Grounding in Place

while immersing and exploring

We have been in Australia for 2.5 weeks now, though it feels like 2.5 months’ time here at least. Two factors affect how we perceive time here; first, we have traveled to three distinct places—Sydney, Jervis Bay, and Canberra. Second, we have immersed and explored as much as we could in each location. Every day has been an entirely new set of adventures and memories in the making.

We began our journey in Sydney, braving the New Year’s weekend there. We stayed in Balmain, a beautiful neighborhood just west of the central business district.

Balmain neighborhood in Sydney, NSW, Australia

We explored for a few days in Sydney, and were awed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales; we could have easily spent two days in this museum.

Sydney and The Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia

My family and I are highly attuned to the sights and sounds around us. An abundant amount of new input at one time, while highly invigorating, can also be overstimulating for us. To ground ourselves, we seek out quiet spaces. Places where we can take in a long drink of air, a lengthy listen to the sounds around us, and time to linger and appreciate where we are. Our second journey in Australia, which took place a couple of hours south of Sydney in Jervis Bay, NSW, did not disappoint.

Jervis Bay, NSW, Australia

Surrounded by coastal, forested, and also mountainous national parks, Jervis Bay is its own special paradise.

Even though we visited during a peak summer time, pacing here was unrushed, beaches were uncrowded, and finding our own quiet spaces to explore was easy to do. We are already planning our next trip to this coast, which is only a short three-hour drive from Canberra, where we are living now.

More on that, soon!

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