I’ll be honest, in the beginning Australia rubbed me the wrong way. My mindset at the time was partially to blame; I was travelling with a sense of urgency, desperately trying to find someplace I’d feel satisfied, when in fact it was my scattered brain that needed to take a minute to calm down and appreciate things for what they were. I was as I say ‘running rather than pursuing’ and that is no way to start off a trip.

I arrived in Melbourne, which was too cold and too expensive, or at least those were my excuses for leaving. I then high-tailed it to Hamilton Island where I led a fairly monotonous life, working, sleeping, and eating. No one on ‘Hammo’ felt like ‘my people’, so when I had enough money saved to leave I knew I wanted to venture down the Sunshine Coast, I’d heard about the little hippie town of Byron Bay; it seemed like if any place was going to chill me out it’d be there, and I was NOT disappointed.

As a creative I was immediately in awe; inspiration is everywhere, it’s even in the fucking toilets! There are street performers and artists around every corner who want nothing more than to share their gifts with you. I knew for my own psyche I needed to treat myself to at least a month in this magical place, so that’s exactly what I did.

I eventually found myself my own teeny cottage on Tallow Beach that I was able to rent out for just under $200 a week, that was also in exchange for some babysitting for the family next door, which I didn’t mind in the slightest. These kids were fucking cool, way cooler than me to be fair; I was intimated and had some things to learn. Not only did they not have any Wi-Fi they never bothered to complain about it, instead they hungout OUTSIDE. A place now foreign to Canadian children. They went to surf lessons, skateboarded to school, biked with their parents, they were on all accounts my #familygoals and I’m so glad I had the chance to spend the period with them that I did. Often times they would drop off dinner, or take me out to see the big ass python on our driveway, it was the most aethentic experience, I couldn’t have asked for a cuter group of people. In my time of need, they provided a sense of comfort, a sense of home I’d been missing for a very long time.

While in Byron I took the city bus EVERYWHERE. Word of warning, the bus drivers drive like they’re deranged, eventually you get used to it. I spent a lot of time exploring the town, coffee shops, patios, book stores etc. There is a lot to see and if like me you appreciate aesthetics you’re going to be drooling from all the eye candy.

Living on Tallow, it’s a bit outside Byron bay itself so the beach was almost always empty (minus the few cuties and their dogs, who am I to complain). I can’t explain to you how great it feels to wake up, walk across the street with your mug of coffee and watch the sun rise over the ocean in pyjamas, all alone. Not really having my phone or Netflix to distract me, it gave me so much introspective time that I can confidently say I grew up in ways I never have, ways I was never forced to because I had too many distractions.

I read a lot of books, the most influential being Ramm Dass’s ‘Be Here Now’. I went on loads of nature walks, painted almost daily, visited waterfalls and the infamous Tea Tree Lakes. After a few weeks of journaling I eventually forgave my dad for issues we’d had long before, I got to a point where all of a sudden I understood my mother, my ex, I confronted the failure of relationships and my own insecurities. It was a really pleasurable time. Nothing felt negative, even the most negative thoughts had an air of growth and positivity around them.

If it weren’t for my issues finding work, I’d arrived in low season so this was a bit impossible, I probably would have spent the entire year here, but another little island in another country not so foreign to me was calling my name by then. I was ready to show off this ‘new self’, and I had Byron Bay to thank for it.