Tag: Far South Coast

Why I didn’t want to go home

Ever wondered how you can feel free again? An unplanned trip can clear your mind and give you that essential me time.

I remember that day five months ago.

I was swanning on the verandah, feeling free and unencumbered. The boy had left his nest comprising of footballs, guitars and Play Station and started uni three weeks before.

“Oh yes!” I replied to the solicitous phone calls, “I’m missing him dreadfully!” Smiling, I surveyed my pristine house which no longer contained a trail of plates and cups or wet towels.

I reflected on how I would spend my extra time. More photography? Get fit? Hmmmm.

Then the phone rang.

“I’m moving down too!”

My mother was coming!

Five months blurred by as I organised the move. My last trip back to the city was a week ago. I had spent a week packing and cleaning mum’s house when the boys told me not to come home. They had caught the dreaded bug.

So I took my time returning.

Stopping overnight at Bateman’s Bay I experienced a restorative sunrise and a very weird sculpture.

After visiting the museum, I stopped at Mogo for a cuppa and a stroll in the shops. Then I stopped again 15 minutes later at Moruya which is changing. Interesting new shops can be found to wander into on the main street. Then the luxury of deciding where to stay for the night.

An hour later I was in Bermagui, a serene little seaside town complete with harbour and plenty of spots for photography and surfing. I was so relaxed I just made it to sunrise.

Alone on the beach, clicking away with my Olympus you can understand why I didn’t want to return to a house containing sickly males and used tissues.

The Sapphire Coast provides plenty of opportunities to escape the winter ills with cheap and available accommodation.

It also provides a sense of freedom.

Reward yourself and take an unplanned road trip.

Why you should take a leap of faith

To explore is to live.

 

For me, moving to the Sapphire Coast involved a huge leap of faith. I had to believe that leaving what I knew would be better. This meant overcoming the obstacles my mind naturally produced.

Like the obvious. I left the city for a country area considered rural and remote. I certainly felt isolated during the first few months when I bumped down gum tree lined roads to get to the supermarket.

Yet the locals reassured me we had done the right thing. They were so welcoming after they found we had recently moved that I knew we would soon belong. Being accepted is an important part of feeling valued and gives a great feeling of self-worth.

The more I explored my new postcode, the more I belonged.

I started with my immediate area and gradually branched out. I had no plan, which made my exploration more like an adventure. I just went where the whim took me. And the more I discovered, the more alive I felt.

Something simple, like taking the dog for her daily run, became the next step in the adventure. Together we saw wild life you would never see in the suburbs and we experienced the open skies and bare beaches of the Sapphire Coast normally reserved for travel stories.

Now it’s your turn.

Choose a place to discover.

Feel the freedom of being somewhere different.

Explore and feel alive.