Travel Play Live Issue 6 by Two Minds Creative

Travel Play Live

AU $12.95

ISSUE #6 Summer 2017

The Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Adventure Lifestyle Magazine

AU $12.95 ISSUE 5 ISSN 2206 - 4117

ADVENTURE

EMPOWER

INSPIRE

DREAM

CHANGE

yes MAKE 2017 YOUR YEAR OF

Proudly Supported By

Travel Play Live

WOMEN'S ADVENTURE SUMMIT

31st August - 3rd September 2017 Great Lakes NSW

See page 61 for more details.

REGI STER

You can register your interest here: www.eepurl.com/ctLh2T and we will send you the latest details as they are released.

Travel Play Live magazine www.travelplaylive.com.au

ISSUE #6

Letters from Amy & Kez. It continues to blow me away putting together an edition, how the various stories, interviews and articles weave common threads of a message – a message to all of us to listen to the quite whisper of our hearts, to live open to the possibilities of adventure, to slow down and take in the fullness of each day with a grateful heart. I love that our 2017 has been dubbed the Year of Yes – yes to the things that awaken our hearts and build our resilience, passion and vision for things to come. I so look forward to meeting more of you in the year to come. Welcome to the adventure. Amy x

As the theme for our Travel Play Live Summer 2017 edition came together, I had to step back a little as many of the articles were close to my heart. 2016 was a massive year of change for me personally and new contributor Kate Duncan’s article (on page 18) hit it on the head when I read this line - "But my body was screaming ‘enough’ and if I had learned anything, it was that the body always knows. It knows what we truly want, what the heart calls for, and my heart was calling - no screaming - for change.” So like many of you, on I go into a new year, bringing all that adventure has taught me; to seek new challenges if I’m to grow, to persistently have courage and to sit more often and connect, not only with nature but also to myself and my dreams. Welcome to the Year of Yes! Kez x

CONNECT WITH US

www.travelplaylive.com.au @travelplaylive FOUNDER + CHIEF EDITOR.

Amy Heague amy@travelplaylive.com.au FOUNDER + DIRECTOR OF ADVENTURE.

Kerryann Hayes kez@travelplaylive.com.au NEW COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS AND ADVERTISING.

Lindsay Reed lindsay@themediahut.com.au + 61 431 956 645

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS.

Tracey Croke, Lucy Stone CREATIVE.

Two Minds Creative TPL PHOTOGRAPHY.

Ben Cirulis COVER IMAGE.

Bruce Viaene www.bvphoto.co.za Copyritght TPL Publishing PTY LTD 2015. No part of this publication may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written consent of the publishers. DISCLAIMER: A large portion of original material is created by TPL Publishing and its contributors, including text, fonts, photography, and art work - content used from public domain like social media sites we agree are not the property of TPL Publishing, and in all cases media permission has been sought via electronic or verbal agreement. The content and views expressed in this magazine by individuals and TPL Publishing are provided in good faith as information only. No guarantee is made of the accuracy of the information provided. We have done our best to credit all photographers. In some instances photos have been provided to us by those who appear editorially and we have their permission to use the images. We apologise if anything appears incorrectly. It will be a genuine mistake, let us know and we will ensure to mention it in the next issue.

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THANKS TO THE TPL TEAM.

Monique Bortoli, Sue Goodison, Alice King, Joey Dable, Kristie Stark

This Issues

CONTRIBUTORS. Head to our website to meet our growing list of contributors pioneering Australian Women's Adventure.

Leah Gilbert

Hanny Allston

Kerith Duncanson

Jane Grover

Janine Watson

Lucy Stone

Sputnik

Fuchsia Sims

Caroline Packer

Caroline Pemberton

Angela Armstrong

Kate Duncan

www.travelplaylive.com.au/contributors Would you like to write for Travel Play Live Magazine & our online Journal? Perhaps you have a story to share? We are looking to partner with writers and bloggers across a variety of adventure and travel disciplines. Maybe you are a brand looking to get your product or destination reviewed? Contact us with your details and a sample of your work (or wares) and we will get back to you if we feel there is a good fit. submissions@travelplaylive.com.au

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JOIN THE ADVENTURE BECOME A PIONEERING ADVENTURESS

There is no telling what kind of misadventures you might get up to while trying to get your hands on future copies of Travel Play Live Magazine, so let us take the worry out of your adventure by offering you this yearly subscription deal! Subscribe and go in the draw to win some great prizes. Details on page 95.

SUBSCRIBE AND JOIN THE ADVENTURE For just $48 + P&H Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four beautifully inspiring, empowering and adventurous copies of our magazine delivered to your door - full of great seasonal ideas to inspire you to travel, play, live! Digital subscription now available - details on the website. Head to our website

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$48 + P&H

c ontents

FINDING MY FEMININITY

THE IMPORTANCE OF SHOWING UP

THE QUIET TRUTHS

SO YOU WANT TO GO CAMPING

SCALING GREAT HEIGHTS

RETURN TO NATURE Deep within our DNA remains a desire to connect with nature, despite modern societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best efforts to override it.

Transforming trauma into beauty

Angie Scarth-Johnson

RUN INDIA

THE LARAPINTA TRAIL

COAST TO COAST

Samantha Gash runs 3,000 kilometers across India

Hiking the Australian Heartland for Homeless Youth

Trekking the West to East coast of England

WILD SWIMMING AUSTRALIA

NEXT GEN BODYBOARDERS

BODYBOARDING

Leading the Way

Your Essential Guide with Lilly Pollard

YOUR YEAR OF YES CALENDAR

THE FACEBOOK POST THAT HAD ME SAYING YES

BREATHING DEEPLY IN ALASKA

TRAVELLER, PHOTOGRAPHER, SILVER FOX

THE ART OF FREEDIVING

THE TRAVEL PLAY LIVE DIRECTORY

7 Iconic Swimming Holes Across Australia

North America's Last Frontier

For all your adventurous needs, social scene, events & more

READ MORE Head over to our website to for bonus content, competitions and previous articles www.travelplaylive.com.au/magazine-home and our regular online Journal www.travelplaylive.com.au/journal

STAY CONNECTED We love to hear from you, so be sure to tell us all about your travels and adventures. Contact us at hello@travelplaylive.com.au Share your photos with us on Instagram by using #travelplaylive for your chance to feature.

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"SUMMERTIME IS ALWAYS THE BEST OF WHAT MIGHT BE" - CHARLES BOWDEN

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nature R E T U R N to

Deep within our DNA remains a desire to connect with nature, despite modern society’s best efforts to override it. We now think of our food source as the supermarket, not the soil. Our built environment has taken command of the elements with air-conditioning, artificial lighting and a skyline that interrupts our view of sunrise and built-in body clock. We’ve come so far from our origins that we now call it an ‘adventure’ to step back into nature. STORY BY FUCHSIA SIMS - ADVENTURE JUNKY

You only have to visit the Yolngu people of North East Arnhem Land to see how far we’ve come. They’ve been observing nature closely for 50,000 years. They see it like a complex timepiece, each second revealing another element of nature, interacting with the next, themselves included. At birth they are ‘given’ by an elder one element of nature – ‘their dreaming’ – to protect forever. This is more than just our equivalent of a star sign. It’s a means to ensure every living species, plant, animal or ecosystem has guardian to ensure its survival, indefinitely. Travel is the way most of us look to reconnect with nature, but we have to look harder than ever to find authenticity. Today’s world is dominated by mass tourism - packaged holidays, cruise liners and theme parks. Each one attempting to outdo the other in the convenience and entertainment stakes. Ice skating rinks and climbing walls on a cruise liner, what a great idea! The irony is that both of these things exist in nature, for free, and are much more fun adventures. For all its environmental impacts, mass tourism’s greatest crime is the dumbing down of our experience. The Scandinavians understand adventure better than most in the western world. As children they are taught the value and importance of “Friluftsliv” – directly

translated to “free air living”. In Sweden ‘Allmansrätten’ gives everyone access to the countryside and wilderness, even privately held land, to camp and forage for food freely providing you leave no trace and stay no more than a few days in the one spot. A recent Adventure Travel conference of Nordic nations discussed a proposal to create wifi-less zones, removing the temptation to check one’s email or Facebook status, and leave visitors with no choice but to reconnect with nature! Both the Yolngu and Scandinavians see the big picture in their own way. No matter what, we will always return to nature. We are part of it and it is part of us. But with over a billion tourists travelling internationally every year, and that number set to double in the next ten years, how can we ensure that the places in nature we so love to visit are protected from the growing tide of tourism? How can we re-imagine a future for travel that has the best of both worlds - that is ‘high’ on experience, and ‘low’ on impact? ‘Adventure Travel’ is very much answer. The question is why? ‘Adventure Travel’ is often defined as a mix of immersion in the natural environment, engagement with culture, and physical activity, but in its purest sense is much more than that. It’s a mindset that is mindful. It sees

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the advantage of small groups versus mass. It aims to leave the community and environment with a net gain. It looks for an opportunity to give back, to volunteer, to buy local, to travel lightly and respectfully. In our search for the experiences that will define our lives we can get lost in ‘our’ moment. A ‘swim the whale sharks’ tour that allows guests to feed the sharks has changed a centuries old migration path. Many resorts built in idyllic tropical locations create more waste due to their western guests tastes than the local community has infrastructure to absorb. Think for a moment what goes on behind a tiger-selfie. The genuine adventure traveller does not travel blindly, they do their research, become informed and make good choices. The Travel Live Play community is at the forefront of Adventure Travel. You are the advocates, ambassadors and influencers. You set the agenda whether it be through a purchasing decision, such as which surf camp you choose, or the conversations you have around the campfire. Use your power. You might even take a leaf out of the Yolngu people’s book and adopt one element of nature you will dedicate your life to preserving and convince all your friends to do the same. Wouldn’t that be the next best ‘Ice bucket challenge’ imaginable!

finding MY

femininity

This year I hit the big 30. I had really been looking forward to this milestone in my life. On the day I turned thirty, I stood atop the final summit of my â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;30 peaks in the year before I turn 30â&#x20AC;&#x2122; challenge. Whilst it had come down to the wire, I felt wind-chapped & glowing from the inside out. That was until injury hit and I took a visit to my GP.

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WRITTEN BY HANNY ALLSTON

towards you. A truck carrying a whole load of…….femininity.

walked into her sparsely furnished consulting room in urban Hobart with a few concerns. Mainly girl stuff. I expected a stethoscope, perhaps a poke and a prod and in the worst case a jab to steal some blood. What I didn’t expect was for her to quietly look me up and down, tuck back her hair and say earnestly, ‘Hanny, I think you need to embrace your femininity’.

As I was paying the bill for this perplexing session, he quietly drove the nail into my understanding, ‘Hanny, femininity is not just about wearing dresses’.

‘My what…!’ Ninety dollars poorer and none-the-wiser, I sat in front of Dr Google. What is femininity and what relevance could this possibly have for this 30-year-old tomboy with a phobia for dresses and lipstick? For a few days, Dr Google became my morning reading and I studied the topic religiously. I learnt that we are all a unique blend of masculine and feminine traits. Our masculine traits are related to strength, independence, stability, focus, competition and self-confidence. Our feminine traits are related to empathy, compassion, sensuality, nurturing, patience, loving and living with ‘flow’. Males can display greater feminine traits and women may express more masculine traits, neither or which are right or wrong. The more I learnt, the more pressured I felt. I must become more feminine! The harder I tried to be feminine, the more I resented the skirt I was wearing. I never found what I was looking for from Dr Google but I have through honest self-reflection and inner work found some answers.

It was days later on my frosty Mt Wellington, solo run and scrunching my thermal around my frozen fingers that I found enlightenment. The lone currawong’s chorus cut through the sharp cries of the yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos. Light was dancing off the water as it gushed through healthy streams. Whilst fatigue had plagued me when I laced my running shoes, I eased back the effort and became acutely aware that my stunning surroundings were leading me into a state of flow. I felt like I could run forever! And therein lay my first true awareness of femininity – self compassion, sensuality and living with flow. Femininity felt amazing!

Nothing can prepare you for the discomforts of looking deep inside yourself and pulling apart your personal assumptions, barriers, rules and truths. I enlisted the support of a performance psychologist to ask the difficult questions you are never really prepared to ask yourself. After a few sessions I was still grappling with the concept of finding femininity. I had somehow evaded the most difficult questions until one day we journeyed into foreign territory. ‘What do you do for self-compassion?’ he enquired with that intense focus that makes you squirm. ‘I had a massage last night,’ I mumbled in reply, grateful for this worthy evidence of my self-compassion practice. After a few minutes silence he replied, ‘For self-compassion or physical recovery?’

That was my possum-stuck-in-car headlight’s moment. My wake up call not to sit on the road and play chicken with the truck roaring

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Through a lifetime of athletic & academic practice and a hobby farm upbringing, the tomboy has lived strong inside me. The masculine traits of goal setting, competitiveness, independence and pushing through when ‘the going gets tough’ have strongly dominated my persona. These traits were reflected in my daily routines, exercise habits, nutrition and meal preparation, business, athletic racing style and even the way I showed Iove as a fiancée, daughter, sister and friend. But I have breasts. And when a family member hurts, I want to wrap them in a bundle of compassion. I love to listen and believe empathy is one of my stronger virtues. I find peacefulness when I am in nature and my greatest creativity when I don’t force it. These are some of my many feminine qualities.

