Lost World

I have been longing for a great escape for quite some time. I’ve been feeling bogged down, stuck in a rut and a bit fed up. But how to get my happy on with a limited budget, a husband who can’t take much time off work and a toddler? It’s a good question thoughtful reader, well said.

I pondered some time in a health farm – pros: peace, wellness, weightloss. Cons: couldn’t bear to leave my spectacular small one behind, prohibitively expensive. I wondered about a day at a spa – pros: relaxation, looking and feeling brighter. Cons: it’s just not long enough, the effects are fleeting and I’m not in the mood to make small talk.

No, the only solution is a weekend away in the country, easy driving distance from home (to minimise toddler travel time) and somewhere beautiful. And, since a change is as good as a rest,  somewhere we have never been. This last criteria ruled out the usual suspects - Maleny, Montville, Mt Tamborine, Stanthorpe, Byron Bay Hinterland, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast – all had been visited and enjoyed by us on previous occasions, plus I was beginning to feel I wanted somewhere quieter, less touristy and with more room to breathe.

 

And then I found it: Lost World Valley. The very name conjures up images of a verdant wild place, forgotten for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. At around 90 minutes from Brisbane, true forgetting isn’t possible of course but it is a hidden plateau (at the wilderness end of Lamington National Park) a place where it’s easy to imagine that anything could remain hidden and perhaps a part of oneself could be found.

 

I promptly booked Eighteen Mile Cottage and, as the clock struck one on Friday, we were off – barrelling out of the rain swept city and towards a world of green. Our cottage was wonderful. A gorgeous, wooden, 1920s Queensland cottage which, the owner informed us, had been transported from Brisbane many years before. And not just Brisbane but our suburb; in fact just two streets away from our home. It felt meant to be. Inside was tastefully decorated in a pared-back country style and outside lay five acres of land with the Albert River running through it, just for us.

We had an absolute ball. Agatha very quickly went “free range” toddling at great speed around the garden barefoot and excitedly pointing out birds and wallabies and cows. We popped into town and visited the museum and gathered supplies and then we came “home” and didn’t leave again until our too-short holiday was over. We enjoyed misty mornings, sunny afternoons and star-filled nights. We played football, dipped our toes in the (freezing) river, ate picnics, stretched out on the grass and absorbed the vitamin D.

In the evenings Andy and I talked and read and relaxed. No phone reception and no internet is a very good thing indeed. Nothing else mattered, just us and our glorious girl.

We decided that a place of our own in the country is in our future; the air, the space, the freedom was incredible. We don’t know where yet and of course I know that day-to-day life in the countryside has its challenges and it isn’t simply an extended version of the special weekend we just enjoyed but my word it’s where we want to be. I found my happy!

Do more of what makes you happy

I recently returned from a most excellent holiday in Tasmania. It was my first visit and I was blown away by its natural beauty, groovy towns and cities, tasty food, friendly inhabitants and cute creatures. It’s now my joint-favourite state. I brought home lots of cool things; a wooden melon slice that grabbed Agatha’s attention, gifts for friends, a clock made from paper and some fantastic memories. But I brought something else back with me too, a resolve to do more of what makes me happy.

I was waiting outside a rather nice but pram unfriendly coffee shop in Hobart while Andy (my coffee-addicted husband) procured his latest skinny cappuccino and I spotted this:

I had already been feeling that I wanted to do more of the things I was doing in Tasmania: having fun with my two favourite people, visiting different places, trying new things, living more spontaneously, getting lots of fresh air, being active, shopping in independent shops and leaving myself open to a little serendipity. The sweet street art seemed perfectly placed and in that instant I decided to do more of what makes me happy and to blog about it, as a journal for me and perhaps to inspire (and in turn learn from) others about what makes them happy.

I’m starting small with baby music classes on Monday. I suspect Agatha and I will have a blast.