused and a bit lost sometimes, still trying to figure out what is the meaning of all of this around us, what are we meant to be doing here, swinging between inspiration and desperation, between hope and despair. I am constantly Looking For Meaning. What about yourself?
Temptation
The pub was busy as it always is on a Friday night. A group of men were standing right at the centre, dressed in gold-and-green jerseys, cheering in front of the big screens as the Wallabies scored their first Try of the match, knowing this might be the highlight of the evening. A few couples gathered on the other end around a bottle of champagne, celebrating something which seemed to be rather special. Ben stepped in with a couple of mates from work, and with no hesitation walked straight to the bar.
Australian Government in Queos
One unique thing about Australians is that we don’t like talking about politics. The conversations at meetups and barbeques mostly evolve around real estate and sports. But it’s not a hot topic to speak about our politicians, their policies or anything evolving in our capital Canberra. But that has to change.
Stanley and The Nut
Stanley is a little town in North-West Tasmania. The main attraction is a natural wonder – The Nut. The unusual hill above the ocean is a result of volcanic activity millions of years ago. From the top we get stunning views of the bay, white beaches and turquoise water – one of those places that wherever you look it is absolutely breathtaking and you have to take just one more photo, and then another one.
Boat Harbour Beach
As the clouds disappeared and the sun came out, we arrived at a stunningly beautiful beach with white sand and turquoise water. With clouds coming and going, we experienced this special place in different shades and colours. Boat Harbour Beach.
Penguin and Burnie
Apparently in Tasmania you’re allowed to park overnight pretty much anywhere, unless it specifically says you’re not welcome. Free overnight camping is very popular – with no power or water supply, in the middle of nowhere, close to the beach and next to other caravans and motorhomes, so you’re never really alone.
Spirit of Tasmania
Traveling around Australia is great fun, no doubt about it. One of the best sides of it is traveling on remote roads, experiencing nature and enjoying the space while you are out there. It all changes dramatically once you get to the big city. Melbourne is one of them.
Phillip Island
Phillip Island is known to be the home of the little penguins. With idyllic beaches, captivating coastlines, and family fun activities, there is so much to see. Just after sunset, tens of little penguins, cute as can be, are marching out of the water and slowly making their way up the hill and back to their burrows where their chicks are waiting, starving for food.
Wilsons Promontory National Park
The most southern point in mainland Australia is a very special one. Wilsons Prom. If you haven’t been there yet, it’s most definitely worth it. While we weren’t sure what to expect, we definitely did not expect such a WOW feeling. The scenery is absolutely stunning, the beaches are gorgeous with massive boulders decorating the coastline and creating such a unique view.
Where is Men’s Tennis NextGen?
Can someone please tell me what is going on? Why are we celebrating the immortal heroes of sports overall, and tennis in particular, amazed by the longevity and complete dominance of the older generation, who keep winning grand slams. The real question to ask is where the hack is men’s tennis next generation?
Cape Conran and Lakes Entrance
We got to a nearly deserted camping area at Cape Conran and immediately fell in love in this place. So much that we decided to make this our first real camping stop for the night – no water, no power, self contained. We made our first camp fire and clearly the kids were super excited and pulled out a bag of marshmallows from the pantry.
Garden of Eden
Moving on to the town with the glorious name of “Eden”. We were looking forward to get to Eden, obviously, to discover whether it is as mystic as its name applies. It is also the most southern point and our last stop in New South Wales, as we get closer to the border with the neighbouring state – Victoria.
Batemans Bay
We’ve already travelled 500 kilometers since we started the trip, and arrived to a little haven called Batemans Bay on the far south coast of New South Wales. Our caravan is parking at one of the relatively upmarket caravan parks – with a pool, tennis courts, mini golf, a jumping pillow and renovated showers. Not something we are planning to do a lot during the trip.
We are ONE and FREE
In January 2021, Australian Prime Minister announced a change to the national anthem, following growing criticism and a push for change. We, Australians, will no longer sing “For we are young and free”, indicating a young and free nation, just under 250 years old, completely ignoring the people of the First Nation, the Aboriginal people, who have lived here on this land for over 60,000 years.
Pebbly Beach – the home of the Surfing Kangaroos
I heard strange stories from people who traveled around the land down under, without seeing not even a single kangaroo. That’s impossible, there are so many of them all across the country. What could be more challenging would be to see them close to the water. This is where Pebbly Beach comes in handy.
Jervis Bay
Heading further south to the South Coast and the amazing Jervis Bay. We parked at a lovely caravan park in Huskisson right on the beachfront, surrounded by many boomers. What striked me was the way they looked at our young children, with so much love, kindness and longing for the old days.
Kiama and the Blowhole
A hundred and fifty kilometers south of Sydney is the beautiful town of Kiama, our first stop. Shops, cafes, beaches, lighthouse (oh, there are many of them around Australia) and the don’t-miss Blowhole. The weather is nice, white clouds paint the sky, the swell gently approaches from the big open-wide ocean and as it hits the coastal rocks of Kiama.