My GP sent me away to ‘embrace my femininity’, not ‘be more feminine’. I don’t have to wear a dress or apply lipstick. I just need to love being me, a unique mix of ferocious tomboy, compassionate sister, fun loving fiancée, empathetic friend and loving daughter. I am a young woman just learning about self-compassion and embarking on a long pilgrimage towards womanhood. If you too are struggling with femininity and if this notion also feels foreign to you, here are my words of advice. Stop trying and start with self-compassion. I have found the easiest place to find my femininity is outdoors on a mountain trail, with the wind in my face. Where will your femininity take you? Travel Play Live

The Importance of

'Showing Up' BY LEAH GILBERT

Recently I had the honour and pleasure of speaking at the amazing She Went Wild Expo held in Sydney as a guest on the Travel Play Live stage. Among other things I spoke about that day, there was one point I was determined to really send home to the audience and that was the importance of ‘showing up’.

howing up’ means many things to many people. For some it means attending a gym glass when you really don’t want to because you know you will feel better afterwards; for others it means being present and ‘all there’ in an interpersonal situation. And then there is ‘showing up’ in the trailblazer sense, which takes on a whole new meaning and can give a whole new element of motivation to do something that you find daunting or which scares you. Never has it been more important for us to show up in our respective pursuits AND to be visible in doing them. Why? Because many of us reading this are doing things that other women believe is beyond them and we are doing them in spaces we have been taught are best not inhabited by women. You only have to flip the pages of this magazine to see that women are navigating and conquering rugged, challenging and technical landscapes on their own. They are undertaking mammoth life-altering journeys which see them lay bare their authentic selves. They are doing things that even as early as ten years ago were deemed ‘not for girls’ or ‘unsafe’ to undertake as a lone female. They are showing up. And in their showing up, they are showing us what is possible AND achievable.

culated your stump-jumping skills. Be the person who exhales loudly in the boxing session or who grunts with exertion when executing your chest-press. Be the only woman on the downhill course. Be the slowest person in your run group. Be the oldest person in your trek group. Be the person who lays themselves bare to the challenges of their undertaking and speaks wholeheartedly of the peaks and troughs that are often encountered with life-altering journeys and endurance undertakings. Showing up sometimes isn’t easy. There are times we don’t want to do it, because putting yourself out there means placing yourself at the mercy of vulnerability. In putting yourself in a situation where you are the only one like yourself present and could potentially feel ostracised or unwelcome, tests everything we have internalised about the importance of acceptance and our need to belong. But in moments like this, think of the person who needs to see YOU there. The person who is sitting on the sidelines, desperately wanting to have a go but never sees anyone like themselves there - until you show up and by sheer presence and visibility alone, become their possibility.

I always say in my presentations that no matter what you are doing, someone is always watching. Someone is watching you break down your own personal barriers ...

Which is why we need to show up in our own respective pursuits and to keep showing up because in that simple act alone, WE are representing the possible to someone else. I always say in my presentations that no matter what you are doing, someone is always watching. Someone is watching you break down your own personal barriers or take on socially constructed barriers or hell, even climbing over physical barriers in pursuit of your own goals, no matter what they are. You are showing them that it is possible. You are clearing the path and giving that person permission to follow. t is also why you also need to stay true to being fearless and unapologetic in these pursuits. Be the person who lays in the dirt laughing hysterically when you fall off your mountain bike because you miscal-

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Showing up, owning our space and being visible is so important in so many areas of our lives but none more so than in physical pursuits. So many of us are engaged in physical activities that engage, inspire and serve us mentally, physically and emotionally because we stopped buying the idea that physical activity was only undertaken to burn something off or as a means to punish ourselves. So the more of us showing up and being visible in non-traditional areas of feminine activity, the more sets of eyes are watching and awakening to the possibility that “well hang on if she can, then maybe I can too.” In following our hearts and souls out to the trails, to the mountains, to the ocean or to the extremities of our capabilities, we are paving a new road of movement. We represent what happens when we tune into our authentic selves and say ‘yes’ to the adventures we are yearning for. When we show up in these spaces and be visible and own our space within them, we are proving what we already know: we fabulous females can achieve anything.

Travel Play Live

IMAGE: Mark Tipple

new adventures for women

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Our itineraries have a minimal impact philosophy at the heart of each adventure and foster authentic cultural exchange, real exploration and plenty of fun times.

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THINGS WE ARE LOVING

THIS SUMMER This issue we have uncovered some fantastic gear from companies who are Australian owned and two in particular who are passionate about ethically sourced materials and local Australian manufacturing. Show your support for local companies, small business and artisans by buying local.

INDUSTRIAL SEWING WORKSHOP CANVAS PANNIER – THE COMMUTER Since 2005 Industrial Sewing Workshop has been sewing peoples ideas into reality and designing their own product ranges. So many things are thrown away that can be put to creative and beautiful use given some imagination. Reclaiming industrial discards and giving them a new lease on life has always been a passion of the team at Industrial Sewing Workshop in Castlemaine Victoria. They source materials that other people, generally larger industry, throw away and consider the whole lifecycle of the materials and the products they are made into; ensuring their products are constructed to last the distance. They really, really, dislike waste, and mix new and reclaimed materials in their products and always choose the best quality

materials they can find. Their core line of products has always revolved around canvas and using the bicycle for everyday living. In 2008 they released the Commuter Pannier. Used by the many kinds of people who ride their bikes everywhere - perfect if you’re a commuter cyclist and need to carry your pannier as much off the bike as on. The pannier has an adjustable integrated shoulder strap, a large internal space, reflective tape runs from one side of the bag to the other and includes a tab to attach an extra light. Your keys and phone also get a zippered pocket to share. industrialsewingworkshop.com

STM BAGS SOPHISTICATED BAGS AND CASES THAT PROTECT AND ORGANISE OUR DIGITAL LIVES Founded in 1998 just outside Sydney, Australia STM's co-founder, Ethan Nyholm struggled to find a bag that both protected his laptop and suited his (read casual) lifestyle. The solution of the laptop wrapped in bubble wrap and tucked into a hiking pack resulted in the classic "There's got to be a better way!" So, he teamed up with his then co-worker, now co-founder, Adina Jacobs to design a better laptop bag. The rest, as they say is history. We can't all be exploring the great outdoors all of the time, sometimes we need to head to the office, and that is where STM’s Velocity range of backpacks are excellent options for those of you who cycle commute to work or just need a

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stylish practical bag to keep your tech safe when travelling. Both bags feature padded SlingTech technology to suspend digital devices from the bag’s floor for added protection, have a dedicated internal pocket for cables, chargers and accessories, elastic power pocket for stowing laptop chargers and cords and water resistant fabric. If you already have your favourite backpack, but need some extra protection for your laptop, the new Grace Sleeve range of slim and lightweight laptop totes strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and style. www.stmbags.com.au

SABAR SWIM, BIKE AND RUN These super soft and flattering run, spin and cycle shorts for women are made from state of the art, all Australian made, moisture wicking material. The brand had a very strong focus on local and ethical production. They design all of their garments in Tasmania, the fabric is made in NSW and the sewing is done in Sheffield, Tasmania. Saber have been working closely with athletes to design these multipurpose shorts so they work to fit all women, regardless of ability, age, sport or body shape. All their photo sessions have used real women in sport and outdoor pursuits and have done no editing or enhancing to their photos – now that is a brand we can all get behind! The shorts are ideal for multiple pursuits: Metafit, Crossfit, running, riding, tri sessions, yoga, Pilates, trail running, cross country, MTB riding. What is even more amazing about this brand is, if you don't fit into any of their size categories, let them know what your weight and height is when ordering, they will custom make your garment at no extra cost! Come on ladies, lets support this fantastic local enterprise. To read the story about Sabar and its founder Noella Buchanan, head to our website. To find out more sabarforathletes. bigcartel.com

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trip highlights

Get out of your comfort zone – challenge yourself for a cause • Trek Nepal to help fund research into childhood cancer • Fundraise for Kids’ Cancer Project • Enjoy spectacular Mount Everest views • Help rebuild a school in Kathmandu Fully supported | 14 DAYS | 10 NOV 17 Camping in our private eco-campsites

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The Quiet

TRUTHS transforming trauma into beauty

STORY BY KATE DUNCAN - SWELLWOMEN.COM

"My body was screaming ‘enough’ and if I had learned anything, it was that the body always knows. It knows what we truly want, what the heart calls for, and my heart was calling - no screaming - for change."

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The Quiet

TRUTHS

he white canvas hammock is damp as it holds me. My head falls gently to the right, my half-open eyes taking in the turquoise waters and the distant right-hander peeling over the shallow reef. A reef I found last night with my left hand as I surfed one more wave toward the setting sun. I trace the laceration with my finger and thank it for the lesson: on these island reef breaks, it is best to exit early! My mind is still and relaxed, like the leaning palms I hang between. Only occasional thoughts trickle in: like, how did I get here? And, is this real? The latter being a question which enters my mind quite frequently these days. It usually comes with a massive smile and a burst of warmth through my chest as I know that yes, this is real. I am two kilometres from the equator and surfing for a living. Dreams do come true. I take my GoPro and shoot a quick selfie. I can sense this moment is far too precious to let fade away.

enough for our clients. I break into a massive grin. This is real! My breath is long and deep, no tension in my shoulders now. I had been a paramedic since I was twenty. I had prided myself on being proficient, knowledgeable and most importantly, kind. If anyone had asked, I would have told them that I loved my job. I would have told them that I was happy. And I was. But something was creeping in. At first it was subtle, a gentle whisper of a voice. It spoke of ‘more’ and of ‘less’; more happiness, more light and less depression, drunkenness, and death. At first I could only hear it in meditation, in the silence, in moments of connection with my deep inner self. I let my mind toy with it; I let it dream of something different. Yet it felt far away and crazy. I had doubt. What was wrong with me? Why wasn’t I content? I found a life coach. We did exercises together. She asked me “if you could do anything you wanted, what would you do?” My answer? I’d lead surf and yoga retreats for women. My mind dismissed it, the way mind does when it can’t see a viable way to make a dream reality.

My mind is still and relaxed, like the leaning palms I hang between. Only occasional thoughts trickle in: like, how did I get here? And, is this real? The latter being a question which enters my mind quite frequently these days.

Only six months ago I was a paramedic. An Intensive Care Paramedic to be exact, meaning it was my job to attend the more serious 000 calls. The scenes where people were dead or dying; the cardiac arrests, the mangled wrecks and my least favourite - the hangings. Only six months ago I was dying with their deaths. Fighting against a clenched jaw, a tightened chest. My anxious breath short and shallow as I donned my royal blue uniform, as I zipped up my black boots and prepared for another day’s work. I didn’t want to wear those boots anymore. My body knew it. But my mind was slower to follow. My mind had reason. And logic. It wanted income and certainty and security, the gifts that my long paramedic career had given me. But my body was screaming ‘enough’ and if I had learned anything, it was that the body always knows. It knows what we truly want, what the heart calls for, and my heart was calling - no screaming - for change.

“Miss Kate…” My head turns toward the local boy who drives our boat and I return his sweet smile, “we will leave in ten minutes”, he warns, though in island time that means thirty. I tell him thank you and remain in my hammock, knowing I have plenty of time to continue my musing. I crunch my stomach and lift my head, taking in a long sip of cool water, preparing my body for the next few hours under the midday sun. It will be the second surf of the day, yet I know it wont be the last. It is my job this week to test every wave in the area, and there are almost twenty. I’ve already decided this resort is perfect but we can’t hold a retreat here unless the waves are good

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For one more year I continued on. I told screaming children that their father was dead because their mother, who spoke no English, could not understand. I cut hanging lifeless bodies from rafters and held a dying man’s head as he spewed blood onto my steady fingers. I wrapped countless drunken men and their excrement in blankets. My jaw began its clenching. I read about manifestation and made a vision board and began to construct a hypothetical future. At first I was uncertain. Was I crazy? Who did I think I was? And then I discovered the missing link. The key. You can have anything you want, as long as you believe in what you ask for. I made a choice to believe. I made hundreds of post-it notes with affirmations and desires. I put every desire into the present tense, as if it already existed. “I want to lead retreats” became, “I lead successful surf and yoga retreats”. And I believed it. Within two months my life transformed. In a bizarre chance encounter with a mutual friend I met Lulu Agan, owner of SwellWomen, a successful company that runs global surf, yoga and wellness retreats to empower women. Turns out she had been manifesting a partner. The speed at which the opportunity presented itself was startling, and as a consequence my mind could not catch on. Fear gripped me. Could I really leave a thirteen-year career and a steady income for this? It seemed insane. My mind, in all its logic, decided I would

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stay on as a paramedic and play with the retreat aspect part time. My jaw clenching intensified, my body knowing what my mind did not. If I would not honour my body, then nature would. She intervened in what I now call “a series of breakdowns”. In the space of ten days just about everything broke: first my car, then my fridge, then my dog, my heart and then finally, my house. Wading through four inches of floodwater in the wee hours of the morning, I lifted my head to the sky and I surrendered. I laughed. I cried. I resigned. I put my things in storage and moved out of my house. And a week later, fully embracing SwellWomen, I sat in a private villa in Sri Lanka. My own private butler leading me to a private-chef-prepared five star meal. The boat’s motor fires up and snaps me from my memories. I wade gingerly over the coral reef toward it and count

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my blessings. There is not an ounce of regret inside me just gratitude and joy. Gratitude that I have found the courage to step outside the boundaries and toward my dreams and the courage to believe. Gratitude for post-it notes; for the one’s that still hang on my wall. Big dreams like becoming a best-selling author, and small ones like finding the perfect new house. And for the one’s I’ve had to take down as they quickly became reality; one’s like ‘SwellWomen Retreat Leader’ and ‘Travel Play Live’ guest writer. Gratitude for the mysteries of the universe, for the ways in which we truly don’t know. For how magic and beauty is everywhere. But mostly, gratitude that after all those years of seeing so much dying, all I really see now is the wonder of living.

“What if I Fall? Oh, but my darling what if you fly?” Erin Hanson

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camping. So you want to go

LET'S GET

S TA R T E D.

