by Krista | Jan 12, 2016 | Summer
Our first night in the Bunya Mountains was my favorite sort of night: rain pouring, wind whipping, me warm and dry in my tent reading a good story by lamplight. It was like sleeping out in a fort again and I loved it.
We woke the next morning to overcast skies and air just chilly enough to need flannels and scarves. What a treasured thing after so many hot summer days back home.
We laughed with delight at the novelty – well, I was delighted, my Kiwi friend Sue pulled on layers and thought “What is this madness??!!” – and set the kettle on to boil.
There are few ways better to start a chilly morning in the mountains than hot, strong coffee and buttered slices of Sue’s homemade raisin almond cake. Sheer bliss I tell ya.
The night before we’d perused a map of the rainforest, tracing various trails to see which ones we’d want to trek. Since neither of us had much experience hiking in rainforests, we decided to go for a short walk before breakfast to check the condition of the trails before making up our minds.
So we sipped the last of our coffees, donned boots and hats, bid good morning to our neighbors, and headed into the woods.
It was gorgeous, lush and green with wide trails that made walking a pleasure. Recent rains made everything damp and cool, but thanks to years of leaves and twigs falling on the trails, they weren’t slippery or treacherous.
It only took minutes before we decided to take the longest 10 km trail. Who could resist walking for hours among such spectacular vines that disappeared into the canopy that towered above us? To put the vines into perspective, each of those strands is as thick or thicker than the average leg. Incredible!
Smaller vines crept along the ground, clambering up trees, dangling down from unseen branches high above like beaded curtains.
I couldn’t get enough of the ferns. So vibrant, shimmering with raindrops, looking so wondrously alive.
We saw massive Bunya Pines – keeping a wary eye skywards for the soccer ball sized pine cones that like to drop without warning – the sinewy tentacles of Strangler Figs, and the luminous glow of the occasional Ghost Gum.
If the rainforest was this beautiful next to our camping spot, we could only imagine how fabulous it would be further in and higher up.
So we headed back to camp to prepare ourselves for the 4-hour hike with a hearty breakfast: soft boiled eggs, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, walnuts and cashews, and a cup of strong tea.
Thoroughly sated we then packed up camp, tucking away dishes and furniture, locking the van, zipping my tent securely closed. We filled the backpack with water bottles and snacks, cameras and first aid supplies, map and whistle, sunscreen and mosquito repellent, and then we were off.
I can’t wait to show you what we saw. xo
by Krista | Jan 10, 2016 | Summer
After Sue and I left the historic Woolshed at Jondaryan, we headed north on our adventure. We aimed for the Bunya Mountains, a place that promised forest, views, and cooler temperatures.
It did not disappoint.
As Sue’s trusty van inched higher and higher up into the mountains, we opened our windows to breathe in the fresh air and brrr! We could hardly believe the difference in temperatures between our farm and the Bunya Mountains as we switched from sweltering to shivering. We hastily pulled cozy flannel shirts over our sundresses and felt much better.
How I loved it. With overcast skies that foretold rain, dense forest, massive trees, and clean, cold air, it felt just like my old stomping grounds in Canada or Washington State.
As we moseyed our way through the trees, exclaiming at the massive Bunya pines and dramatically twisting vines, we emerged into a clearing that would serve as our home for the next two days and nights.
Much to our delight, we weren’t the only ones in residence. All over the grassy sward were wallabies happily noshing on green grass.
I know these beauties are normal sights to most Aussies, but to my Canadian self they are still a novelty.
Aren’t they gorgeous? The ones on our farm hightail it out of sight as soon as they catch wind of us, but these lovelies ignored us completely, utterly unfazed by our presence, letting us wander among them sighing happily at their adorableness.
They amazed me as they nuzzled each other, scratched an itchy elbow, and hopped from one verdant patch to the next.
The most wonderful moment was when a tiny joey hopped out of its mother’s pouch to have a bit of a graze with the grown-ups before crawling right back in again for a snuggle.
We finally tore ourselves away from wallaby-watching when the rumble of thunder reminded us we’d better get our camp set up before the storm arrived.
