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Let’s have a quick show of hands. How many of you are still watching the news? A few of you over there at the back. A couple of you over here. It looks as though many of you, like me, have decided we have seen enough bad news. If it is not a story about social distancing, or different opinions on whether schools should stay open or closed, it is an update of the number of people affected worldwide by current events.

At times like this I would turn to my social media feed for some mood lifting pictures. Sausage dogs in raincoats. Or maybe giant burgers that leave me salivating all day. But now even social media has been taken over by the dreaded “c” word.

I’ll whisper this, but even though I am now without employment (through choice), I still found myself checking LinkedIn. This was until I discovered that despite it being a thing for many years, everyone now seems to be an expert on working remotely. Strewth. What is a person to do?

As the sun continues to shine, and we are experiencing unseasonably warm weather, a long walk around the water was in order. Followed by lunch at a local cafe. Looking around the cafes, business remains brisk. There are now new rules about how much space there needs to be between tables, when sat indoors, but we are yet to see a marked drop off in people eating out. That said, the cafes and restaurants are pre-emptying people’s worries by everyone now offering take out services. We may be struggling to get toilet rolls, and hand sanitiser, but we definitely won’t go hungry.

In terms of our plans, as I wrote previously, we are now on plan b. We have little choice to press on with our intention to leave Sydney, and eventually relocate to Perth. Why would we do this now, in the middle of all this craziness? Well, we are now jobless. And from Monday we will be homeless. We will embrace the philosophy of slow travel, and take an unplanned road trip around this beautiful country of ours. Then, we will probably relocate to Perth a lot earlier than we originally anticipated.

Like all of you, we are taking each day as it comes. We won’t take any unnecessary risks. We will follow the official advice and watch for when any of that changes. We will keep you updated from the road, and share some of Australia with you. 

In the meantime, stay safe. Stay calm. Stay rational. Shop like a normal person. Nobody needs to stockpile toilet rolls. And we all need access to basics, like eggs. This is a time like no other. A time to support each other. Pick up the phone and talk to your friends and family. Let’s show the best of humanity. 

And let’s start putting a little money aside for the party of all parties once we get rid of this thing.

The last couple of days I have been musing a little about the world, current events, and where we fit into this confusing picture. And it is confusing, isn’t it? Please don’t tell me that I am the only one who wakes up and checks what new levels of craziness the world has descended into whilst we slept.

Dan Ariely, in The Upside of Irrationality, talks about how we adapt to new situations. Whether this be a life changing lottery win. Or on the other end of the spectrum, a life changing injury. Whichever end of the spectrum we move to, we will adapt to the new situation. And a lot better than we think. Like the apocryphal frog sat in water, waiting for it to boil, are we becoming immune to the new normal?

A piece of advice I have been sharing is for you to start journaling how you feel as we move through these uncertain times. Not only is the act of journaling therapeutic, and cathartic, but a year from now you will find it hard to believe the words you wrote as we lived it. This is an extraordinary time to be alive. There is no doubt of that.

Where does this leave us in regards to our pending departure? As I said earlier this week, it is evolving and changing every day. Just yesterday Qantas reduced their international flights by 90%. We are yet to see whether this includes our scheduled flight to Singapore, however, I suspect it will. And for the time being, Malaysia has closed it’s borders to foreign travellers. So even if we got to Singapore, we wouldn’t be able to leave for Malaysia as we intended.

Watching the Prime Minister’s press conference just this morning brought fresh news. Scott Morrison announced that international travel is banned. No ifs, nor buts. This means that for the first time in a few weeks we have some certainty. If not the certainty we would want.

So, just like the best agilists, we will pivot, and activate plan b. This involves us road tripping around this beautiful country of ours. We will continue to “inspect and adapt” over the coming days, but we will be doing a little more research on both the red centre, and up past Uluru, On to Darwin. And, also across the Nullarbor, to the west coast. We are checking out camper vans as we speak.

Tomorrow may well be different. It depends on what news we wake up to. But what we do know, is that we will be saying to goodbye to our current home in a few short days.

In the meantime, stay safe, look after each other, and keep journaling.

Calm is contagious. And staying calm amidst all this madness is something we would do well to keep doing. No doubt, across the world, we are getting information from every direction, and it can feel overwhelming. In our hyper connected world, someone’s opinion is only a click away. Don’t fall prey to the information overload. Limit your consumption of news to a few sources that you trust, and filter out the rest of the “noise”. Stay healthy. Stay hydrated. And look out for each other.

Not a day, maybe even an hour, goes by without someone asking me the question, “what does this mean for your travel plans?” I wish I had an answer that I was confident of. But I haven’t. Like everyone else, we are watching the events unfold, across the globe, and taking it one day at a time.

Today, Monday March 16th, the very few confirmed plans we have can still go ahead. The first couple of weeks are a road trip within Australia. Road tripping will allow us to keep our “social distance”, as is the current recommended advice from the Australian government. But 2 weeks from now, and every day in between, we know the situation could change, and we will have to change with it.