BY ANGELA ARMSTRONG

There are many different types of campers, styles of camping and reasons to head outdoors. As adventurous women we go for a connection to nature and to immerse ourselves in unspoilt environments that inspire us. Out there we seek the sports that drive us. Camping unites us to our passions - and keeps us there for longer. Here are some ideas for camping well so you’re comfortable every time you venture out. As a camper of many years and the author of the ‘how to’ guidebook, Camping in Style, I’ve experienced camping in all its forms - un-facilitated riverside camping weekends with groups of friends, to touring and staying in ‘jumping-pillow-territory’ caravan parks, to lightweight hiking in remote areas across Australia. Interestingly, experience reveals that the secret of camping well is not about the new things you can add to your camping kit it’s about what you can do without. Now my preference is for smaller tents, paired-down cooking gear and

clothing limited to a few essential pieces. With a smaller tent and less gear it’s easier to pack the car, find flat attractive camping sites and cleaning and storage at home is simplified. What is essential is choosing the best quality of the right gear. The starting point is anything to help you get a good night’s sleep. After all, rest and rejuvenation is what anyone seeks on holiday so it’s important to maximise comfort with the best tent, mattress and bedding.

Tents. The one thing your tent must do above all else is keep you dry. The survival rule of threes has shelter prioritised second… “You can survive three minutes without air, three hours without shelter, three days without water and three weeks without food.” So yes shelter is important!

Reader Tip “Don't buy a 3 second tent till the guy in the shop shows you how to get it down (Ha! Ha!)” E. Albury

Think about the type of camping you will be doing to guide you to the most appropriate style of tent. I have accumulated three different types of tents for varying camping occasions. There is a heavy-duty canvas one for rugged base camping, where it will be exposed to many hours of harsh sunlight, wind and rain, a relatively inexpensive, but still waterproof, pop-up tent for touring, to help me get on the road quickly each morning. And a specialised lightweight hiking tent for carrying in my pack. Tents can be assessed for quality of materials in floors, zips, mesh-screening, poles and pegs. A tent that’s quick to set up with fewer poles is key to making a camping trip easier. When you’re tired and the weather is against you - through excessive heat, wind or rain - you’ll want anything to speed the process of set up and pack up. And once you have your quality tent, look after it by always storing it away clean and dry. Even if this means setting it up at home to fully dry.

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Reader Tip “One dish Meals marinating in vacuum packs so you just cook them - no prep - are the way to go. Salmon is great after sitting in ginger and garlic for two days. If you vacuum pack them they stack nicely in the esky.” J. Ohare

Bedding. For car camping, bedding can be as simple as taking your sheets and doona off the bed at home. This will provide the most luxurious set-up and there’s no extra expense. Make sure you have plenty of layers, perhaps adding rugs, so you can adjust your temperature throughout the night. Pack your bedding well for transit in a large duffel bag.

MATTRESSES Lucky for new campers the choice is endless for comfort options in sleeping mats. Advances in technology has taken camping mats to a point where they can almost match the comfort of a home mattress. The brand Thermarest offered one of the first innovations in self-inflating styles, replacing simple foam mats. Now there are any number of brands, like Exped, Sea to Summit, OzTrail, Klymit and Black Wolf offering everything from mega thick self-inflating mattresses to insulated blow-up types. Once I would have warned against a blow-up mattress, as they provide absolutely no insulation from a cold ground, but today brands like Exped have them filled with down or synthetic insulating fibres to help maintain your body heat when the temperature drops at night.

When you’re ready for the expense, a sleeping bag is a great option and will also give you the chance to go hiking. Down bags have the advantage of keeping weight down for hikers. Synthetic bags are heavier and bulkier and can be advantageous for car campers on longer trips as they can be washed regularly. Sleeping bags are also rated to minimum temperatures at which you can maintain comfort, and again it’s best to select the bag for your coldest intended sleeping condition. Coupling the bag with an inner silk liner is advisable. It will slightly boost the warmth of your bag, keep your sleeping bag clean and provide options for greater regulation in sleeping temperature. An insulating bivvy can also be added as an outer shell if you plan on sleeping in really cold conditions and want to further boost the warmth of your bag. There are two other, mini, and ultra handy essentials to aid a good night’s sleep - earplugs and a sleeping eye-mask. With noises in the wild always unexpected - from pounding seas to alpine winds, mating koalas or early rising kookaburras - this miniature piece of kit can shut the door on them all - if you choose to. And at sunrise, a sleep mask will help you catch a few extra minutes, or hours, of precious sleep when sunlight hits your tent.

Mats can be categorised into different sizes, weight, thickness and insulating properties. Insulation efficiency is determined by a recognised, and comparable, unit of measurement called the R-Value. Generally the thicker the camping mattress the higher the R-Value and the better the thermal performance. Comparing R-Values becomes most important when selecting a mattress for hiking. This is because you might need to sacrifice thickness, insulation and size for minimising weight. Pick the one that will accommodate the coldest environment you are likely to encounter. To be assured of comfort in any mattress, try it out in store first.

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Reader Tip

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Don't forget ziplock bags to carry out rubbish & used sanitary items.

Other Essentials. The best way to keep your gear to a minimum is to begin with the base necessities and add from there. A trusty hiking list forms the perfect basis. Hikers know how to pair things down to absolute minimums to keep the weight of their packs down. Car campers can add whatever else they want that fits in their sized vehicle. However for the easiest and cheapest way to start camping, it’s best to keep gear contained. I have found the hiking checklist by Caro Ryan from Lotsafreshair, contributor to Travel Play Live, to be very thorough. Clothing essentials should include hiking pants, shorts, t-shirt, thermals, fleece, puffer jacket, underwear and socks, sunhat, beanie, gloves, rain shell and waterproof over-pants. Car campers can simply step it up in quantities of each and maybe add some nice going-out-in-town wear. It’s fun to experience a taste of aberrance by dressing up and dining at a top restaurant after just crawling from your tent. Lighting at camp begins with a head torch as a minimum. For hiking this may be your only light, but for car camping you can add an additional ambient light - such as a battery-powered lantern or 12-volt plug-in light. A gas lantern is my preferred choice as it conveniently shares the same gas bottle as the cooking stove and light levels can be adjusted down throughout the evening helping maintain your night vision. Seating at camp can be as simple as a foam pad on the ground for hiking, to the various array of tent chairs and tables for car camping. Keep them as small and light as possible for your needs as you’ll be picking them up and packing them up regularly, and needing to find

a place to store them at home. Choosing to cook at camp introduces complexity and a need for more gear - such as a heat source for cooking and refrigeration for perishable foods. There’s challenges in selecting and packing the types of foods you’ll enjoy, and that will sustain you on your trip. You can choose to make it as hard or easy as you like. Hikers keep it simple with dehydrated pre-packaged one-pot-meals and high energy snacks for the day. Cooking is done on small butane stoves or Trangias running on methylated spirits. Stepping it up to full-scale car camping means running a gas cooker requiring a refillable gas bottle or cooking on a fire requiring new cooking skills and equipment. The simplest refrigeration is an esky with ice and your food stored in well-sealed plastic containers like Lock and Lock that won’t leak. On a grander scale there are car fridges, but they are costly and may require backup systems so they don’t draw on your car’s battery to the point of leaving you stranded. Being clear on the type of camping you want to experience will guide you to the gear you need. It’s still possible to keep car camping totally simple by treating yourself to every meal in town. When camping is as simple as possible, that’s when it’s the most enjoyable. Heading outdoors is about getting back to basics. Once you’ve dealt with the essentials for comfort, take your focus away from the gear and direct it where it should be - experiencing simple, sustainable adventures in the wild. Let nature speak for itself and have it be your focus.

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Reader Tip "Lightweight dry bags. They pack well and keep everything organised, and as an added bonus everything is waterproofed too. The best hack I was ever shown was to line a dry bag with a garbage bag to create a vacuum seal, water tight bag for my sleeping bag." E. Scouller

READER QUESTION Camping and periods. PLEASE someone help with hacks. My 14 year old daughter is dreading going camping around Australia next year because as she put it "Muuuummmmm What DO I DOOOO???". I'm like ummmm..... Any advice would be fantastic. Answer We actually get asked this question ALL the time and not just for teens, so we did some research and if you head to our website there are some great articles like this one: www.travelplaylive.com.au/ magazine/not-so-secretwomens-business

Photo courtesy of Breathe Bell Tents MEGALONG HEAD CLIFF, HIGH POINT

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SUMMER ESSENTIALS ... for the places you'd rather be

Mountain Designs provide a huge range of women's clothing, footwear and accessories to suit every adventure. Whether you're planning to climb a mountain, backpack across countries or go camping with friends on the weekend, we have the gear for your adventure.

Mountain Designs

There is nothing worse than sunburn and mosquitos to ruin your outdoor adventures, but that is where the Joy long sleeve shirt comes into its own. Cleverly designed and versatile, this shirt features the highest level of sun protection, mosquito repellence and innovative fabric cooling technology. RRP $119. 95

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The practical and clever design of our Celine women's short sleeve shirt makes it perfect for both everyday social activities and outdoor adventures. Look good and stay comfortable with this lightweight, durable and quick drying gem. Our Celine women's shirt has flattering gathers on the sleeves and features an ultra-comfortable, attractive fit. Wear it to lunch or take it on a camping trip, the Celine is ready to go where you go. RRP $99.95

Maximise your wardrobe with the Mountain Designs Soluk convertible pants. These zip-off pants convert into shorts in an instant, to suit your activities. These pants are one of the most comfortable, durable and functional pairs of women's hiking pants you'll find. Made from tough, durable and lightweight ripstop material, highlights include articulated knees for natural movement. RRP $159.95

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It's okay to not always succeed. The whole process makes me a better climber because I know thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always next time. Failure makes you want to try harder.

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Great SCALING

HEIGHTS ANGIE SCARTH-JOHNSON INTERVIEW BY LUCY STONE PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL EVANS

She’s an Australian Champion climber, a bouldering champion, and an international athlete who cites Spain as her favourite place to climb. She’s the youngest person to ascend a grade 31, and a grade 32/33: she conquered ‘Wrong Movements’ in the Blue Mountains age eight, and in March she’s jetting off to America to climb again in Red River Gorge. She’s Angie Scarth-Johnson, and she’s twelve years old. Interviewing athletes and adventurers usually requires much back-and-forth to arrange a time when you’re both in phone range while they’re off on a mountain-top somewhere, or when a five-minute window with adequate internet can be found in corresponding time zones. Arranging a time to speak with Angie was just based on school times. So yes, the Blue Mountains climber is twelve years old - but she is equally an athlete and deserves the respect she has earned for her dedication, professionalism and sheer talent. It’s easy to see why The North Face sponsors Angie in her inexorable pursuit of the best climbs, the next challenge. Angie talks about climbing with deep enthusiasm and confidence, but it wasn’t always this way. She only began climbing when she was seven years old, following a fall from a tree. As part of recovery, her parents took her to a climbing gym in Canberra to learn in safety. It didn’t take long before her eagerness to learn about the finer details of climbing was noticed by fellow climbers, who helped her find her feet in the sport. “The most satisfying thing for me in rock climbing probably is … just hanging around really nice people that get you psyched,” Angie says. “I guess I love climbing because of the excitement it gives you when you send a climb, and because you’ve pushed yourself - it’s really exciting and feels so nice.” A combination of distance learning, school and travelling means Angie is always learning something new - just not necessarily in the classroom. “You learn a lot of stuff outdoors so it helps replace all the things you haven’t learned,” Angie says of the experiences gained in travelling across the world with her parents to hunt down the next climb. “You learn different cultures and history and a learn a lot of science - stuff that you don’t need to be in a classroom. You learn more outside than sitting inside a classroom, so it can be hard getting back to school.”

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Every time Angie climbs, she’s working on her confidence, her precision, patience, wrangling through the best ways to reach her goal, rehearsing a climb in the gym before tackling it on the rock face. If she’s tackled a climb before, then she gives herself the challenge of finding the hardest way up it when she returns. If she’s preparing for an entirely new climb, then it’s back to the gym to set up the problems, rehearse, prepare, and only then get outside. But quite often the rehearsals don’t necessarily match to the reality of the problems halfway up a cliff. “That happens a lot,” she says, laughing. It’s a unique lifestyle, combining schoolwork and normal family life with training three or four days a week, climbing on the weekends and travelling internationally in pursuit of the best climbs, the next challenge. But for Angie it makes sense: this is what she is good at, and with the support of her family she is going far. Her parents are very encouraging - “we make a good team”, Angie says. Next year Angie will head to America, to the Red River Gorge. She’ll be accompanied, as always, by her parents, and says she’ll probably meet up with other climbers during the trip. “I’m really looking forward to that, I’ve been there before so I kind of know what to expect. It’ll be exciting to see, I can’t wait to see what I do there.” Rock climbing can be dangerous, a singular challenge of human determination against unrelenting nature. For Angie, though, she is not put off by the challenges. “My biggest challenge probably is when I fail, and sometimes I don’t achieve all my goals on a trip but I learn it’s okay to not always succeed,” she says. “The whole process makes me a better climber because I know there’s always next time. Failure makes you want to try harder.” Wherever Angie goes, and whatever she attempts next, it’s clear she’ll do so with support, and courage - a true athlete.

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RUN INDIA

I N T E RV I E W BY JA N I N E WAT S ON P HO T O G R A P H Y BY: B RUC E V I A E N E & LY N D ON M A R C E AU

Beyond the unimaginable feat of running more than 3,000 kilometres across India, other factors such as huge crowds, massive festivals and extreme weather all combine to posed some unique challenges for social entrepreneur Samantha Gash. And while sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not ready to talk about her next project, the Run India campaign has strengthened her resolve to share future adventure experiences with other women.

