The Silver LiningBells Rapids
Posted on June 25, 2015
The last long weekend here in Perth called for a quick dose of red dirt and eucalyptus, and a moment of much needed self care. Time to shut that laptop and forget about the mountain of work emails, and just enjoy the zamia palms swish past my legs and watch the sunset tint the smoke-filled sky wondrous colours.
And better than that, time to spend with friends who think it’s a great idea to follow a sign that says “Goat Walk” and proceed to practically rock climb up the side of a hill, friends who agree that appropriate hiking food consists of chocolate and coffee, and friends who accept you as a complete package and help you remember that you’re kinda alright.
Thanks guys. I think you’re kinda alright too.
Share this:
Take me back
Posted on July 24, 2014
Ah Broome. The warm and sunny town reminds me of a time when life was simple. I was sent here last year for work, initially apprehensive and somewhat discomposed, then six months down the track found myself embraced by the community and way of life, and truly sad to leave. The unhurried pace was curative and a real tonic for a soul that previously searched for meaning and gratification in busyness and seemingly important jobs with very long to-do lists.
Things are different up here. Yes, there is work, but there is always time to catch up for a drink on Friday afternoon, time to take that bike ride around the port, time to go to that gym class on Tuesday evening, time to have a dip at the beach, time to watch yet another breathtaking sunset (or moonrise!), time to cast a fishing rod off the rocks. And that time isn’t the never-arriving tomorrow, it is today. Yes, we have our jobs and we do them well, but time is made and set aside to tend to ourselves. We make time to chat, consolidating old friends, connecting with new ones. There is a term frequently used up here – to have a yarn – which from my observations means to have a relaxed but meaningful exchange, with no fixed time limit or agenda, finding out more about each other, going wherever the conversation may spontaneously flow. The focus is on the person and where they are in life, often not necessarily asking them the questions that seem to be so commonly asked to define and categorise a person (like my personal unfavourite, “What do you do?”).
I spent six days in Broome just a couple of weeks ago, with the only purpose being to do just that. Have a yarn with some very dear friends and acquaint myself with some new ones too.
Let me not forget nor lose sight of the truly important things in life.
Share this:
Down South
Posted on January 17, 2014
Heading “Down South” is a common turn of phrase in this part of the world. Invariably it means going on a road trip to one of the beautiful towns south of Perth, getting away from city life, relaxing on the beach and taking it easy. Late last year when Steve visited us from Scotland, I took the chance to show him how beautiful this part of the world is. We ate cheese, drank wine, sat on the beach, took photos, mountain biked and spotted some whales, kangaroos and possums. Poor Sarah couldn’t join as due to work commitments but happily we both have some leave and are scheduled to make a return visit very soon!
– Jinn
Share this:
Sunlight
Posted on August 14, 2013
Wearing – Comptoir des Cotonniers x Calla dress, Repetto shoes (different colour way here), Mno.logie clutch, vintage ring
I had only just barely touched down in Perth when off we set again to Darwin to celebrate a close friend’s wedding! My internal thermostat was more than happy to escape Perth’s chilly winter to bask in the warm and balmy north Australian dry season that I’ve been more accustomed to of late.
I was particularly excited to rediscover a pile of clothing from my recent travels to New York, London and Paris that had remained untouched due to Broome’s propensity to stay a constant thirty degrees Celsius as well as the generally more outdoorsy lifestyle.
So it’s no surprise that I reached for this entirely Paris-bought outfit – an appropriately sweet and floral Comptoir des Cotonniers dress paired with delicate Repetto heels, made with the softest of leathers. Their fairy princess gleam, not-too-high-but-very-ladylike heel and ultimate comfort level ensured that we were boogying on down well into the night!
More pictures and details of this gorgeous garden wedding to follow…
Share this:
Hovercrafts, dinosaurs and cheeky parents
Posted on June 21, 2013
My awesome Mumsy and Papsy came up to visit me a few weekends ago, and amongst taking in the Broome markets and feasting on barramundi wings and Kimberley mud crabs, we also went on this cool hovercraft tour. At first I was like, hovercrafts are real?!?!? I thought they only existed in sci-fi novels and movies! What a doofus…And to top that off, part of the tour included a look at some actual dinosaur footprints (see the photo above!). Admittedly, they’re not that easy to spot, but once they’re pointed out to you and you see just how regularly they’re positioned, you recognise how those holes could not have been made by some random act of nature or weather.
My mum always tells me stories about how she used to pelt boys she didn’t like with slugs and snails, but I never believed her as these days she is the definition of clean-freak. However, when the hovercraft landed and the low tide revealed a treasure trove of sealife I practically had to run and hide to avoid being splattered with bright red sea cucumbers and sea snails of assorted sizes. My dad, well he was not so lucky. I may or may not have used him as a human shield.
This was one of the most spectacular sunsets I’d experienced yet. The way the colours were reflected in those tiny pools made by the tidal flats. The lingering pinks and purples of the dying light. With only six weeks left up here in the Kimberley, I’m coming to realise just how much I’m going to miss this place.