Minimalism on the Road
Road trip around Australia – sounds good right? Absolutely. But before we can actually head off, we’re on a mission to shrink the content of the caravan by 50%. At least! Clearly, we should have made ourselves familiar with the concept of Becoming a Minimalist, way before we started packing.
Getting Ready to Hit The Road
After months of preparations, planning and fantasizing, our journey around Australia is about to begin. Well, our caravan is not ready yet, in fact it’s quite unorganized, as we’re learning the meaning of Minimalism. Final preparations before we head off for a trip around Australia.
The Great Australian Road Trip
I’m rubbing my eyes, tilting my head from side to side, pinching my cheeks right and left. Is this really happening? It’s one of those things you plan in your head for a long time, and when the time comes you just cannot believe it’s actually happening. We are about to leave our ordinary lives behind and hit the road, the great Land Down Under is awaiting, Australia here we come!
How to Publish your Short Stories
Every Writer-to-Be tends to have these doubts at some point of their journey. Am I good enough? Will anyone ever be interested in reading my creative work? Or is it all going to waste… Another obstacle we face is how to get our stories out there. Do we have to find a proper publisher like in the old days, given the chances are low to ever get published? Or are there other options in the digital world to put our words out there and give them the life they deserve?
America’s New Dawn
Like many others, I felt like these are the most crucial US elections in many years. It was time for a change, otherwise who knows what would happen next. So here we go, as of November 7, the Hope is real and the US has decided to make a change and kick Donald Trump out of the White House. Phew, it feels like the nightmare is over, a glitch in US history, a farce which was much more dramatic than comic.
Vote Him Out
Let me tell you why Trump must lose in this election. We need new Leaders, new Role Models, new Hope for our children, a generation that have seen way too many abrupt, inconsiderate and disrespectful leaders. People who only care about themselves rather than the People they are meant to lead, who have absolutely no vision, no long term plan, no care for equality, humanity, freedom or climate action.
King of Clay but NOT the GOAT
There is no doubt Rafa Nadal is the ultimate King of Clay. We got another reassurance this morning, when he thrashed Novak Djokovic in the 2020 final of the Roland Garros, cementing his place as the dominator of the red dirt in Paris, tying the grand slam record with Federer. But, are they really tied as the greatest of all time?
Jumping Out of Bed
When was the last time you found yourself jumping out of bed, excited about the new day ahead of you? Possibly a long time ago. Why is it so, that we are going through life this way, dragging ourselves to work in the morning, lacking motivation to be the best version of ourselves. Surely there’s a better way, there must be a better place for us to find, there is much more to life.
The Power of Words
Let’s talk about the Power of Words and how they can influence our lives. It might be the written word, though even more significantly those that are spoken. They may come from our parents, our mentors, our leaders. They can unite us, or divide between us. Bring peace or start a war. Bring hope or send us into the darkest times. Words. That’s all it takes.
Global Leadership Crisis
It has been quite some time since we had inspiring leaders who put the people ahead of themselves, led by example and united us all with hope and common purpose. In the midst of the worst health and financial global crisis in a century, the people of the world are looking up to their leaders for help, guidance and reassurance. Unfortunately, this is what they currently see.
Life Post Coronavirus
Imagine how life post-Covid would look like, six to twelve months forward, or possibly even further down the track. Would things ever go back to how they used to be? probably not, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, is it. Let’s have a preview on a foreseeable future and how this pandemic might change the world for good.
Mr Trump, You’re Fired
I’m not a big fan, to say the least. It’s been three and a half years since he got into the White House, and I still can’t believe it actually happened. Trump is a clown, a racist, egocentric, it’s all about him and his tweets, everything else is just fake news. He clearly lives in his own world, in a different dimension, where his reality is very different to what most others see. But now, with the way he is managing the COVID19 crisis, enough is enough.
5 Tips for Staying Happy at Work
Evidence suggests only one in five people enjoy going to work, feeling engaged and motivated at all times. That indicates 80% of the workforce is unhappy, unengaged and literally miserable. Given the average full time employee spends most of their day at work, we got a recipe for a bucket of frustrations and lack of productivity in the workforce. Clearly something is wrong with this picture.
COVID19 and Climate Change
A few months ago we were all deeply involved in the Climate Change debate, especially down here in Australia where the bushfires were raging across the nation. Then, all of a sudden, came along the Coronavirus and literally stopped the world from spinning. The Climate Change debate is not on anyone’s agenda anymore.
Survival Guide to COVID19
As most of us are forced into self isolation to stop the spread, bend the curve and save lives, the future is unknown and nobody can predict how long these unprecedented circumstances would last. But is it really that bad? surely some good things can come out of this madness. So before we start to lose our minds, let’s try and explore the things we can control, to try and make the best of this period.
Looking For Meaning 