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“There is so much certainty tied to what we do in Australia but in India nobody has space or privacy. Everything has to be done in a very intense environment. The women in my support crew were able to keep a sense of perspective, realise that it was just short term discomfort and move on. They actually thrived.” Throughout her running career she has seen the way ego can diminish the adventure experience. “I’ve often seen women be so competitive with each other in a negative way, a destructive way. People who support each other will always be more successful.” This support for others is what drives Sam to cover such unimaginable distances. She partnered with World Vision for the Run India venture that kicked off on August 22 and saw her run 3,253 kilometres over 77 days raising funds for educational initiatives across the country. “World Vision has a long term presence in the country and a commitment to capacity building - they provide a hand up, not a hand out.” Run India project is based on the premise that quality education can be the foundation that helps young people around the world achieve their dreams. Education is also a fundamental human right but one that too many children miss out on. As she ran through India from one of the driest deserts on earth (Jaisalmer, Rajasthan) to the Shillong, Meghalaya she visited many of the World Vision projects seeing first hand the work they do and witnessing the incredible stories of change. World Vision estimates that in India today, 4% of children never start school, 58% don't complete primary school, and 90% fail to finish high school. On top of this, 67.7 million Indian youths are living on less than one dollar a day.

the leg holding her belly and that evening her stomach blew up - a sign her body was shutting down. From there she had to slow right down and her goal became simply to move forward, even if this meant walking pace. Once her body adapted, she was able to pick up the pace again and she said the time “flew by”. “I’m quite a moderate person in most aspects of my life. I’m no superhuman athlete but I really believe in what I’m doing.” It’s that belief in a cause that’s now at the heart of her recent ventures. She says she has moved on from the ‘pushing yourself to see what your body and mind can take’ phase of her running career. In 2010 she pushed her mind and body to the ultimate limit when she became the first female and youngest person ever to complete RacingThePlanet 4Deserts Grand Slam Challenge in 2010. The 4Deserts Grand Slam requires competitors to run four, 250km ultra marathons across the driest (Chile), windiest (China), hottest (Sahara) and coldest deserts (Antarctica) on earth. When all four races are completed in one calendar year, it is regarded as one of the toughest endurance events on the planet. The journey was captured for the big screen in the film Desert Runners.

I don’t believe in beating up the body for the sake of it. We only have a limited number of steps and when using them in an extreme way you have to use them wisely.

So it’s clear that the barriers preventing children from accessing - and completing, a quality education, are complex and so World Vision adopts a holistic approach, tackling issues such as malnutrition, access to appropriate water and sanitation, early marriage and gender bias.

In 2011 she completed a 222 km nonstop run in the Himalayas, which challenged her to run at 6,000 metres above sea level, in an event that had only been completed by one man. Incredibly she was able to survive the pain, sickness, extreme heat and then white out conditions to complete the race. It was during this adventure that she decided to commit her life to running for change.

“I don’t believe in beating up the body for the sake of it. We only have a limited number of steps and when using them in an extreme way you have to use them wisely.” Sam has always had a desire to help others and completed a law degree at Monash University with this in mind.

Another very important aspect of the Run India initiative was a social media component that allowed people in Australia and across the globe to follow Samantha’s journey and also take part in a virtual run or walk alongside her to raise more funds for the cause.

“I’ve always been interested in grassroots development and I studied law because of my aspiration to work for the UN and undertake field work but I ended up in corporate law so that was never going to last,” she laughed.

“The project provided people far away from where we were in India, an insight into the struggles other people deal with, on a daily basis.” She also says her parents, following her journey from home via the regular video updates and photos have a new perspective on why she pushes herself to such extremes.

And now, instead of law, it is running that allows her to contribute. It was back in 2008 when she was completing her degree that she took up running as a kind of study break. She just managed to complete the Melbourne Marathon that same year but almost pulled out at the 32 km mark and said that her mental weakness surprised her.

So far, Sam estimates the Run India venture has raised $160,000 with contributions still coming in. While funds are being processed and she is being kept busy with post-run speaking engagements and catching up with family, the sheer distance covered is much harder to comprehend.

“I’m not a natural runner and it’s when running, that I’ve been at my most vulnerable.”

“I can’t even explain it or even comprehend it. It was all about setting goals and I didn’t fixate on the distance.” During one 10km stretch in the second week of the run her temperature soared and she literally felt herself cooking from the inside. She finished

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She says it’s that insight into what it means to be vulnerable that informs her work as a social entrepreneur, helping some of the world’s most needy communities. In addition to her running, Sam is a sought-after corporate speaker both in Australia and internationally. Her immediate goal is to fulfill a publishing deal to write her as-yet untitled autobiography.

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trail Ultra

AUSTRALIA

STORY BY DAN LEWIS

Lots of heaven, a little bit of hell, and only about half the distance of a marathon. In the Pace UTA22, the Blue Mountains finally boasts a trail running race that's accessible to novices but also attracts the elite to this spectacular sporting landscape. From the old Queen Victoria Hospital at Wentworth Falls to Scenic World at Katoomba, the 21.6km Ultra-Trail Australia challenge is short enough yet hard enough to entice the entire spectrum of trail running enthusiasts. The UTA22 was first run in May, 2016, as an approachable companion event to the established UTA100 and UTA50, and amongst its 800 debut participants it featured everyone from former UTA100 winner Brendan Davies, who came second in 1:43:42, to mother-of-two Lesly Jones, who came 309th in 3:28:31 in what was her first trail running race. They shared everything from the ecstasy of the Blue Mountains scenery on the Kedumba Pass descent to the leg and lung burning agony of the Furber Steps ascent. Despite the torture of the 951 steps of Furber, which she likened to childbirth, Blue Mountains-based Jones loved running the UTA22. It was a joy that came after serious misgivings. "In the week leading up to the race I started worrying about a number of things including: 'coming last', 'dying out there' - an unlikely scenario fuelled by my mother who every time I’d mention the run, would advise me not to 'kill myself', being blown away or hit by debris being carried by the wild winds howling through the mountains all through the week leading up to the race," Jones said. But, "the day arrived and thankfully it was radiant, expansive blue skies with a 'summery' kind of warmth in the air".

"Just before we reached the clearing in the Kedumba Valley I asked the man running beside me if he had been into the valley before. He said he had not and I told him it was like paradise. He said he thought it sounded like somewhere he wouldn’t want to leave, and it certainly delivered the eyepopping wow factor. The looming ancient rock formations set against the vast blue sky and the bright light were surreal. My senses were on high beam. I spoke briefly to another equally enthralled running woman and she agreed that this was her favourite part of the run too. I left the magical clearing and squelched through the mud and onto the skinny, lightdappled bush trails with the whimsical little pixie dells on either side…. hopping over the rushing water and eventually into the green light and mossy boulder-filled Leura Forest. The feeling that I was living on a perfect planet dominated my thoughts and I was encased in a cocoon of feeling that I was at one with the land, sky and all the runners around me. The endorphins were really kicking in by then." UTA race director Tom Landon-Smith says the Pace UTA22 is "a great introduction to UTA and trail running. It is a challenging course that takes in the beauty of the Blue Mountains but is still achievable for novice

trail runners." The course has about 1200m of total climbs and descents including the biggest climb of all - the Furber Steps. "As I ascended the Furber Steps my euphoria subsided to be replaced by strong urges to vomit and cramps in my calves that reminded me of being in labour," Jones said. "I stopped on each landing and let people pass and I breathed deeply and concentrated on not vomiting. When I did reach the top of that astoundingly steep staircase I could sense the ending was nigh. I ran as quickly as my cramping calves would allow and that’s when I saw and heard people clapping and cheering. I looked around thinking I was missing something and then the enthusiastic woman who was announcing the finishers ran up to me and asked me my name and I realised the applause and whooping was for me because I had finished! I feel a marathon-sized amount of gratitude towards the gracious and generous people and the breathtakingly beautiful land for allowing me to have this unique and delightful experience. Thank you." The 45-year-old now has her sites set on the UTA50 for 2017 and a training regime that includes the dreaded Furber Steps.

Read Monique's "journey to saying yes" to her first ever UTA 22 on page 63 041

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THE LARAPINTA TRAIL The Larapinta Trail is regarded as one of Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier walking tracks. From the old Alice Springs Telegraph Station to the peak of Mount Sonder, the trail stretches 223 kilometres along the backbone of the West MacDonnell Ranges.

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Youth {Hiking the Australian Heartland}

FOR HOMELESS

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THE LARAPINTA TRAIL

Despite efforts to improve access to services, evidence of disadvantage and discrimination towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians remains widespread. Indigenous Australians suffer a â&#x20AC;&#x153;spiritual homelessnessâ&#x20AC;? which stems from dispossession and forced removal from homelands and family.

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For one group of Aussies, the adventure meant more than just standing on ancient escarpments and gazing out upon the ochre-coloured landscapes of Central Australia, or following Aboriginal Dreaming tracks and trekking beside one of the world’s oldest river systems. Or even experiencing the diversity of desert habitats and learning the unique history of Australia’s Indigenous people and falling asleep to the nocturnal sounds of native wildlife under a blanket of stars. It was in fact about supporting the amazing work of The Salvation Army’s Oasis Youth Support Network, which is their response to youth homelessness in Sydney’s inner city. Working collaboratively and in partnership with others who share and understand their values, Oasis provides access to twenty programs and services that offer critical points of intervention and support for homeless and disadvantaged young people aged between 16 and 25. Homelessness affects over 44,000 young people in Australia and Oasis is on the front line 24 hours a day, 365 days a year helping marginalised youth find a positive path

forward. From crisis and transitional accommodation, right through to case management, education and training; living skills, vocational programs, counselling and outreach services, Oasis works to re-establish choice, self-worth and confidence in a safe environment. The majority of young people who come to Oasis are at-risk or currently experiencing homelessness, and the associated trauma of their situation has a direct and adverse effect on their health and wellbeing. Without access to basic necessities, including food, shelter and human connection, young people are at even greater risk of developing mental health issues, drug and alcohol dependency, higher rates of disconnection from family and friends and poor physical health. According to Homelessness Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders represent 2.5% of the population, but 25% of the homeless population. Despite efforts to improve access to services, evidence of disadvantage and discrimination towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians remains widespread. Indigenous

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Australians suffer a “spiritual homelessness” which stems from dispossession and forced removal from homelands and family. At Oasis, they take an active role in supporting these young people to learn more about their history and help them to spiritually reconnect with their culture. So when this group headed to the heartland of our great nation, they were all ready to add their voice and fundraising dollars towards helping change lives. What most people don’t realise when they participate in this kind of adventure is that sometimes the biggest changes are personal ones. We caught up with two of the team to find out more. If you are looking to make a real lasting difference and support the awesome work of The Salvation Army, they have some adventures coming up in 2017 /18 : Kokoda Track in April 19-30 Sri Lanka Highlands in October 19-29 Great Wall of China in May 2018 Head to: salvos.org.au/adventure to find out more.

TWO awesome of the

Meet

T E A M

M E M B E R S

MEET

SOPHIE DALGLEISH AGE: 51

When you are not trekking across the red centre of Australia, what can we find you doing most days? When I am not trekking in the red centre of Australia, I am in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, either painting in my studio or exercising - walking, gym work. Have you ever attempted something similar? Yes, I have done similar treks in the Hollyford New Zealand, in the Cinque Terre, but never like the Larapinta sleeping in swags . What is your ideal kind of adventure? My ideal kind of adventure is very much what we did on the Larapinta Trail . What motivated you to do this particular challenge? I was excited about doing this challenge because it ticked all the boxes. Discovering a part of Australia I have never been to, doing something physical - I love both physical effort and the sense of achievement you get at the end of the day. And of course raising money for Oasis, such a wonderful cause.

In the lead up, how did you prepare (physically & mentally)? My husband and I prepared in doing various practice walks in and around Sydney wearing our trekking shoes and using our poles, up to 20km each time. What was the biggest obstacle you faced out there on the trails? The biggest obstacle we faced was probably knowing that there was no luxury to look forward to at the end of the day, no comfortable bed , bath etc. and that's why it was so worth doing. To try and understand that a lot of kids do it rough and sleep outside all the time was a great wake up call for us all. Although the discomfort we experienced was minute compared to what homeless young people deal with, it was an unforgettable experience that I would highly recommend to everyone. How did you deal with the obstacle? Dealing with that 'obstacle ' was made easy by the company; a wonderful bunch of trekkers who all had the best attitude and a fantastic sense of humour. I felt that

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some of trekkers in our group may not have been as physically prepared as they would have liked, but their positive attitude and determination was truly exemplary and an inspiration. What is the key lesson you learnt from the challenge? Again the key lesson I learnt from the challenge was 'mind over matter'. You can do anything you put your mind. Also I felt that no challenge we could tackle could really be as tough as the real life trauma homeless kids face in their daily life . Any plans for your next adventure? Next Adventure is a non fundraising trek in New Zealand, the Milford track. If you could give one piece of advice to someone considering one of these types of travel experiences, what would it be? Bring a good attitude and you will definitely enjoy yourself. Also, do make sure you have worn your trekking shoes before the actual challenge and that all your trekking gear is comfortable and won't hold you back or slow you down. Finally, there is no bad weather, just wrong clothing.

MEET

SOPHIE RICHARDS AGE: 28

When you are not trekking across the red centre of Australia, what can we find you doing most days? Catching up with friends, shopping, down at the beach, catching the latest Netflix series or going out to eat with my fiancé. Have you ever attempted something similar? Never! I’m outdoorsy in that I enjoy having a vino by the seaside ;) What is your ideal kind of adventure? Prior to the hike, I don’t think I would have described any kind of outdoor adventure as ideal if I’m honest! Now, I’d say the best adventure involves glorious sunshine, stunning nature and great company. What motivated you to do this particular challenge? I was fortunate enough to hear about The Salvation Army’s ‘Hike the Heartland’ trek through my work at Virgin Mobile. As a supporter of Oasis Youth Support Network, Virgin Mobile were looking for a team to trek together to raise funds to help fight youth homelessness. As a true lady of leisure, I was intrigued by the challenge and thought it would be a great opportunity to get out of my comfort zone. I’d also never fundraised before and wanted to do something that was bigger than myself and supportive of my community. I had previous experience

working with Oasis from participating in their 'Street Connect' program, where I had the opportunity to meet and talk with young people in disadvantaged communities across Sydney, which was humbling and eyeopening. I knew of the fantastic work Oasis do and wanted to continue to support them. In the lead up, how did you prepare (physically & mentally)? Physically, I kept up with my running, with at least three 5 km runs per week. I also went on a few hikes around Sydney, mostly to break in my hiking boots. I can’t say that I prepared mentally – I

just got out there and got on with it!

the most unlikely places, there is nothing as

What was the biggest obstacle you faced out there on the trails? Not showering.

beautiful as nature and being open-minded is

How did you deal with the obstacle? After a couple of days of quietly bemoaning the fact I missed having a shower, I decided to embrace the experience and not let a little dirt get me down. I also became BFF’s with dry shampoo and baby wipes.