Photos by me
Share this:
Follow the sun
Posted on June 19, 2013
What Kimberley holiday would be complete without a lazy afternoon spent at the beach? We tried our hand at a little snorkelling but alas the water was a tad too choppy for that! We contented ourselves with a nice snooze in the afternoon sun, cooling down with a bite of refreshing watermelon. Sometimes I just love doing nothing.
Share this:
Cape Leveque
Posted on June 10, 2013
Is this the Broome edition or what?! I suppose I’ve been up here for about three months now, but to be honest it’s been more about work and settling in, but now that’s well and truly done let me show you what we’ve been up to.
The Kimberley is absolutely nothing like the southern half of Western Australia, coming up here you really feel like you’re in a completely different country. It’s so much better than I expected it to be, and for a professed city-girl I have found myself totally falling for the sheer wildness of the land and just how alive it feels. The rich soil, the roiling waves, the calls of the wildlife, the trees reaching for the skies, the scintillating sunsets that show you colours you never knew existed.
One place that must be seen to be believed is Cape Leveque, 220km north of Broome, right on the tip of the Dampier Peninsula. Jinn, Jeff, Rach and I hopped into the four-wheel drive and at first I was like, “You call this a road?” but very quickly threw fear and trepidation out the window and embraced the joy and freedom of driving over those crazy bumpy trails, feeling almost indestructible. I must have had a a wild look in my eyes and a wickedly wide grin on my face for much of the drive which possibly got even wider on our arrival when I realised we’d reached a coastal paradise.
Leave Broome behind, hire a four-wheel drive (or find yourself a friend with one), and get up that bumpy-as-hell dirt road to Cape Leveque, also known as Kooljaman in the local Bardi language. Bring a fishing rod, your bathers, some Matso’s mango beer, plenty of sunscreen and insect repellent, and most of all throw your worries and preoccupations into that blue water and breathe in your fill of the freshest air on the planet.
Photos by Jinn
Share this:
Cable Beach again
Posted on March 20, 2013
We went back to enjoy Cable Beach on my last evening in Broome. I had vowed to watch the sunset from a different beach each night I was in Broome, and true to my word we saw the sun set from a different part of Cable Beach to before. We stayed out late, well after the sun had set, deep in conversation and watching the sky turn from red to black and then erupt into a magnificent starscape. Beautiful scenery, warm nights, a sweet smelling breeze and excellent company – what could be better in life? – Jinn
Share this:
Peachy keen
Posted on March 13, 2013
Excuse the tatty hair in these photos – Jinn had just touched down in Broome, I’d come straight from work after spending a rather sweaty day travelling back from Kununurra, and rather than going back to my apartment to set his bags down and rest he said, “Allons-y!” So off to Cable Beach we went to catch the sunset! So this little shoot was pretty impromptu but we couldn’t help but take advantage of the peachy skies offsetting my totally unplanned peachy outfit. 🙂
This was actually the beginning of an amazing weekend that I just didn’t want to end. Not only was my hubby/BFF/accomplice here with me, but also someone who understands my Insta-obsession (don’t look at me like you don’t know what I mean!). I’ve not yet encountered anyone up here who shares my addiction so there have been countless social situations and dinners where I’ve practically had to sit on my own hands to prevent myself from taking a photo of my food or a gratuitous self-pic! We took so many photos in just three little days, so let’s hope my trigger-happy fingers have been appeased for now…until Jinn’s next visit of course!
Wearing – Gorman top (this is a beauty), peach shorts (similar) and neon sandals (Gorman overload!), Freckle & Co. tassel bracelet, friendship bracelet by me
He’s wearing – St Goliath t-shirt (similar), and shorts!
Share this:
Gantheaume Point
Posted on March 11, 2013
Whilst Jinn was in Broome I really wanted to make it down to Gantheaume Point as I’d read that there were real dinosaur footprints imprinted amongst the rocks that you could approach when the tide was low. There’s something cool about seeing things that are millions of years old, I find it fascinating and it makes me feel rather small yet thrilled at the same time.
We wandered and splashed around the amazing little rock pools for ages, searching for prehistoric footprints and marvelling at the tiny treasures that the tide had left behind. Pieces of colourful coral, pools brimming with tiny sea snails and my favourite hermit crabs, and strange white slug-like things which looked like alien creatures from a Doctor Who episode.
Well, before we knew it, the sun was setting and we had yet to find any signs of ancient dinosaur life. But you know what? We just didn’t care as we were taken in by the most gorgeous sunset we had seen yet, along with the amazing lighting and ever-changing colours of the sky which made it a photographer’s paradise. Plenty of locals had driven their 4WDs onto the beach and were casually enjoying the sight over their picnic dinners, it looked like heaven and the perfect way to spend a Sunday evening. Gives me ideas for next time!
This place is an absolute must see, with sunsets that rival or, dare I say, are even better than Cable Beach’s. There’s plenty of signage on the way there and I highly recommend taking a 4WD and a hamper full of yummy food and beverages. And if anyone knows where those footprints are, please enlighten me!
The Silver Lining 