The tricky part of the situation for us, is that from next Monday, 23 March, we will be homeless. Our apartment has already been re-let, and our meagre belongings will be collected and put into storage.  We will, literally, be nomads. The positive part is that without any time constraints, we have flexibility built into our “plans”. Today’s plan is history tomorrow. In my work with organisations, I often quote Dwight D Eisenhower, who said that “plans are useless, but planning is essential”. Never has that been more true than at the present time.

So, ask me today whether we are still going travelling, then the answer is a resounding yes. We have little choice. We will be homeless. But, ask me tomorrow whether our plans remain the same, the answer could be very different. We are remaining calm, because this is the type of contagious we want.

If you want to lift your spirits, go and watch the videos from Italy and Spain, where whole neighbourhoods are bursting into collective song. The human spirit is strong. Let’s be strong for each other.

Looking around the apartment, you could be mistaken for thinking we had been burgled. No television. Bookcase bereft of reading material. And a patio area that now looks a lot larger without the outdoor table and chairs.

Thankfully, we haven’t been burgled. We are downsizing as much as we can in readiness for packing up our Sydney life, and starting a new adventure. What we don’t sell, or give away, we will put in storage. By the time we see our stuff again we will no doubt wonder why we paid to store half of it.

Once the removal van drives away from our little home in Mosman, we won’t be far behind. With what we have left, packed into a small backpack each, (Victoria is still in shock at just how small), we will pick up our hire car and head off on the start of our travels. A road trip, starting with a drive to the nation’s capital, Canberra, somewhere I haven’t been for over 20 years. Knowing Canberra, it is unlikely to have changed much in the intervening years. What I have discovered is that there are numerous wineries en route to Canberra, so we are sure to sample a few, in the name of research, obviously.

From Canberra we will head in the direction of Melbourne, breaking the 8 hour journey up with an overnight stop at Albury, for a slice of Australian country life. Pressing on to Melbourne, we will spend a couple of nights in beautiful, beach side St Kilda before (hopefully) picking up a campervan to explore the Great Ocean Road.

The wishlist for the Great Ocean Road is:

1. Koalas in the wild 

2. Whisky from Timboon distillery 

3. Beach front camp sites 

4. Fresh, local produce

5. Sleepy coastal towns

Current plans have us overnighting in Adelaide, having dinner with friends, before heading over to the west coast. Our flight from Perth to Singapore is on April 3rd, and of course, in light of the ever evolving global situation, we are taking each day as it comes. Qantas is still currently flying into Singapore, a country that has seemingly managed to contain the virus due to early, strict measures. Travel advice seems to change daily, and we will change with it, as needed.

The impending change to our lives is bittersweet. Mosman has been good to us. We have loved living here. And we will be sad to leave. But a little sadness shouldn’t get in the way of starting a new chapter in your life. Change is needed if we are to grow as humans. We need new experiences. We need to learn new things. We need a new challenge.

And for us, that challenge is excitedly accepted.

Follow along as we start our journey. It is sure to be a roller coaster!

A weekend down the coast 

Having an extended weekend, thanks to Australia Day, we were heading down the coast.  We were off to find out the answer to the question, what to do in Mollymook in Summer. Driving down the Princes Highway, and towards the historic NSW town of Milton, the devastation caused by the recent bushfires is evident everywhere.

From the illegible road signs, melted by the ferocious heat of the fires, to the forest of blackened trees, a lot of which have had to be chopped down due to the danger of them falling across the busy highway. It is hard to imagine the fear that homeowners in the area must have felt as the fire raged closer and closer to their properties.

I am glad to report that as of the time of writing, the bushfire danger has eased, and locals are returning to their properties, to assess the damage. Harder to assess is the unseen damage to the numbers of local wildlife that call this area home. 

Holiday Here This Year

Now, more than ever, our regional communities need support. Many local businesses rely on tourists visiting the area, and the drop off in numbers recently has been nothing short of a catastrophe. A movement has started up under the hashtag #holidayherethisyear.  This is exactly what we were doing over the long Australia Day weekend, taking an extra day so we had 3 nights to spend in the Shoalhaven region.

Some 3 and a half hours from Sydney, the little town of Mollymook hugs the southern NSW coast. It is the place that Rick Stein says makes him “feel 10 years younger” each time he arrives. And it is here in Mollymook that he chose to open his first Australian restaurant. More on that later.

Where to stay in Mollymook

We were to spend our 3 nights at the Bannisters Pavilion hotel (bannisters.com.au/mollymook ), one of two Bannisters hotels, within 800 yards of each other. Quite why there is two, so close to each other, and no other hotels is rather curious. They certainly have the market covered. And with no pubs in Mollymook, at least what we could find, the only drinking options seem to be in the bars of the respective hotels. Somewhere, I can hear the sound of tills ringing.

