It’s been a long time since I put pen to paper and shared something with my friends. So after arriving home at 9.00pm after two magic days on the road, here goes. It’s going to be short and sweet cause I’m tired. But I hope it encourages you, no matter where you live, to get out and explore the countryside, and yourself!
I’ve been in Melbourne for almost 17 months. It hasn’t brought me exactly what I’d hoped for, but then again, I probably didn’t know what I was hoping for. A new beginning perhaps? An opportunity to try and settle back after an incredible life experience? A new challenge? I’m at a bit of a crossroads – I can hear my mum telling me to stop being a dreamer, settle down and to make something of myself. But then again, if I’d done that every time she had told me, I would not have done anything I’ve done – I’ve been hearing it since I was five.
I’ve been going to the Vietnam Vets Centre for the last month, and can honestly say, it’s one of the best things I have ever done in my life. I never share my past with people because I fight hard to not let it come into my life, so you will be surprised to hear this. Being a Vet’s daughter isn’t easy. The depression, the anger, the negativity, the broken relationships – I’ve fought 36 years to not be like my family and I’m finally learning that I don’t have to try so hard. It’s not easy for me talking about it, but it has shaped me, and I have found the last four weeks extremely difficult, hence my need to get away. To take out all the emotion. And just have some fun.
I woke up Friday. The weather was magic. My soul was in need of some nourishment. And the forecast was for a perfect weekend. So I planned to take one of the top ten things to do in Oz off my list and head to the Great Ocean Road. So at 7am on Saturday I headed off for some snacks and hit the road – the thought of two days visa shopping blazing in the dust as I flew down the Princes Highway towards my target – a weekend of randomness.
Most people who will read this, have travelled with me, and know what I’m like doing something I love. This journey was a little different. I was by myself. Had a lot on my mind. Had been crying too much the week before. And really was just looking for an excuse to get out of town. What I found however, was an incredible opportunity to just do whatever I wanted and totally immerse myself in the two days of exploring, both this incredible part of the country and myself.
I probably did over 700km in the two days, and that is just in the car. I walked to Erskine Falls, spent two hours sinking my feet into the sand along Apollo Bay, soaked in the history of the Otway Lighthouse, meditated with the sounds of the bubbling stream and birds amidst the solitude of Maits Rest, walked down Gibson’s Steps and along to the mmmm… third apostle if you count the one that has crashed into the sea, got lost in the tundra of the Bay of Islands, soaked up the sun under a willow tree while enjoying some local cheese and wine at Timboon, walked to Trinity Falls, quivered my way up 47metres above the ground at the Otway Fly, watched the sunset over the 12 apostles, was amazed at the sheer size and number of crater lakes I could see from Camperdown, and to top it all off, thought there was only one way to really do it all justice, so I jumped into a helicopter and flew over this amazing part of the world.
Uh huh…. my calves are killing me. My eyes are wilting. Everyone knows I always ask the locals what not to miss. But really…. did my neck really need that 20km unsealed Lavers Hill – Cobden Road – 40 minutes on a one lane dirt track through tropical rainforest, with not one other vehicle passing – I must go back and thank John and Di – wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
I was taking my own advice on the weekend. It wasn’t a race, but I was grabbing every opportunity. I bypassed every town – who needed cafes, tourist shops and mmm people when there was magic out there waiting. And needless to say, I figured out why it’s tagged great – large in size, powerful, wonderful and most certainly remarkable. It certainly should be on the list of things to do, and I’m really glad that I went by myself. Because as much as it would have been amazing to share it all with someone, I didn’t have to worry about being selfish, because for a rare time in my life, I just did anything I wanted, and more.
No one was incredibly brilliant when the names were being handed out… although I was liking the Sow and Piglet story told by my very nice… ok hot… helicopter pilot. Yes, it’s a road along an ocean, and pretty remarkable, ok, great scenery. But I found another definition for why it has the ‘great’ appendage.
Spending two days alone certainly does give one time to reflect and look forward. As an adult, we are rarely given opportunities to grow. And over the last two days Carl Jung finally made sense: our vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.
I think my mum has always been right. I have been a dreamer. But the great thing about spending time watching the power of the waves as they reshape kms of limestone cliffs, walking amidst the tree tops and flying above such a remarkable landscape – it gave me time to look inside. To not just dream. To know who I am. To really identify what starts the fire. To think about what I want to achieve, and not just about how I can help someone else. And most importantly, what is going to give me the simple fun life I really want. Not the world I get caught up in. But the one I want to be in.
I think I might be curling out of my slumber…. and there’s a golden glow like the one about 8.50 this morning as the first real light hit the apostles… and me, as I’d fallen asleep on the sand.
The dictionary is wrong. Life is a verb. Not a noun. I proved that on the weekend. Now I’m looking inside… and there’s plenty of movement. But this feels different. It feels great! Five weeks coming up in Asia – chilling, fun, simplicity and above all doing something I am passionate about. A place that always makes me feel alive. How could it not?
