Pauline’s Notebook

Back when I was a kid, taking a holiday meant filling my backpack and going on a road trip. Some days, my family and I would drive for 800Km on the Australian highways stopping at the Big Banana, or the Big Koala, the Big Oyster or the Big Sheep. For 4 weeks every year, we’d do these road trips, seeing the landscape change and setting up camp at a caravan park.

The Australian outback was a familiar place which I have since long forgotten. The smell of the Australian native bushland, it’s distinctive acidic characteristic, the sounds of the native birds and the crackle of the dry leaves underfoot. There is the buzz of catching fish at the local river bed and having it for dinner.

This year, I plan to go back to these familiar places. I’m looking forward to these road trips. My kids are now older so I’m looking forward to holidaying with them in the outback.