Unless you count navigating the buffet at a

What is the key lesson you learnt from the challenge? Friends can come from

Have an open mind and an open heart and

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one of the best traits you can possess. Any plans for your next adventure? resort as an adventure, I have no plans for now. If you could give one piece of advice to someone considering one of these types of travel experiences, what would it be? just go for it!

COASTto COAST

STORY BY CAROLINE PACKER

‘So, how was the hike?’ The ensuing look on my face must have shown because the next question was ‘oh, was it hard?’ I wish. Hard would have been easy! Roughly 308kms in length, the Coast to Coast links the West and East coasts of England via the hills, moors and valleys of Northern England and is considered one of the world’s best, long-distance walks. It is not waymarked or signposted, so navigational skills are essential. Walking it with my adventure buddy Fran, our first mistake was underestimating the English ‘countryside’. Our second was walking it in twelve days (the average is 14 or 15), especially with our very ordinary fitness level. With twelve days of unknown adventure and challenges ahead of us, we set out on Day One, with that wonderfully familiar feeling of returning to trail walking washing over me cleansing, soothing, healing. After only three hours we were lost. With no real navigation experience or skills (did I mention that this was essential?), this was not surprising. We called them ‘navigational mishaps’ and they would occur every day. On that first day, our navigational mishap cost us almost an hour and the afternoon became a race against the setting sun. After nine hours of walking, we eventually arrived at our first village, exhausted, aching and seriously

wondering what we had gotten ourselves into! The following three days were epic and brutal. Seven summits, one almost vertical climb, a terrifyingly steep descent down a face of loose shale and dirt, a large amount of rock scrambling, two knee hammering long and rocky descents and miles and miles of long and tedious rough and unrelenting terrain requiring absolute focus that was mentally exhausting. On Day Three, boggy marshes started to appear and I experienced firsthand the benefit of gaiters when I ended up in one up to my knees (much to Fran’s amusement). They also turned out to be beneficial when we found ourselves climbing up the side of a mountain via a waterfall! Why you might ask? I’m not entirely sure to be honest, except it just seemed the easiest and quickest way up. On Day Four, conditions were made worse by the wind, so strong it was hard to stay upright and impossible to hear each other speak. We found out three days later that a French hiker was blown over by the wind and broke his leg. I was almost envious of him. At that point I think I’d have preferred a broken leg!

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After 4 days and almost 40 hours, we’d walked just over 100kms. We had real concerns about our ability (physical and mental) to complete the remainder of the walk. We had no rest days and our pace was starting to slow. I was so exhausted I could barely remember my own name. The next section was spent in the Lakes District. Containing England’s highest mountains and its largest lakes, we were privy to stunning views of the most dramatic scenery England has to offer. Hiking through this environment was a stark and humbling reminder of our insignificance on this planet. Day Five was an excruciatingly long day at 34kms. Leaving the Lakes District behind, we transitioned to undulating muddy (and cow manure filled) fields and moorlands. We hit our breaking point around midday in spectacular tantrum style. Poles and expletives were thrown with equal intensity. Knowing that quitting wasn’t our style but also recognising that we needed to rest, we cut short the rest of the day. If we had any chance of completing the remainder of the walk, we needed to take a break. Our egos didn’t like it but sometimes there is more strength and

wisdom in knowing when to stop and rest and when to endure and persist. Anyway, we figured those last kilometres we hadn’t walked that day, we more than made up via our many navigational mishaps! Somewhat rested, the following three days were calmer as we crossed the Pennines negotiating peat bogs which were a welcome respite from the brutal terrain of the Lakes District. These days were shorter and we relished the early afternoon finishes with hot baths and cream teas. Bliss. The final four days were relatively uneventful yet no less epic as we covered almost 118kms. We moved from the bleak and bare moors which were dull and uninteresting to the most beautiful serene woods and rivers. The terrain had softened though the ascents and descents continued, albeit in a more gentle way. From coast to coast you ascend and descend the equivalent height

of Mount Everest and my knees can attest to this fact! The C2C delivers all the things that make for a truly great adventure and was an absolutely epic longdistance walk. It was also one hell of a challenge, more than I was expecting or prepared for. It pushed me so far past what I thought I was capable of it showed me what I actually was capable of. Which is really anything. We all are. Our power lies in our minds, in our words and in our beliefs. Our body simply follows suit. I am amazed at what we, two really ordinary girls who just love to walk, accomplished. Absolutely broken, sitting in a field full of cow manure, holding back tears and drowning in voices so loud chanting ‘you can’t, it’s too hard, you won’t make it’, I hear a whisper ‘well what if? What if you just rested awhile, and then took one more step….’

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Absolutely broken, sitting in a field full of cow manure, holding back tears and drowning in voices so loud chanting ‘you can’t, it’s too hard, you won’t make it’.

WILD SWIMMING AUSTRALIA

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ICONIC

SWIMMING HOLES Across Australia

BY RACHEL LEWIS- WILD SWIMMING AUSTRALIA

The classic Australian summer scene might involve sandy beaches, bleached-blonde surfers and lots of slip, slap, slopping. However, a lesser-known delight lies in store for those who forgo the crowded seashore and head inland to discover (and dip into) some of the amazing waterfalls and freshwater pools on offer. We've spent the last couple of years documenting the stunning swimming holes around this beautiful land of ours. Here's an Australia-wide scattering of our favourites:

KARLOO POOL

GUNLOM FALLS. Where: Kakadu National Park, Jabiru NT A natural infinity pool perched on top of a huge rocky outcrop with a view of endless Kakadu rainforest? Yes please! This top pool, which remains open for the majority of the dry season, involves a steep walk to get to but is well worth the effort and has the added bonus of being croc free. Sunset here is off the chain as the light hits the escarpment and brings out the natural tones of the rocks. The huge plunge pool under the (seasonal) falls is wheelchair accessible and has a refreshing beauty of it's own. Access to Gunlom is usually restricted during the wet season due to road closures.

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Where: The Royal National Park, Heathcote NSW It's hard to understand how the phrases 'emerald green' and 'crystal clear' can be used to describe the same object simultaneously until you've seen this swimming hole. The oval pool is deep and long enough for lazy laps and the 4.5km walk in means that, although it can get fairly busy on summer weekends, it's never overrun with people. Bring a pair of goggles and look out for huge yabbies and other underwater friends as you cruise around, then lie out on the flat rocks beside the pool and warm up as you listen to the babbling creek which feeds the pool.

KONDALILLA FALLS. Where: Kondalilla National Park, Montville QLD Surrounded by lush bush and flat rocks which are perfect for picnics, this beautiful little swimming hole is a perfect example of why we love wild swimming. With a small waterfall creating some relaxing background music at one end and a panoramic treetop vista at the other it's hard to imagine a more idyllic setup. Since it is so beautiful and relatively close to the popular Gold Coast, Kondalilla Falls can get pretty busy. Our advice is to visit in the cooler months and work up a sweat by walking the 40-60 minute loop track to the bottom of the falls and back up. You'll be ready to cool off in the pool at the top at a time of year when few others will dare.

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LAKE MCKENZIE / BOORANGOORA.

JOSEPHINE FALLS.

Where: Fraser Island, QLD The whole of Fraser Island is a wild swimming paradise with so many spots to choose from. They all have unique qualities which make them worth a visit but Lake Mackenzie (or Boorangoora in the language of the local Butchulla people) is the sparkling blue crown jewel. Given the colour and clarity of the water it's easy to see why the lake is believed to be one of the eyes of the goddess K'gari, formed when she was transformed into the land mass of Fraser Island. Access to the lake is via a long stretch of whitesand beach, making this a wonderful freshwater alternative to sea swims.

Where: Wooroonooran National Park, QLD This is a real family all-rounder of a swimming hole. Depending on your desired activity level, there is a short, wheelchair accessible walk to the lookout over the top of the falls, a large, child-friendly swimming hole for a refreshing dip, or an adrenaline-inducing natural water slide. The slide has been formed by the action of the water over the smooth granite rocks above the pool. Since it is easily accessible from Cairns, this is a popular spot. That doesn't make it any less special though.

PICCANINNIE PONDS.

FERN POOL Where: Karijini National Park, WA This area of Western Australia is so visually stunning it's hard to believe the colours and contours of the rocks are for real, but the photos don't lie. This really is an unbelievable place to float on your back in cool, turquoise water and you'll be glad of the shade behind the waterfall after the challenging hikes required to get around in this area. Fern Pool is at one end of Dale's Gorge and is one of the easier to access swimming holes but venture on up this gorge or one of the many others in the area for a walk punctuated with unforgettable swims.

Where: Wye, SA Whilst it takes a little more planning that your average dip and splash around, Piccaninnie Ponds has to be one of the most unique places you can submerge yourself. With full wetsuit and snorkel gear you can book yourself an hour's timeslot with a friend to spot the diverse wildlife and explore the sculpted limestone which makes up this underwater landscape. The wetlands here are recognised as having international importance and the way that the water filters slowly through the surrounding limestone makes for exceptional visibility, often up to 40m.

MORE INFORMATION For detailed information on swimming holes across Australia, as well as watery fine art prints to bring the outdoors into your indoors, see www.wildswimmingaustralia.com.

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next gen L E A D I N G T H E WAY

for the

of Bodyboarders

Ok, so we might be biased because we not only have some of the countries best beaches to call our local, but our region also hosts one of Australia’s largest independent bodyboarding comps – The Jeff Wilcox Memorial. Right from the beginning Travel Play Live has been supporting women in this sport and we just had to introduce to some home grown talent. Millie Chalker has taken to the sport like well, a fish to water and she is now being mentored by Australian champion Lilly Pollard. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this pair.

JOIN TRAVEL PLAY LIVE AND AUSTRALIA CHAMPION BODYBOARDER LILLY POLLARD IN FORSTER

TPL EVENT

Saturday 4th February for our very first TPL Outdoor Workshop. Lilliy will be holding coaching workshops - beginners to advanced welcome. Even if you are not into bodyboarding, you are welcome to join us for the TPL Meet Up on the day. Details on our website & facebook www.travelplaylive.com.au/play

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AUSTRALIAN BODYBOARDER

MILLIE CHALKER

Forster-Tuncurry On The Mid North Coast

How old are you? 14 How long have you been bodyboarding? Dad had been pushing me onto the white wash since I was little and I’ve loved the ocean and the beach my whole life, but I only started competing and taking it seriously in the last 18 months. How did you get involved? My dad was my biggest reason to get involved in body boarding, always seeing him out in the surf shredding inspired me to give it a go. He has been there every step of the way. He is the one who has taught me everything, from the basics like duck diving to the more complicated things like reading waves and doing tricks. Favourite bodyboarding location & why?To be honest I really don’t have a favourite location, just anywhere local that is pumping. But if I really had to choose it would be Tuncurry beach or Bulls Paddock. But as I get older and my skill progress there are many waves around the world that

I’d love to surf so I’m sure I’ll have a new favourite in the future.

soccer – it’s different every time you paddle out.

What is it about body boarding that you love? I love absolutely everything about bodyboarding! It’s great because I just love being in the ocean and the waves. I also love that it’s constantly changing and you will never ever catch two waves the same. Another thing I love about it is that there's nothing better than sharing the waves and the beach with friends.

What have been some of your competition highlights so far? My biggest competition highlight would have to be in the last FTBA (Forster Tuncurry Bodyboarding Association) competition where there wasn’t any boys for me to compete against in my age division so I had to go in juniors against boys that are three years older than me and I ended up knocking one of them out of the competition which got me into the semi finals.

Recently I had a group coaching session with myself and seven other girls with champion Bodyboarder Lilly Pollard, it was great to see my friends having so much fun doing the sport that I love. What do you say to young girls out there who might be thinking about trying the sport? Just give it a go. When you go to the beach next, just catch the whitewash. That’s what I did and I love it! I’m sure all girls would really enjoy it because it’s a unique and isn’t like sports like netball and

Another highlight would be going in the Open Women's division at the Jeff Wilcox Memorial, surfing against pro women, including the legendary Lilly Pollard. What are your favourite words to live by? My favourite quote is, “try your hardest, and if that doesn’t work try harder” I think of this quote if I can’t quite make a trick or do something at school.

AUSTRALIAN BODYBOARDER

LILY POLLARD Cronulla, Sydney NSW

Tell us about some of your career highlights: My three big wins on the World Tour! • 2014 Pipeline Pro Champion, Hawaii • 2011 Encanto Pro Champion, Puerto Rico • 2007 El Confital Pro Champion, Canary Islands

echidnas to say hello to in the area.

But really, the best moments in my life stem from my love of bodyboarding whether it is travelling to compete on the world tour or when I am living in my car travelling around Australia searching for waves. My love of the ocean opens up a whole lot of other unforgettable experiences.

For those women out there who would love to have a go at bodyboarding, what is your key advice? Do it! You’ll never look back. If you're having some trouble, don't give up, ask for help. Get a couple of coaching lessons and you’ll save yourself so much time and become so much more confident. I know for some people the ocean is a bit daunting, so having someone guide you a bit at the start, is so helpful. Go with a friend for extra fun and support!

Favourite bodyboarding location & why? My favourite wave is down in Jervis Bay, South Coast of NSW. That region just has the best bush walks and wildlife in and out of the water. The waves are just so perfect for bodyboarding. You can get an amazing barrel then do any kind of aerial move you can imagine off the end section to finish. The locals are awesome and it’s just a place that feels like home to me. I’ve so often been out there with dolphins and whales and there are always kangaroos and

What is it about bodyboarding that you love? Being in the sea is just heaven to me. I love the revitalising energy from the ocean and being so connected to nature. Plus nothing beats that feeling of being inside a barrel or landing a good air!

What do you say to the upcoming young women in the sport of bodyboarding about getting involved in competitions and the fact that it is still such a male dominated sport? Most guys are super supportive and stoked to see girls in the water, so don’t worry at all.

