adventure
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Mixing Business With Pleasure: A 78-Hour Road Trip to Karumba
What began as a weekend work trip to Karumba somehow became 63 hours of lava tubes, fishing, a four-hour wrong turn, a thunderstorm and a police chase involving an esky full of catfish.
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Green Cliff Falls — The Day the River Taught Us a Lesson
Seven of us set out for Green Cliff Falls looking for adventure. We found the waterfall, tackled the technical terrain — and on the way back made one mistake in the river that reminded us how quickly an adventure can change.
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Amsterdam to London
I made it to Schiphol Airport without getting lost and felt very proud of myself — until I discovered my gate was another 50-minute walk away. By the time I reached London, I had missed breakfast, blown my accommodation budget and developed a desperate need for rice. 😂
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The Unfinished Hike
The first time I attempted this trail, getting lost resulted in the SES, police and ambulance becoming involved. Naturally, I decided to try it again — this time adding a nudist colony, a trespassing sign and a very full bladder to the adventure.
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The Chase Is Over!!!
My ski lesson was cancelled, Hakuba told us not to come expecting snow, and I spent a day chasing forecasts around Nagano. Then I spotted one magical word beside Togakushi Shrine: snow.
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Devil’s Thumb
The rule of hiking Devil’s Thumb is if you can’t see it from the highway, give the hike a miss. Naturally, I ignored it — and spent nine hours battling leeches, stepping around snakes and eventually standing inside the clouds.
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Saddle Mountain!!!
I finally found the elusive turn-off to Saddle Mountain. The track was confusing, the views came and went with the clouds, and for a while I thought I could stay up there forever — until I started shivering and changed my mind.
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Mt. William
I usually think hikers exaggerate when they describe a trail as difficult. Then I climbed Mt William — four hours of chasing pink ribbons, a bad shortcut at Stoney Creek Falls, two unhappy knees, 2% phone battery and a frantic husband waiting below. This time, the reviews were right.
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When the Plan Keeps Changing
Our plan was to cross Mt Bartle Frere and camp on the eastern side. Then came slow progress, thick fog, a full campground and a nine-year-old yelling, “I don’t want to die!” Hiking plans, apparently, are merely suggestions. 😂
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What Queensland’s highest mountain keeps teaching me
George Mallory is famously quoted as answering the question of why he wanted to climb Mount Everest with three words: “Because it’s there.” I know Bartle Frere is nothing compared with Everest, but whenever people ask why I keep climbing Queensland’s highest mountain, my answer is much the same. Because it’s there. But there is…
Stories Along the Way 