45,000 memories

When my sister kindly gifted me a photobook voucher for my birthday this year it gave me impetus to really dig through my 45,000 photos (yes, I’m not joking… and that’s after lots of culling!) to put together a very small selection of my favourite photos from my many travels to-date… not only filling the generous 60 page book, but adding a few extra pages to boot.

And it reminded me how much fun I had sharing my photos and travel experiences through the public forum of blogging – even more so than a coffee table book to shyly share with a selected few.

So to get me back into the blogging habit, I now commit to publishing a weekly post, walking you through these already-selected travel photos (so it shouldn’t be too hard, right?) starting here with some blasts from the past, remnants of my pre-digital photography…

Queenstown

New Zealand, 1981

I remember Queenstown as a tourist’s paradise of thrill-seeking activities in the midst of spectacular New Zealand scenery. A jet-boat ride remained top of my scariest-things-I-have-ever-done list for a very long time, and I have never forgotten the feeling that I was going to be tossed out of the boat at every twist and turn, dangerously weaving among the rocks and cliffs on that hair-raising ride. (A tip for the short of stature – don’t sit in the front seat!)

Christchurch

New Zealand, 1981

What a pretty city was Christchurch – and definitely one of my favourite places I remember visiting on that two-week driving holiday around New Zealand, way back in the eighties. How heart-wrenching the devastating earthquake of 2011 must have been. It astounds me how people can recover and rebuild after such disasters.

Marysville

Victoria Australia, 2002

Less than a 2 hour drive from Melbourne, Marysville is a perfect weekend escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Badly affected by the terrible bush fires of Black Saturday in 2009, here is yet another story of regeneration after tragedy. Strange to think that some my holiday snaps may have become historical records.

Murray River

Victoria Australia, 2000

I loved exploring historic towns like Echuca or Corowa nestled along the mighty Murray River. I remember taking this photo after a relaxing lunch by the Murray on a weekend getaway up that way – the exact location long-forgotten.

Until next week!