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Don't forget that everyone has been a learner at one point so it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Surround yourself with positive and helpful people and you’ll go far. I find competitions are so great because they inspire me to train harder and really help develop my mental skills and mindfulness. The APB Women’s World Tour is currently structured so that any girl can enter, you just start in the early rounds and so it’s well worth aiming to compete in a world tour event one day. Why not? You can do it! Get practicing and go have some fun! Do you have a big adventure planned for 2017? If so can you share with us what it is? I have had such an amazing journey so far travelling and exploring the world, but at the moment I am on a mission to grow women’s bodyboarding and share it with the world and help people improve their skills with my coaching business. I am dying to pass on my knowledge and share with people about how good the lifestyle is as a bodyboarder. What are your favourite words to live by? I believe kindness, compassion and mindfulness is key. And also to never give up!

BODY BOARDING YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE

STORY BY AUSTRALIAN WORLD CHAMPION LILLY POLLARD - WWW.THEBODYBOARDACADEMY.COM

“Boogie boarding!?” I hear you say, “I can do that! Don’t you just grab an esky lid and catch some wash into shore?” L.O.L kind of, yes… But there is so much more to the sport than that. What a lot of people don’t realise about boogie boarding or bodyboarding as the professionals call it, is that on an advanced level, you can ride amazing barrelling waves of all sizes, and learn how to do some pretty rad trick; 360’s, el rollos and even backflips and other aerial moves. I like to call bodyboarding the ‘gymnastics of the sea’. It’s so insane to watch the high level athletes in action. Really, the best thing about bodyboarding is that it is such an accessible sport for every one of all ages, sizes, and fitness levels. My current students at The Bodyboard Academy range from age 5 to 65. It’s such a family friendly sport, and you can chose how far you wish to go with it. Yes you can grab a boogie and kick around in the whitewash and still have tonnes of fun, or if you want, you can get yourself a quality board, fins (plus a good coach or experienced friend to help), and get yourself out the back, riding the face of the waves and learning how to utilise the board, the waves, get barrelled, and even learn some tricks! For me, I love that bodyboarding has inspired me to spend twenty years travelling the world for competitions and searching for new waves. I also love my time sharing

waves with friends at home, having a laugh in the line up, catching party waves and being silly. Most of all though is simply that I love going to my own special surf spot, paddling out at sunrise, sitting out the back and enjoying the simple calmness and that revitalising feeling from being in the ocean. I’ve been lucky enough in my time in the sea to have so many special encounters with amazing wildlife as I quietly sit there; dolphins, turtles, penguins, fish, and even a whale once that came so close I could have touched it. I find that bodyboarding is such an amazing full body workout, but you’re having too much fun to even notice. The paddling builds your stamina and tones your triceps and back, kicking with your flippers builds your ankle and leg strength and tones your butt, and when you’re riding the wave it is such a strong core workout. It’s amazing! I have surfer friends who have picked up bodyboarding, and they really marvel at how connected to the wave you feel when you're on a bodyboard. Being so close to the wave, hearing and feeling the water around you, there really is something quite spiritual about it, and the saltwater really does revitalise you.

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BUYING EQUIPMENT If you decide to do a search online, make sure you look up “Bodyboard” not “Boogieboard”. You’ll find much better quality boards and advice.

WHERE TO BUY. Preferably go to your local bodyboard specialist for a board and fins rather than buying on impulse at a cheap department store. Expert advice is always helpful and can save you time and money in the long term. When you’re there you can discuss important things like your ability and goals, your budget, how much you plan to use it and what water temperature you’ll be riding in.

LEASH AND PLUG.   The super cheap boards tend to come with a leash installed, but that leash is usually pretty hopeless and stringy. You’re best buying a quality coiled leash and installing it with the plug.

BOARD SIZE. A nice guide is to stand the bodyboard on the ground, lean it up against you and ideally the nose of the board will be in line with your belly button. If you’re a bigger build, then you could go an inch or two taller or even a bit thicker board to aid in floatation. Look up ‘bodyboard size guide’ online for help. Be sure to go for a board that has channels on the bottom, these help you hold your edge in the wave. You’ll see that some boards are designed with deck contours and nose bulbs for comfort and grip. Definitely take the opportunity to try out different bodyboards whenever you can and get a feel for what you like.

CORE AND STRINGER SYSTEM. The core is what you most look at when choosing the right board for you. There are a lot of different core materials available for bodyboards and most boards will also have carbon fibre stringers and/or a layer of mesh inside for extra strength and stiffness. The main four core materials used: EPS: It’s generally used in the cheaper beginners boards, as it’s quite floaty, lightweight, and waterproof. PE: A flexible high performance core material, usually suited to cooler waters, a little bit heavier than the others. PP: A high performance lightweight and waterproof core, feels a bit stiffer, but has great “pop” for moves, it is usually more suited to warmer waters. NRG: This high performance core is basically a more flexible version of the PP core; it has excellent recoil and projection, and is my favourite.

WETSUIT. Depending on where you live and how cold the water is. Reeflex Wetsuits are the only bodyboarding brand in Australia that has a wetsuit design specifically for ladies, check them out!

PRICE POINTS. Beginner boards: If you’re just up for a bit of summer fun, don’t want to spend too much, and want a board that will help you have fun riding the whitewash, then go for a board with EPS core. These can start from as little as $30, but you get what you pay for. I believe it’s worth spending around $100 on an EPS board that is better built to last. Beginners to intermediate: The intermediate price range is a great place to start for a decent bodyboard that should also last. Go for a comfortable feeling board. Intermediate to Advanced: If you want a board that rides really well, these boards have the best quality materials and are designed to perform.

FLIPPERS (AKA FINS). WAX.

These are a must if you really want to be able to kick into the waves. You should try on some different brands to see what feels good for your feet. They should fit tight, as in the water they do loosen up a little, but not too painful. Just make sure you get bodyboarding fins (not diving fins)

Go for an ultra sticky wax and focus on waxing the areas where you put your hands. Beginners might like to put some wax in the middle of the board also to stop slipping off, but advanced riders usually prefer no wax on the stomach as you do slide up and down the board a lot for different tricks.

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Your Year of Yes

CALENDAR {Travel Play Live}

If there are some strands of your DNA that get excited when we mention the idea of getting outdoors and closer to nature or you're finding yourself wanting to connect more with the elements rather than the four walls of the gym, then our newly launched event calendar for 2017 - Travel Play Live Women's Outdoor Workshops and Adventure 'Expressos' (as we like to call them, Micro-Adventures with coffee) is seriously for you! If you are wanting to get out of the big smoke for the weekend we have planned some of our home turfs finest outdoor experiences and micro-adventures giving you a taste of what's to come when we host Australia’s first Women's Outdoor Adventure Summit in September. So put aside a weekend, bring your buddies and put these dates in your calendars!

J A N U A R Y

F E B R U A R Y

Summer Issue Launch.

GO WILD ON THE WATER

Type: 'Your Year of Yes' with guest speaker - Leah Gilbert Location: Club Forster, Forster NSW Date: 21st January 2017 Time: 5pm Join Travel Play Live and dynamic speaker and body positive athlete Leah Gilbert as we launch our Summer 2017 issue and our official Year of Yes Calendar of Events. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you said 'yes' more often? The adventures you would find yourself on, the boundaries you would challenge, what you would discover about yourself? Saying YES means something different to everyone, but what remains the same is the worth we all have to say it more so we can honour ourselves with our most fulfilling lives. Let 2017 be the year you say YES!

Type: Clinic & TPL Meet Up. Location: Beach to be announced, Forster / Tuncurry NSW Date: Saturday 4th February Time: early - TBC Join Australia Champion Bodyboarder Lilly Pollard and the Travel Play Live Team in Forster. Lilly will be holding surf side coaching clinic and fun filled sessions teaching women the art of riding the waves on a bodyboard. These sessions offer a great opportunity to improve your confidence in the ocean, teach you all the essentials or push your bodyboarding to the next level. Even if you don’t want to join in on the workshops, come meet up, make great new friends and share a coffee. All ages welcome. Millie Chalker and the local girls will be joining in on this event, so it will be perfect for mothers, daughters and grandmothers alike.

WITH LEAH GILBERT

B O DY B OA R D I N G C L I N I C

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A P R I L

M A R C H

MIND • BODY • PADDLE K AYA K I N G M I C R O - A D V E N T U R E

Undo and Renew. S TA N D U P PA D D L E B O A R D A N D S U P YO G A WO R K S H O P

Type: SUP & SUP Yoga Workshop Location: Forster /Tuncurry NSW Date: Sunday 26th March Two great activities in one Travel Play Live Workshop! Learn the basics of stand up paddle boarding then embrace the flow on the floating SUP Yoga studio on the gorgeous Wallis Lake. Learn and build the foundation of balance and strength on the board through yoga practice, all the whilst incorporating the natural elements of water, wind and sunshine.

Type: Adventure Expresso Location: Myall Lakes NSW Date: Sunday 30th April Tempted to go kayaking but think it might be too strenuous, or technical, or just too much of a hassle having none of the gear? It’s actually none of those on this workshop! Rather, it’s a fantastic, no-stress way to get some exercise, fresh air and see the world from a pelicans-eye view. Join us in Mungo Brush in the Myall Lakes National Park for 3 hrs of stress free, tranquility in a world you don't venture to often. Learn kayaking basics, including paddling techniques and safety requirements, whilst discovering the joy of exercising on the water as close up and personal with nature as you can get. Novice and experienced paddlers are welcome.

TRAVEL PLAY LIVE WOMENS OUTDOOR WORKSHOPS, CLINICS & ADVENTURE EXPRESSOS

TPL EVENTS

OUR NEWLY LAUNCHED EVENT SCHEDULE FOR 2017 Please note that currently the majority these events will be held in or around the Mid North Coast of NSW. We have plans to roll out events across the country as we grow, so stay tuned. All events unless stated otherwise are open to women ages 16 and up. There will be a cost involved with all events see our website or FB for specific details, costs and how to book. Details on our Facebook & website www.travelplaylive.com.au/play

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Your Year of Yes

CALENDAR {Travel Play Live}

M A Y

J U N E

MTB Cycle Chick.

COMPASS AND CONTOURS

Type: MTB CLinic Location: Tinonee NSW Date: Sunday 28th April As a beginner, we know you need guidance, practice, time and encouragement and as a seasoned rider, we also know pedal time is progress time. This day in the saddle, is an adventure first, but with on-trail skill development while learning to master some of the common single track and trail challenges you’ll be shredding (negotiating trails with a higher-than-usual level of expertise) in no time. Guided by qualified female mtb coaches, we are excited to share some of the best mtb trails in NSW with the gals.

Type: Workshop Location: Hawkes Nest NSW Date: Sunday 25th June Our experienced navigation coaches are experts in the outdoor sports requiring map and compass skills and can teach you all the basics to navigate confidently with these tools for either pleasure or for sports such as orienteering, rogainning or adventure racing. Learn how to orient a map, use a compass, and follow waypoints confidently. This session is designed with the beginner in mind but is also a great refresher for those who don't get to practice these skills as often as they’d like.

W O M E N ' S M O U N TA I N B I K E C L I N I C

W O M E N S N AV I G AT I O N W O R K S H O P

J U L Y

Run Wild.

WOMENS TRAIL RUNNING CLINIC

Type: Clinic Location: Shoal Bay NSW Date: Sunday 30th July Whether you are new to the sport of trail running, or you would like more insight into upping your game, this trail running experience offers you advice, guidance and valuable insight into what’s required to become the best off road runner ‘you’ can be. Through the skills, drills and hills our experienced coaches will cover and answer all of your questions while you take in the beauty of nature around you!

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A U G U S T

T H E T R AV E L P L AY L I V E

Women's Adventure Summit. Type: A Celebration of the Australian Adventure and Outdoor Lifestyle Location: Tiona (Forster) NSW Date: Thursday 31st August - Sunday 3rd September Set in early spring and held in the gorgeous Great Lakes region on the Mid North Coast of NSW the Travel Play Live Womens Adventure Summit will kick off as the first event of a month long regional celebration of outdoor activities and micro-adventures, where the emphasis is on discovering the great Australian outdoors and the adventures available on your very own doorstep. A ‘festival’ if you will where the inspiration to get outside and connect to nature is the draw card, rather than the drinking and partying! The Travel Play Live Womens Adventure Summit is a ‘build your own adventure’ three day weekend, where during the day you can fill your boots with off-site activities like mountain biking, white water kayaking, climbing, hiking, bodyboarding, surfing, stand up paddle boarding and more or if you choose to stay on-site there are plenty of ‘how to’ workshops and activities to choose from as well. When the sun goes down our guest speakers will take to the stage and lead everyone into nights filled with good food, music and fire-pit chitter chatter in a relaxed and casual camp vibe. It’s the perfect event to meet like minded souls, make new friends, inspire you to expand your bucket list, ignite your inner adventurer and a reminder of our deep connection with nature and the importance to making each day of our life count. So put the dates in your diary and keep an eye out for more details. You can register your interest here: http://eepurl.com/ctLh2T and we will send you the latest details as they are released.

THE TRAVEL PLAY LIVE 2017 CALENDAR OF EVENTS IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY:

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The Facebook Post That

HAD ME SAYING YES STORY BY MONIQUE BORTOLI

So this Facebook post and my reply is how I said YES to doing the UTA22. I’m a big believer of saying yes – I generally work out the details later. But sometimes I wonder ‘what the hell am I thinking? I’m nearly forty two, a mum of three and a Nona’. But you know what, I can do this - why the heck not?

