Nature Learn

27/06/2022

We recently did our first overnight hike near Edith Falls (part of Nitmiluk N.P) with the kids. Jono and I carried all the sleep gear and food and the kids carried their clothes, togs and snacks. We hiked into Sweetwater Pools.. an 8.2km return track that stops past a couple of waterholes. The vegetation had been recently burnt so the walk was quite hot and uninteresting… but we did love all the blossoms that were out… as well as swimming in the waterholes. The kids loved sleeping in the tent underneath millions of stars and we finally could see the ‘Dark Emu’ In the Milky Way! We were the only ones camped here, so it was a perfect place to have a break from the hoards of people travelling Oz at the moment! We swam. We played. We stargazed. We soaked it all in. Do you bushwalk with your kids? I’ve found that the age of the child perfectly matches the kilometres they can comfortably walk. 💚

05/05/2022

We’ve been staying in Daylesford and came across an amazing little reserve, planted for the community. It’s full of fruit trees, herbs and veggies. We loved sampling the berries, and pomegranate. Every little town should have something like this. There’s even a map showing where to forage across the town. Thanks Daylesford 💚

21/04/2022

Morning patterns. Tide lines, watermarks and a shell offering. I feel completely blessed to be where we are. I feel almost selfish and undeserving.. with all that’s going on in the world. A good friend of ours departed this world this week. A fellow outdoors man..an adventurer..environmental educator. Paramedic. He lived a full life but died too young. Stafford’s passing reminds us to be thankful for the small things. The sunrises, the patterns. A child’s hand nestled in mine. The smells of an autumn morning. The soft breezes. The cold winds. The rain and the sun. We are thankful for it all.

17/04/2022

Happy Happy Easter to you and your family. We hope you had a lazy Sunday hanging with those you love.

15/04/2022

Rockpools are such a child’s wonderland. So much to see. The more you look, the more you find. The kids played here for hours, collecting and releasing starfish. 💙 so many colours. Textures. Sounds. Smells.

15/04/2022

Rock textures. So much to look at. So many different rocks we see as we travel from place to place.

13/04/2022

One of the old salty surfers we camped next to told us about a cave to explore. “Follow the little track that fishermen use to get to a cove. They fish off the rocks. You can even sleep in the cave”.
What an adventure! The track was super steep and slippery. The kids found a bamboo platform to sit on; they collected bamboo and rope off the beach and made spears… we found slithers of shale flakes and used them like knives. The cave was amazing. We walked through to the other side, which opened up to an amphitheatre and huge hole in the rock. So great exploring the wild with friends . “So where’s our next adventure going to be?” One of the kids asked when we got back to the car. 💙

07/04/2022

We’ve been foraging whilst we explore…always looking for useful things. Warrigal Greens (spinach substitute)cobblers pegs (super high in nutrients and good for the gut), banksia flower tells us the mullet are starting to school in gutters, flakes of rock which the kids like to use to cut things and ochre for paint. So much out there to explore.

26/03/2022

We have been reading that the traditional owners of this area use ochre from the nearby town of Red Rock. The constant rain has softened these rocks of the beach in front of us and made them quite enjoyable to play with. So many beautiful colours. It was raining by the time we got back to camp… so we’re looking forward to more ochre play tomorrow. ❤️

13/03/2022

Sapphires and wind turbines around Inverell. We’ve been visiting family around Inverell and pleased to see so much renewable energy around. Wind and solar. Today we fossicked for Sapphires and found so many of the beautiful blue gemstones. The girls absolutely loved it!!! Did you know Sapphires are the birthstone for September babies… they are the 3rd hardest gemstone and are made from the same type of stone as rubies. 💙

10/03/2022

Girraween National Park…never disappoints. We found some new wildflowers we didn’t see during spring, explored caves, Granite Arch and the Pyramids. We played by the creek, swam and admired the pinks and grey colours of the granite rocks. We also came across a gathering of caterpillars. Does anyone know what species they might turn into??

24/11/2021

If you’re looking at getting into bushwalking but not sure how, there’s a heap of low cost guided walks on offer through the EmpowHER program. A great way to learn new skills and feel confident about being in the outdoors.

EmpowHER Hiking Program