Farewell Aus, Until Next Time Mate

Oh, Aus. Where did the time go? Fourteen months have appeared to pass by in the blink of an eye, and all of the sudden our love affair is over. I'm trying to find a way to sum up this experience and thank you for everything you have taught and given me. And the only thing I can manage is, "I can't wait to see you again mate."

Fitting in a last minute hike at Yanchep National Park.

As of yesterday evening, my Australian sabbatical tour officially ended. Just minutes before I left for the airport I was enjoying a neighborhood barbie, watching the Aussie Rules football grand final - a typical and fabulous Saturday arvo (I fully committed to assimilating to the Aussie life 😆). The realization that I would be leaving the country didn't set in until I pulled up to the Perth Airport and got dropped off at the international terminal. My plane ticket had been booked for nearly two months, but I lived in a state of denial until it was time to check my bags and give my final farewells.

Final hugs with the Harris boys 😍

A now that I'm gone, I'm trying to reflect on how I'm feeling about the departure. I expected to be sad, but I'm not. I know that it was time to get moving, I had become too comfortable and exploring wasn't my main focus. With that awareness, instead of sadness, I'm feeling a huge sense of gratitude for everything I was able to experience.

As I've already mentioned, Australia didn't help me solve the life mysteries that I had set out to discover. I didn't achieve all the goals I had set. And while this Aussie tour wasn't what I expected, it shaped me in so many unexpected ways. I have fallen in love with the Australian way of life. Good Vibes and Happy Days might be cliche slogans mass printed on bumper stickers and reusable grocery totes throughout the backpacker towns on the East Coast, but they really do resonate with the Australian way of life. I find myself more relaxed (I'm sure the unemployment helps), I've mellowed and become less prone to irrational anger. I've welcomed all the opportunities to be outdoors, and discovered that I am fully capable of "roughing it." I think the biggest thing Australia did for me, was to make me more faceted, more adaptable. And if Australia wasn't so far from the rest of the world, it's definitely a place where I could watch my years pass by. Fortunately for my mum, the location is too isolated for me to stay long-term.

I'm going to miss my blonder hair and mild tan. I'm going to miss my bare feet being warmed by the sidewalks. I'll miss hearing g'day mate on the hiking trails. I'm going to miss the people, all the Aussies willing to give with both hands. I previously claimed the Irish were the nicest people I had ever met, but I have to give that title over to the Aussies now.

Thank you Australia / Aus / Oz / Straya, whatever you want to be called. I cannot thank you enough for the experiences and memories you've given me. To all the fabulous people I've met along the way, it wouldn't have been the same without you. I hope we meet again.

As I close this chapter, I end it knowing that I will return. I'm determined to complete my full coastal circuit - I have a few thousand kilometers left to discover! So I'll see you soon mate. Don't change while I'm away.

My complete route. Details under Aus Mapped.