We found a spot with lovely views of the woods and hastily arranged table and chairs, organized food supplies and Sue’s van room, and put up my tent. I closed the last zipper a mere 40 seconds before the rain pelted down. I hid inside for the duration, listening to the rain pelt against my waterproof tarp as I cozied in and read my book, thinking that I couldn’t have asked for a better start to our trip.
The storm dissipated after a few chapters, and Sue and I emerged from our homes into the rain-washed air to make a hot dinner.
Sue poured wine and collected the fresh basil as I boiled up plump gnocchi and poured on a simple tomato sauce and generous sprinklings of Parmesan cheese.
Then we settled into our cushion-topped chairs to chat, eat, and watch our neighbors attempt to wrestle a too-big mattress into a too-small tent. It took seven of them huffing and puffing, pushing and shoving, but they managed it. We were duly impressed.
After welcoming us with a humdinger of a rainy storm, the Bunya Mountains made up for it with a spectacular sunset.
It was the end of a wonderful first day of adventuring in Southern Queensland. xo
by Krista | Jan 8, 2016 | Summer
Yesterday was a rough one. After all these years, a lawsuit has been filed against Bill Gothard, an American religious leader who abused so many for so long. Several of my friends are part of that lawsuit, and their bravery and strength brings me to tears. They’ve had to revisit such a horrendous time in their lives and they’ve done it so that no one else has to go through what they did, so that he is held accountable for at least some of the horrors he perpetrated. I admire them tremendously. They represent thousands of us, innocent kids who were harmed by this mans behavior and teachings, and the culture of abuse he and his fellow leaders created and sustained.
The news – you can read about it here and here and here – means a great deal to those of us abused by him and his co-leaders, but it also triggers memories we’ve spent decades trying to overcome. Emotional flashbacks came like waves, whipping many of us back to that time of fear and shame when we had no power and no one to help us. There were the usual tears, headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, the feeling of sheer panic and being in imminent danger, but thankfully, they didn’t last. Because that was then, this is now.
And now is so much better.
Now we are free from him and his henchmen/women. He no longer has the power to harm us. He cannot touch us, cannot speak to us, cannot use others to control, manipulate, and abuse us. We are safe.
We are free to live in the light now, to embrace ideals and beliefs that reflect our good and loving hearts, to pursue healing through counseling, the real love of kind people, the help of doctors and other professionals.
And we get to build beautiful lives now, lives marked by kindness and creativity and love for ourselves and others.
We are free to make the most of this life of ours, and that’s something to smile about.
I talked with several friends after the lawsuit news broke, and it was lovely to comfort and affirm each other, grieve over the bad stuff and celebrate the good. We will always deal with the ramifications of what he did to us, but we’ll be OK. We’re strong and feisty and brave and funny and talented, and we really will be OK. We’ve got each other, we’ve got people who love us even with our crazy pasts, and we’ve got today.
Today is such a lovely word full of hope and possibility. What a gift to be able to fill it with what WE want, not what bad guys foisted upon us.
We get to love our people and show compassion to our dear wobbly selves, we get to make good food and stand outside in fresh air with growing things around us, we get to see birds flitting about and draw and sew and paint and take pictures and build stuff and plant things and read books and watch movies and listen to music and write words and dance like a crazy person.
Today is good.
Wishing you a beautiful today. xo
by Krista | Jan 7, 2016 | Summer
One of the things I love about traveling is the opportunity to discover places that showcase distinct ways of life that are totally foreign yet uniquely inspiring or informative.
When Sue and I headed out on our Southern Queensland road trip, our first stop was at such a place: The Woolshed at Jondaryan.
Jondaryan Woolshed is a heritage-listed shearing shed built in 1859 that was once the largest freehold station in Queensland. It passed through several hands, each owner or manager adding their own stamp to the property through additions of land or buildings. Soon the station boasted its own church, St. Anne’s, shearer quarters, a station store, butcher shop, hide and tallow house, and a stable and coach house.
Property owners from miles around brought their sheep to Jondaryan to be shorn. During the 1873 season, 24,000 of the sheep shorn were from other properties. It is believed that over a million sheep have been shorn at Jondaryan over the years.