Don’t get me wrong, I walk a lot, I love trekking, I do heaps of it, but until now or at least very recently, running has scared the absolute bejesus out of me. I’m not small busted or overly athletic, and until recently I have had major issues finding suitable gear for my body type, then I come across a brand of gear that has given me the support and boost in confidence I needed to start. So how did this ‘non runner’ begin running? Well I started by trying to run 1-2kms when I could. I say when I could, because I work two jobs, study and have two kids still at home. I’m a single parent 90% of the time, so I do what I can. I switch it up with yoga and am addicted to my local climbing gym, all of which has helped me gain confidence to say YES to this trail running adventure.

hot. I decided to go crop top and leggings. Never in my life have I had the confidence to exercise dressed like this, but I wanted this run so bad I really didn't care what people thought or what I looked like. This shit had to get done! I ran, laughed and smiled. I gained so much more from that run, than I have in so many previous adventures. I gained self-respect and I gained body respect. I don't care what anyone says, I’m a trail runner and I love it. An exhausted and very proud trail runner.

I know there will be ups and downs. I know me. Sometimes I get lazy, sometimes I don't want to run, but each time I tell myself why I’m doing it.

But why Ultra Trail? Well, I want more. I want to push my body and mind further. I want so badly to believe in myself and the things I want to do. I came to adventure later in life as a part of healing some personal scars. Apart from the normal sports of a youngster or bushwalking local tracks as a kid, my adventure and comfort zones were very limited. As I've gotten older, I decided I want more, to share more, to inspire more. I don't ever want to miss out because I’m scared. I want to say yes, achieve some goals and kick some adventure ass along the way. I want big ticks off my bucket list and I want to brag about it. I want to tell my story, be a role model and show people it can be done at any age.

I know there will be ups and downs. I know me. Sometimes I get lazy, sometimes I don't want to run, but each time I tell myself why I’m doing it. I’m doing it to inspire, to build confidence and prove a point to myself, but mostly, to inspire a generation of incredible women, who keep listening to that little voice in their head that says ‘you can't’. I want to be proof that you can. Fear will not beat me. I look forward to sharing my epic new adventure and goal with you over the next few months.

I have an amazing support team from whom I draw strength, knowledge and wisdom. Leah Gilbert has been an incredible source of inspiration for me. I constantly quote her to myself while I'm running. I use Leah’s videos and quotes to inspire my everyday. A lot of credit needs to go to Kez as well. She has been a driving force in helping me with ideas, training and venting. She backs me all the way and this is incredibly important knowing I have so many incredible women in my corner.

Its funny how times change. Recently I was running my local trail. It was stinking hot and I was overheating. I wanted this run so badly, I was craving pushing my body. I was enjoying the feeling of finding my running feet, I was feeling motivated and wanted it, but wowsers it was

My training buddies Laura and Melody are also so important, we are constantly motivating and inspiring each other, we are a team in an individual sport. Thanks girls xx.

You can follow Monique’s UTA22 journey on our website and social media in the months leading up to the big event. 063

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YACHT RALLY CROATIA & MONTENEGRO Departs 14th July 2017 Couples welcome.

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We have partnered with Mariner Boating to bring you this amazing tour, exploring the majestic coastlines of Croatia & Montenegro. Book before the 31 January 2017 and grab: 10% off selected Yacht Rally departures, a welcome gift in your hotel room, a Travel Play Live Subscription and 50% off your travel insurance* Head to our website for a full itinerary. www.travelplaylive.com.au/travel Enquires to: travel@travelplaylive.com.au

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2017 TRAVEL CALENDAR Red Centre Walk.

10TH JULY – 16TH JULY 2017, NT This guided walking tour samples the highlights of the very heart of Australia. The rich reds of the ochre cliffs and rocky gorges contrast with the azure skies. Brilliant greens dot the outback landscape and the startling whites of the ghost gums reflect into crystal clear waterholes. You’ll hike at well known Uluru, Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and Kings Canyon. Then experience

JULY 2017

the lesser visited places such as the Larapinta Trail and West MacDonnell Ranges. Learn about the area’s rich Aboriginal heritage and see a range of unusual wildlife. The 7 day tour starts and finishes in Alice Springs.

SAIL CROATIA & MONTENEGRO

14TH TO 29TH JULY 2017

Join Travel Play Live and Mariner Boating for this stunning Mediterranean Rally Adventure of Croatia & Montenegro. Beginning in the famous walled city of Dubrovnik sail north to Sipan, Kobas, Ston and Mljet before sailing south to exit Croatia in Cavtat then on to explore part of Montenegro in the Gulf of Kotor. Please contact us directly for more details.

TPL TIP.

Sailing in Croatia There are lots of restaurants along the coast, where you can moor your boat whilst you enjoy the local cuisine. Definitely ring ahead and book, especially if you have a large group, as restaurants will go out and fish specially for a large group. In Croatia try the fish. The Sword fish comes highly recommended. All fish is fresh, local and beautifully prepared.

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breathing DEEPLY in

NORTH AMERICA’S LAST FRONTIER

It’s a quote we’ve all heard, shared and resonated with. Its truth remains close to our hearts that when adventure calls, be it from the mountains, the skies or the seas we must inextricably obey, often for the sake of our own sanity. But why? What does adventure give us that it becomes so impossible to resist? I followed the commandment and the footsteps of the man who wrote it, famed naturalist John Muir, into the wilds of Alaska to find out. WRITTEN BY CAROLINE PEMBERTON - MISS ADVENTURE PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAMERON ZEGERS & UN-CRUISE ADVENTURES

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uir is one of my favourite historical figures. A Scottish-American born in 1838 he was not only a writer whose eloquence lends itself to endless quotation, he was, and still is, revered amongst our kin as an environmentalist. We have Muir to thank for much of the pristine nature we enjoy today, as one of the earliest advocates of National Parks he protected and created environmental change in the industrial age when so much of it could have been destroyed. Ever heard of a little place called Yosemite? You can thank him for that. The inspiration of some of Muir’s writings stemmed from here, in the corner of Alaska I now find myself in. Sitting on the extremities of North America it has long been on my bucket list, particularly the South East Panhandle, the home of Glacier Bay. Known for its diverse terrain, soaring mountains, deep forests and abundant promise of raw adventure, it’s here that you can spend days, months, probably years without seeing another person should you chose. A place so vast, that its largeness is impossible to articulate, a world seemingly safe from the creep of civilisation with mighty landscapes that remind you just how inconsequential you are, as you stand small and humble before them.

“The mountains are calling and I must go”

The panhandle is made up of more than a thousand islands sitting peacefully amongst seventeen million acres of wild temperate rainforest making up the Tongass National Forest – the largest in the US. There are so many natural features here that many of the lakes, mountains and islands still remain unnamed, instead simply numbered as a means of identification. With a shoreline of nearly 30,000kms, its land mass is so densely forested that it is almost impassable so the best way to explore is by boat. I arrive in Juneau and board my home for the next week, the ‘Safari Endeavour’ a small passenger ship run by an expedition company called ‘UnCruise’ named for the exact reason that it doesn’t feel like a typical cruise experience. It’s more a rambling adventure from a luxury, floating base camp that keeps you warm, dry and extremely well fed, whilst taking you on mini expeditions and daily jaunts into the wilderness. One morning you might be ‘bushwhacking’ through untouched forests with no trails, calling out “hey bear!” at the top of your lungs to give ample warning to the abundant population of resident Grizzlies, or spending your afternoon circumnavigating a confetti of small islands by kayak, dipping your paddle into velvety waters and spotting for curious seals cheekily trailing at a safe distance. The next day, you might be rugged up at the face of a calving glacier, navigating a sea of bergie bits (tiny pieces of iceberg) in a zodiac, or huddled on the

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front deck of the boat wondering at the soaring cliffs, sculpted by ice ages of the past. We voyage to new corners of this wilderness daily. With no dedicated itinerary or route we are entirely at the whim of the weather, taking advantage of a sheltered cove here, or a blue sky there. In that sense, each cruise is completely unique. That fickleness is symptomatic of this place, it has changing faces in constantly changing weather. Often it’s heavily laden with fog and spitting rain, wild and frosty but intermittently the sun will explode through the clouds blasting light through magical forests and into the inky waters, revealing bears feasting on shellfish rich shores, pods of humpbacks breaching through deeper passages and an unparalleled wealth of bird life. At first the weather annoyed me. When it was grey and foggy I wanted ‘to turn the lights on’ in order to see what I was looking at, I needed to know exactly where I was in relation to the landscape I was moving through. How tall were the mountains we were passing? Where would we go tomorrow? However, as the days yawned by I realised that this was part of the adventure and appeal of Alaska. I would need to surrender myself to the wilderness and let go completely, to merely observe rather than control. These were deep and special places that mostly lay hidden. Places I couldn’t dominate at my whim or navigate at my discretion. I was not the boss here and the more I accepted and respected that, the more beautiful it became.

CAROLINE PEMBERTON Caroline is a television presenter, producer, adventure addict and once upon a time Miss Australia. Her weirdest and most wonderful globetrotting memories include ice-climbing at Mt. Everest, swimming in -2 degree water in Antarctica, cave diving beneath the cow paddocks of South Australia, heli-MTBing the Southern Alps and wearing the blood sweat and tears of the Kokoda trail.

I want to emphasise again that these landscapes are neither small nor manageable, and the only thing that seems able to contain them are the clouds. The swirling fogs keep you secure under their blanket, calm and at peace rather than overwhelmed by the sheer scale of everything. It’s like you are at constant risk of sensory overload so nature reveals only a portion at the time, enough for you to fully savour all that you are seeing before parting the clouds to reveal the next bite. This understanding, that these lands were simply too mighty to fathom and too powerful to be tamed was reassuring in a world so set on human conquest. While I was thirsty to capture that essence with my camera, it seemed fruitful, for it is less a picture and more a feeling that comes from being here and try as you might, it cannot be transcribed in pixels alone. We cruise into Glacier Bay, one of Muir’s favourite places and are greeted by an enormous grinding mass of ice that is shaping the earth before our eyes. Watching building sized blocks split and shed from the aqua blue face into the sea is like going into the back room and sharing a rare glimpse into God’s workshop, wondering at the machinations of how the mountains and valleys are built, shaped and created, inch by inch coming off the press. Muir summed up their life cycle perfectly; “Glaciers back in their cold solitudes, work apart from men, exerting

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their tremendous energies in silence and darkness. Coming in vapour from the sea, flying invisible on the wind, descending in snow, changing to ice, white, spirit like, they brood outspread over the predestined landscapes, working on unwearied through unmeasured ages, until in the fullness of time the mountains and alleys are brought forth, channels furrowed for the rivers, basins made for meadows and lakes, and soil beds spread for the forests and fields that man and beast may be fed. Then vanishing like clouds, they melt into streams and go singing back home to the sea”

“I am losing precious days. I am degenerating into a machine for making money. I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I must break away and get out into the mountains to learn the news” - John Muir

I feel privileged to witness Alaska’s raw power and realise that time here has a very different meaning to the way we tend to define it, and while the tides continue to suck at the shores, clouds move through the mountains and waterfalls thunder from unseen snowfields all of their own accord, moments here start to stretch into decades, minutes into centuries and years into millennia. It puts everything in a new perspective and makes me wonder if perhaps we worry too much over silly things in our fleeting existences? The real beauty here is not necessary in a scenic sense, it is more in its ability to make you feel humble. Alaska doesn’t care if you are here, nor will it care when you are gone but it does give you the opportunity

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to reflect, something we rarely do back in the “real world” and since I’ve been here, I’ve been wondering whether we set out on adventures to achieve something or is it rather to regain our rightful balance in the world? “I am losing precious days. I am degenerating into a machine for making money. I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I must break away and get out into the mountains to learn the news”Muir

Where adventure begins Exodus Travels offer the best trips youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never heard of! There are hundreds of adventures to more than 90 countries at a pace to suit everyone. Visit exodustravels.com or speak to one of our experts on 1300 130 798 today.

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From overnight bushwalks through the iconic Blue Mountains to sailing in luxury on the crystal waters of Tahiti, we aim to bring you unique travelling experiences with a touch of Travel Play Live sparkle. Head to our website and discover your next adventure: www.travelplaylive.com.au/travel Enquires to: travel@travelplaylive.com.au

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Traveller

PHOTOGRAPHER

SILVER FOX

Here at Travel Play Live, we are privileged to meet so many amazing women from across the country and hear countless stories of passion, impediments to progress and the overcoming of those barriers. Every now and then, we come across one that embodies the dynamic facets of the adventurous and creative heart we stand for. Elma’s story and photography did just that. It has been a pleasure to unravel this story and share it with you here. IN FOCUS: ELMA GRADASCEVIC - PHOTOGRAPHER

Prior to starting her part time photography career five years ago, Elma worked in an office in the Human Resource sector for most of her working career. With the prospect of turning fifty, she was looking at ways to reinvent herself and pursue new opportunities, as she no longer found total satisfaction making a living working behind a desk. In her early forties Elma had back surgery and after two years of rehabilitation was fully recovered and able to engage in most of the activities she had participated in, in the past. As she was getting back to her life, she was hit by a motor vehicle whilst riding her motorcycle, breaking her collarbone and suffering extensive injuries. Her recovery began again. Elma went through a difficult period as this time, where she struggled to find the motivation for healing; but like her role models Frida Kahlo and Peggy Guggenheim, she didn't give up. Art, travel and new opportunities made a way for a fresh new discovery of passion and adventure. “My passions include art, photography, travel, riding my motorcycle and fashion. I live in Chelsea, Victoria, a bayside suburb

and my home is a few doors from the beach. I take every opportunity to be outdoors, near the water and in nature. I am always looking at unique ways of combining my passions.” Unexpectedly, this year Elma received a call from Silverfox Management - a modeling agency, who have just signed her as a classic, mature age model, something she was totally unfamiliar with but was willing to give it a try. “I am open to all kinds of new adventures”. And indeed she is. Two years ago she swam with whales at the Great Barrier Reef- a rare experience. She rode her motorcycle around Tasmania with just a backpack and camera. Last year she camped in the Alpine National Park, reaching places only possible by four wheel drive, camping under the stars in a swag and trekked around the mountains. Most recently Elma traveled to Cuba and Mexico. “We flew to Cuba to explore the island before the country changes too quickly following the lifting of the embargo. We wanted to experience a unique place where

time has stopped - not much has changed since the revolution. On our way home we stopped in Mexico City for a few days to experience the Day of the Dead celebrations and explore the city. I always make a point of visiting the museums or galleries, as it gives me a unique insight into the country and its history. My main goal in Mexico was to visit the Frida Kahlo Museum. Like Peggy Guggenheim, Frida Kahlo too, is my role model and the two act as inspiration for me. They are both very strong female characters who are both adventurous and successful in their own right, despite their personal tragedies and pain. By visiting these places, I explore the profound connection between creativity and place which provides me with further inspiration to live a creative life and create my personal space at home.” “If someone asked me what has been my best investment, my response would be travel and art. These two things enrich my life in many ways. Each place I visit brings a new experience, a profound awareness of a new culture or place.”