Bannisters Pavilion, spread over two levels, is very light and airy. Rooms open up to small balconies, with the the rooms at the back getting the better deal, facing all the eucalyptus trees, and none of the traffic. For an expensive hotel, I was very disappointed to find the only option for coffee in the room was those little sachets of instant, that you see in very dated motels, and Travelodges. In a coffee obsessed nation I found this a little short sighted. Definite points dropped there.

In the morning we made our way up to the pool area which is where the breakfast was served. The included breakfast was a wide selection, continental buffet style. As this was turning into something of a foodie weekend, it was a pleasant change to eat a little lighter, and a little healthier at breakfast. Plates of fresh fruit, delicious homemade granola, and yoghurt made for a good start to the day. Oh, and I finally got a real coffee, the usual strong latte to kick start my engine.

The food theme continued at dinner, at the hotel’s “Rooftop Bar and Grill.” I was told that the prawn linguine was up there with the best ever. Perhaps THE best ever. By this point much wine had been drunk so I made a note to ask again in the morning. My chicken schnitzel was the size of a small boat, which in case you’re in any doubt, is a good thing in my book.

Returning again for dinner, on our final night, Victoria stuck to the script, and ordered the prawn linguine once more. I went for the burger. Again, top marks. Pink patty. Melted cheese. Messy to eat. Ticks all my boxes.

The hotel was very popular with families. The sheer number of small people I saw filled me with dread. However, as the pool area was quite small, I think most decided the beach was the best option. That left us in relative serenity to chill in the pool, and lounge the afternoon away with a cold drink, and our books. 

Things To Do in Mollymook in Summer – Dining

Rick Stein first visited this beautiful area on a trip in the 1960s, and with his wife Sarah having connections to the area, they opened up the first Rick Stein Australian restaurant in Mollymook in 2009. Visiting for dinner on a busy Saturday night we got to experience why this restaurant remains so popular. Being so close to the ocean, the menu is very heavily weighted towards the excellent produce freshly caught in the waters nearby. But the menu does also have a steak option should you decide that you can only each so much seafood in one weekend.

Our entrees were Hervey Bay scallops in the shell, and a dish of sashimi, which included tuna, salmon, and swordfish. Main course saw me having a fragrant, flavourful, and quite spicy salmon Sri Lankan curry, with pilau rice and a small naan bread. Victoria had a delicious fish pie. If only we were staying an extra day then I could have come back and tried the perennial favourite, fish and chips, which are served with mushy peas. As it should be.

Australia Day, which fell on the Sunday, saw us heading out to Cupitt’s (cupitt.com.au) winery. And what a good decision that was. Of the many things to do in Mollymook, this is another of my recommendations. Set in a beautiful location, with sweeping views across the hills of Milton, we had a lunch reservation in the restaurant. On site there is also a cellar door, a brewery (making excellent pale ale), a fromagerie, and large picnic areas.

Lunch was an “Australia Day special”, costing $85 each for 3 courses, with $5 of every meal going to a local charity. Providing the entertainment out in the picnic areas was a local band, Soul Tonic. The entertainment was part of a ticketed event, with all proceeds going to the same charity. A definite feel good afternoon. The food in the restaurant was excellent, and was complemented by a bottle of Cupitt’s own Pinot Gris. Suitably stuffed, and with an elegant sufficiency, we made the short drive back to Bannisters Pavilion.

Things to Do in Mollymook in Summer – Spa Day

In a list of relaxing things to do to start your day, surely a spa morning would be right up there. An hour of pure relaxation, being gently pummeled, making you forget all your worries, and that you have only managed to have one coffee so far.

The spa is located at the sister hotel, Bannisters by the Sea. A short stroll from the Pavilion, the spa was just the ticket for my tired, and tense muscles. It is easy to forget how working at a laptop all day can affect both your posture, and the muscles around your shoulders. The next hour was spent having this tension slowly teased out of my body. The facial, and hot oil head massage was a great way to finish. 

Things To Do in Mollymook in Summer – The Local Area

Just 5kms back up the Princes Highway, the historic town of Milton is well worth a visit. Park up, and spend the afternoon browsing the boutiques, local craft shops, and the very good food and drink options. Be strong, drive straight past the Heritage Bakery without stopping, and save your appetite for something a little more adventurous than a meat pie. Even if said pies are delicious.

We had lunch at Annabels cafe which had much more of a country town feel than some of the more, hipper looking cafes. There is a reason this area of the South Coast is saturated with visitors from Sydney, and the number of establishments that cater to this market is high. Annabels was a little more down to earth, serving “proper grub” and a delicious mango smoothie.

Holiday on your doorstep

What the weekend highlighted, without any doubt, is that we don’t always have to get on a plane to take a holiday. Putting aside the concerns for the environment, just don’t tell Greta Thunberg I said that, and the associated carbon footprint of flying, there are a multitude of other reasons to holiday at home. Local businesses need as much tourism as possible if they are going to recover from the devastation of the bush fires. And the beautiful places, quiet beaches, and world class food available to us here in the lucky country made a holiday at home a no brainer.

The only question remaining is, where next?