I don’t mean to brag but this is where we live…
OK, so it’s not exactly where we live but it’s only 50 minutes drive away. I’m happy to drive 50 minutes if it means I arrive at paradise.
When living in Banff (Canada), Chris and I became very accustomed to packing our weekends with tourist-like activities. Whilst we were locals (mind you, Banff inhabitants are so transient you only have to be there longer than 2 weeks to be regarded a local), we knew our time in Banff would run out and so wanted to experience all we could in that time. We essentially became tourists in our own (temporary) home town.
We got up to so much mischief and had so much fun, we were hell bent on continuing that philosophy when we returned home to Australia.
Case in point; we recently drove the 50 minutes to paradise (aka beachside town of Noosa) to check out a hike we found in a “Take a Walk in South-East Queensland” book my Mum had given us (thanks Mum).
Despite the fact we…
- Got lost 3 times even with the book and signs at several points on the trail,
- Happened upon a nudist beach, which to Chris’ dismay consisted only of doodles and to my dismay, elderly ones, and
- Power walked back to our car whose parking limit had expired some half an hour earlier due to our late arrival caused by navigational ineptitude…
we had a great time (seriously, I swear these things only happen to Chris and I) and the hike was spectacular. Here is the evidence…
More paradise
The nudist beach sans doodles
Chris on the trail
The best way to become a tourist where you live is to do as tourists do. For instance, we went to a local information centre and collected a bunch of tourist brochures (all of which were free). We then grabbed a coffee at a cafe, flicked through the brochures and picked out anything that interested us.
Note: if you do this with a partner be prepared to include experiences you may not be terribly fussed about, like, oh, I don’t know, barn dancing for example. Apparently it’s called compromising (don’t ask me what went through Chris’ darn tootin’, cotton pickin’, docey doein’, “Jubilee Jig” brain of his). All’s fair in love and war. I chose ballet.
Chris also had an ingenious idea of making our picks into a work of art.
Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea but Picasso would be proud (and maybe a 3 year old). Coloured pens on a sheet of paper would also do the trick.
The internet is also a great resource to search your area, as is your local paper and any tourist guides like the Lonely Planet.
For many people, the chance to be a tourist on holiday happens once a year or two. Why not be a tourist most weekends where you live? It keeps life fun, doesn’t cost much and you get to see and experience more of a your own backyard.
Besides, you may be surprised with what you find, like a nudist beach for example!
Related posts:
- Sami’s Days of Her Life – Part 1 In an effort to introduce myself to those who don’t...
- Sun, Surf & Shenanigans Photo by arriba In my opinion there’s nothing better...
- New Years at Moreton Island (Part 2) And the adventures continue… Given Moreton is one big sand...
- New Years At Moreton Island (Part 1) Having just returned home to Australia from living for a...
- Sami’s Days of Her Life – Part 2 Last episode of Sami’s Days of Her Life, our heroine,...
Ahhhh I’m SO jealous of where you live. It looks beautiful. I live in a very popular tourist city (Washington, DC, USA) and I rarely do anything tourist-like in the city. I always want to take more advantage of the city and this post has inspired me to do so. Maybe I’ll even take a walking tour or something like that…
WOW i’d love to do some nice hikes where you live
Hey Positively Present,
Yeah, we’re very lucky that’s for sure.
There’s no time like the present! I can definitely recommend checking out your own home town. There’s always much fun to be had if you go looking!
Hi MartYn,
Well if you count your cards right you just never know…
I love this post and totally agree! We have made a similar deal with ourselves when we get home (well I guess it will be all new to Max, but not for me). I don’t want to become complacent and miss out on all the good stuff and fun! So much to see, do and explore and it makes the sometimes everyday life seem not so everyday. Good advice and well done for following through! (by the way, we are so coming to visit your neck of the woods)
Hey Sami,
So you stumbled upon a nudist beach…sure…
This reminds me that there’s much to do right here…close to home. We have the beaches of Lake Michigan with 25 miles – and don’t go there very often (of course it’s not quite the same as your beach…clothed or not)(lucky, you are!!). It’s a tourist stop for sure. And lots of summer festivals downtown – maybe it’s time to go again…
Happy dancin’…
Way to be a tourist in your home town.
Whenever family or friends come to visit, we do the tourist thing and it’s always fun. It’s a great chance to appreciate what you’ve got.
Hi Sami,
Your country and your area of the country is beautiful. My parents lived in Townsville for a couple of years, but DH and I never got to visit. At the time, my son was 3 years old and my daughter was a newborn. We decided that it wasn’t the right time to make a trip down under.
Is that anywhere near you?
Hi Lance,
No, truly, I did stumble upon a nudist beach, really I did. Actually when I saw all the doodles, I really did stumble!!
Yeah, I think we often forget that there is much to explore close to home. It’s easy to get caught up in the mowing/housework/cleaning/errands and forget to go have some fun in your local area.
Hey J.D.
Thanks! Good point. Visiting family and friends is a GREAT excuse for being a tourist. When we have visitors we like to mix up doing tourist things we know they’d enjoy with things we haven’t done. Get the best of both worlds that way.
Hey Kirwin,
Thanks. Yeah, we’re very lucky.
Townsville is in the same state as us but quite a ways north (about 16 hours drive). It’s a beautiful spot with great beaches too. I can totally understand why you felt the timing wasn’t right. A 3 year old and a newborn on a flight from the US to Aus in cattle class is the stuff of nightmares!!
I used to live in Landsborough and still own land there – a wonderful part of the world that I miss. Not sure when I will get back for a visit, however your photos bought back lovely memories
Hi RML,
Too spinny, Landsborough is seriously 20 minutes from where we live! It really is beautiful here – we’re very lucky. Glad the pics brought back great memories. Thanks for stopping by!
It all looks and sounds like SO MUCH FUN!
Hi Bella,
Yes, it was too much fun, except the power walking back to the car!! Thanks for stopping by.