In January 1946, Jondaryan ceased being station, and in 1972, following the success of celebrations held at the Jondaryan woolshed to mark the centenary of the Jondaryan State School, the owner of the property offered the woolshed and 12 acres of land to the people of Jondaryan.
In 1976 it became an open air museum and tourist attraction. Numerous buildings from the surrounding district have been moved onto the site including an 1850s blacksmith’s shop, a shepherd’s hut from Mt Moriah, the 1880s Lagoon Creek homestead, and a shepherds hut. Visitors can also see the Woodleigh Cheese factory, the Jondaryan Railway Station, a shepherd’s hut from Cecil Plains, a police lockup from Peranga, the Evanslea bagged grain shed, the Oakey Bank of New South Wales, and a railway building from Bongeen, now used as a barber’s shop.
The day Sue and I arrived at Jondaryan, the skies were filled with thick black clouds. And before we’d made it halfway through the station, we found ourselves stranded in the Woodview State School as sheets of rain turned the paths to rivers and the grass to ponds.
It was an excellent building to get stranded in for there were plenty of things to read and the displays inside were interesting. I like how the school desks have slots for the slates to slide down into. No doubt this prevented many a student from losing their slate on the way to and from school and, in the case of students like Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe, smashing their slates over each other’s heads.
My other favorite part was exploring the inside of one of the original homestead buildings. In writing the Freestone history book, I learned that early Australian settlers either built kitchens separate from their houses, or lined the cooking area with galvanized iron. Fires were lethal in this tinder dry country, just as they are now, and the early settlers learned to take precautions.
I talked about it with Bear this morning, discussing how sensible it is to build an outdoor or well-ventilated kitchen in this country that is hot so much of the year. It also makes me smile to look at the table, because we have those same tin plates with the blue rims. Excellent, non-breakable dishes for the eating and food prep we do outside.
This is just one end of the Jondaryan wool shed. It is massive!! I love the open plan and soft light, and the addition of chandeliers to fancy it up for various functions makes me happy.
It really is a unique place, full of beautifully restored buildings, informative displays, and fascinating tidbits of history.
Having grown up with my nose perpetually in one or more of the Little House on the Prairie books, it was interesting to compare the history of American pioneers with Australian settlers. Landscape and weather play such a huge role in how cultures develop, and are reflected in everything from attire and transportation to food and traditions.
And I couldn’t help but be charmed by this cheery red building bordered with flowers and greenery. It was once a police lock up in Peranga.
It was definitely worth the stop.
Next time I’ll take you to the Bunya Mountains, where the nights were cold and wallabies grazed next to my tent.
Do you have a favorite open air museum? xo
by Krista | Jan 4, 2016 | Summer
After eight days on a fantastic, road-tripping adventure through Southern Queensland with my dear friend, Sue, I am home at last. 🙂
We had a marvelous time, exploring beautiful places and gaping in wonder as we exclaimed, “I can’t believe this is REAL!” Australia truly is a magical place of staggering beauty and quirky places and delightful people. I can’t wait to tell you all about it a bit later this week.
But today, my first full day at home, it’s time to settle back in to normal life, drink copious amounts of Earl Grey tea, and chat up a storm with Bear to catch each other up on our various stories.
I’m also back to work today, scheduling writing assignments and photo shoots, arranging meetings, trying to get my vacation head back in the game.
But it’s not all work.
I arrived home to lovely rain, and today is dark and cool. Such a nice reprieve from the heat. I bottle fed Kebab, laughing at how quickly he guzzles it now that he’s bigger. I visited with my dog Luna who was outrageously excited to see me back where I belong. And I wandered my gardens checking all the plants and harvesting all sorts of good things.
Tonight we’re definitely feasting on this bounty.
While I was away I took a couple of hours each day just to read and write and think. Sometimes it was while tucked cozily in my little tent as a storm raged outside, others it was sitting on a cliff edge overlooking endless acres of gum trees while stark white cockatoos circled far below.
It was wonderful for settling and clarifying my thoughts, helping me work through things that otherwise get stuffed down in the bustle of daily life. Returning home now I feel enriched on so many levels, in experiences and encounters, as well as altering of mindsets and deepening of resolves. Mostly I feel peaceful and content, and that is a treasure.
What moments do you treasure most from your Christmas/New Year’s? xo
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