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Mexico City â&#x20AC;&#x201C; On the streets of Mexico

Clenfuegos Cuba - A new dawnâ&#x20AC;Śa new era

Museo Frida Kahlo - Her Blue House she shared with Diego is full of art and love. Very inspiring

Old Havana - Music and dance to be heard and seen everywhere in the streets of Havana

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Venta del Quijote: a restored inn decorated in a rustic style with white walls and blue wood finish. A special restaurant serving traditional dishes in the heart of LaMancha .

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Self Portrait on a rooftop in Mexico, always scouting for great vantage points for photography and enjoying the city views.

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After growing up spending summer by the lake or at the seaside Polish born Agata Bogusz was always destined for life in the water. But it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until a scuba trip in Egypt in 2008 that she discovered freediving. The Polish record holder is now based in Bali, with a mission to share the benefits of freediving with others.

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The Art of

FREEDIVING INTERVIEW BY ASHLEIGH MILLS PHOTOGRAPHY BY: IRENA STANGIERSKA

ave you always loved the water? I was always in the water from early childhood. My father was a member of a scubadiving club and it was a tradition to go to with him to the pool on Wednesdays and Saturdays. On these days I was playing a lot in the water with my brother and father. We were always holding our breath, having fun and diving in the deeper part of the pool. I remember crossing my legs and pretending I had a tail. How did you discover freediving? I started scuba diving around the age of 19 and loved it immediately. I did my level one and level two and then started technical diving because I really wanted to go deep. Technical diving is decompression diving with different mixes of gasses that allow you to stay longer and dive at a greater depth. I was training with the Polish record holder which brought me to Egypt to train for a month in 2008. During this trip, I met a guy who was freediving. He took me out for a session, and I thought it was easy. In just a few sessions I got to a depth of 30 meters which was the Polish National record and convinced me to train properly. After a year of training I re-set three Polish records in Dahab. What did those first few dives feel like? The first time I got to 24 meters, I panicked because I was not used to the pressure on my lungs. I barely made it back to the surface and saw stars in front of my eyes. I thought to myself “I am done, I am not doing this again”. Then the next day I went deeper and deeper and as I relaxed more, all those feelings

disappeared. How did you get women in Poland interested in freediving? After completing in Dahab in 2009, I realised that I wanted to teach. My idea from the start was to bring freediving to more women. At the time, freediving was not popular at all in Poland. When I went in the Polish Championship there was just me and one other Polish girl competing - the rest were men. It is not any fun to win when there are so few competing! So in 2010 I completed my instructor courses and started teaching. I organised a women’s freediving weekend for free, teaching basic skills and how to have fun under the water. There are still more men than women competing these days but because of the women’s weekends, we discovered more female national record holders. What do you say to people who say that freediving is scary? I think the fear of holding your breath can be both the same for men and women. The individual reasons that people are scared of freediving vary. Some people may have experienced a trauma from childhood and that is why they are scared. Others are just tense in general, and they need to learn how to relax. Freediving is a lot of mental work. You need to bring the connection back between your mind and your body and learn how to understand and manage them both. How do you calm your nerves especially before a competition? For me, the response my body has when I freedive, now works automatically. In stressful situations, I imagine that I am starting a dive and I am breathing up on the buoy. Suddenly all the pressure is gone

from my body. You need a lot of training to encourage this automatic reaction to stress. In the beginning of training, I encourage students to focus on their breath and try to release the tension from the places that they feel it in their body. Before a competition, I visualise the whole dive in details. I go through each stage of a dive, looking at the easier phase when I feel relaxed then the next phase when I have contractions and lastly the hardest phase when I have to push. I visualise dealing with obstacles at each point of the dive and how I am going to overcome them. What is next for you? I want to go deeper and continue competing but I don’t have a number in my head. There has been a huge progression in what people have achieved in the last few years. People are diving deeper and deeper. We are still far from the limit. I’m also interested in studying the connection between using freediving techniques for mindfulness. What do you love most about teaching? It is very emotional for me when I see people cry at the surface. They release all the emotions that they were holding onto and let go of all their tension. It is like they have just come back to their bodies. Sometimes when they come up, you can see in their eyes that they feel exactly the same way I do during the deep dive. They get it. I think to myself “now we have a freediver”. It’s magic. To find out more about Agata, training with her in Bali and attending her next ladies’ discovery freediving camp in May 2017, visit fusionfreedive.com or freediving. bluego.pl/

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Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. - GLORIA STEINEM

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fuelled GET

NOT FOOLED

Fuelling your body for Endurance

The title of this article about fuelling your body to get you through an endurance event may seem a bit lame but I can tell you straight up that even the most experienced athletes at times, get fooled when it comes to optimal performance nutrition. WRITTEN BY; KERITH DUNCANSON PHD FROM GUT FEELINGS

TRAINING PHASE NUTRITION. The first thing to bear in mind when reflecting on exercise nutrition is that up until twenty years ago, the only sports supplement widely available was probably Gatorade. The advent of triathlon and ultraendurance events necessitated the development of easy to consume fuel to eat and drink literally ‘on the run’. That does not mean that most of these supplements are any better than real food and ‘normal’ drinks for fuelling and hydrating. A good old banana, vegemite sandwich and some water are most likely to be just as effective as a few gels and sports drinks! So let’s step through the ‘down to earth, back to basics’ approach to preparing from your first endurance type event.

A few months before the big event is the perfect time to start planning your event nutrition strategy. Many of us place so much emphasis on physical training that we overlook nutrition ‘practice’ in preparation for an event. Improving your nutrition can be a cost-effective, painless and enjoyable way to ensure that your best performances are not left behind on the ‘training track’. Here are 10 tips for getting your training nutrition on the right track. 1. Balance a little ‘carbs’ with enough protein in most meals to replenish and feel satisfied. 2. If you are not planning a meal soon after training, have a small carb and protein snack (like a milk drink, yoghurt or a few crackers with nut paste) as this is the ‘glycogen window’ through which infection can slip in if you let it. 3. For ideal effect, use sports drinks or gels with water during long runs, approximately ONCE A WEEK in the month prior to your main event if you plan to use them. 4. You need to be sure that you are consuming plenty (say 500ml) of water per hour to prepare your bladder for having that amount of fluid on board; you may find it difficult to start

with. Check your weight before and after a big session to see whether you are consuming enough fluids (to keep weight the same). 5. If you can find out the drink being supplied during your event, use that if possible. 6. Avoid sports drinks with fructose as one of the main carbohydrate sources if you are susceptible to gut pain or cramping. 7. Continue doing some longish training sessions (up to 90 minutes) without the use of sports drinks or gels, despite what the sports supplement propaganda states. Depleting carbohydrate stores and switching to fat burning is an important adaptive part of your preparation, called the ‘train low, race high’ principle. 8. If you are concerned about drinking this much water in training, you may need to be super- aware of fluids in the two days before a long training session. 9. It may also be helpful to increase your salt intake just a little the day before very long training efforts (unless you have blood pressure problems) for fluid balance. 10. Your body really can’t tell the difference between bread, potato, pasta, rice and quinoa! Having a suitable portion (relative to daily activity) of any one of these is recommended as part of your evening meal.

EVENT DAY NUTRITION Start race day with some more water and a small low-fibre carb snack such as white bread toast with honey or low fibre cereal with a dash of milk - both good, quickly absorbed options. If you can’t face food have 500ml of sport drink or a couple of cups of tea with a bit of honey added!

PRE EVENT NUTRITION The key differences between training phase nutrition and your intake during the week leading up to your event are extra fluids, more ‘carbs’, less protein and less fibre. Here are some tips to keep in mind over those final few days.

Plan to have the following during your event:

1. Drink extra fluids (say an additional litre of water per day) and top up with sports drink using a combination of water and sports drink throughout the day.

2. 500ml of diluted sports drink

2. Try to increase carbohydrate to double normal consumption four days prior to the event. 3. Switch to lower fibre carbohydrate options so you can eat more without filling up. 4. Halve your serves of meat, chicken, fish, tofu and legumes to compensate for extra carbs 5. Cut back to 50% of normal vegetable and salad consumption. This will also help alleviate the ‘runners trots’. 6. If you are susceptible to bowel issues in events, avoid fruits that may cause diarrhoea (apples, watermelon, pears, prunes and other dried fruit, fruit juice).

1. A small carbohydrate snack per hour of the event (half a vegemite sandwich, some crackers, a small banana, an apple) along with 500ml of water (ideally) OR 3. Handy snack type ideas to eat along the way for very long events of over 2 hours include dried fruit (if tolerated), fruit puree tubes (the ones for kids lunch boxes), rice crackers, muesli bars (not too high fibre) and of course a few lolly ‘snakes’ or ‘frogs’ to keep the momentum up when the going gets really tough. 4. Gels and sports drinks can be handy additions if you really need to minimise what you carry and are the easiest thing to use, but remember they are not the only or always the best option available. 5. Along with having a celebratory drink or meal (or both), the two nutrition priorities after a big race are rehydration to replace fluids and glycogen replenishment - some ‘carbs’ to refuel muscles with glycogen.

Remember that practicing your nutrition plan can be an important (and very enjoyable) component of your event preparation and also can help to ensure that you get the most out of your body during your next big event. My parting advice is to ‘keep it real’ when it comes to food and fuelling your body before and during your next adventure – give me a fresh piece of fruit or few crackers to munch on over a gel any day!

ABOUT ME.

Kerith Duncanson is a food loving dietitian with particular interests in wellness nutrition, gut health and the sustainability of our food supply. Accredited Practising Dietitian for 24 years, Kerith is an accomplished athlete, mum of three and runs her own business Help Yourself Health Management. www.gutfeelings.com.au

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nour ish GRILLED CORN WITH SPICED CHIVE BUTTER Corn is the perfect summer vegetable ‘finger food’ and sure to result in butter dribbling down your chin. Lightly steamed and finished on the grill or barbecue, then dressed up with loads of spiced chive butter and cheese – so delicious! SERVES 6 NUTRITION V & GF

INGREDIENTS 6 ears of corn, shucked and cut in half 100g butter, softened ¼ tsp poudre de piment d’Espelette (you can use sweet or hot paprika instead) 1/3 cup finely chopped chives ¼ cup (25g) finely grated parmesan sea salt and ground white pepper to taste ¼ cup (25g) finely grated parmesan, extra, and lime wedges, to serve

METHOD 1. Cook the corn in a steamer for 5-7 minutes, until just tender and bright yellow in colour (test with a small sharp knife). Remember it will continue to cook once removed from the steamer so get it out sooner than later. 2. Preheat a large chargrill pan or barbeque on a high heat. Drizzle corn with oil and cook for 4-5 minutes, turning regularly until slightly charred all over. 3. Meanwhile, combine the butter, spice, chives and parmesan and season to taste. 4. Pierce each corn cob with a skewer to use as a handle. Spread the spiced butter over the hot corn, sprinkle with grated cheese and serve with a squeeze of lime.

Poudre de piment d’Espelette

Chives

Literally ‘pepper of Espelette’ in French, otherwise known as Espelette pepper is a hot, dried red chilli powder from the Basque region in Southern France. This unique spice carries a warm fruity flavour and mild chilli heat, making it a versatile addition to savoury dishes, marinades, rubs and seasonings. Available in speciality stores, close substitutes would be paprika, hot paprika, cayenne pepper or Aleppo pepper, depending on the heat of spice required.

Are a perennial plant and member of the onion family, a close relative of garlic, shallots and leeks. With subtle, peppery, garlic flavours, chives grow in bunches of long, narrow green stems with edible purple flowers. They complement baked potatoes and sour cream, or can enhance frittatas, savoury pancakes, omelettes or a potato salad. Rich in calcium, phosphorous, sulphur and folic acid, chives are also high in vitamin A and C.

SPECIAL THANKS ©Jane Grover – Recipe from Jane’s cookbook: Our Delicious Adventure – Recipes and Stories of Food and Travel w: www.janegrover.net

AND THE WINNER IS... A. Robinson from Victoria

WIN NER

Congratulations to the lucky winner of a signed copy of Jane's new cookbook for signing up to our Adventure Lovers Pack.

Travel Play Live magazine www.travelplaylive.com.au

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POTATO AND SAGE GNOCCHI WITH TOMATO AND PANCETTA This is the simplest way to make potato gnocchi, without the need for the tedious process of passing the cooked potato through a sieve or mouli. Bake, peel and mash, then utilise the lightness of spelt flour to create fluffy dough which results in tender gnocchi pieces. SERVES 6 NUTRITION V

METHOD

INGREDIENTS

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C

heat for 3-5 minutes until crispy. Add

6 large potatoes (1.5kg)

fan forced). Scrub the potatoes and

(sebago or desiree are ideal)

the sage leaves and tomatoes and

place on a baking tray. Bake in the

1½ cups (225g) white spelt flour

cook for a further 2 minutes. Add

oven for 1 hour or until flesh is soft and

¾ cup (60g) finely grated parmesan

butter, reduce heat to low and cook

skins are crispy.

for a further 1 minute or until butter is

2. Cool slightly, then cut in half and

golden brown.

scoop out the warm potato into a

7. Cook the gnocchi pieces in

bowl. See the note below about using

batches in the rapidly boiling water

the skins.

for 1 minute. Stir gently to stop them

3. Mash the potato, then mix in the

sticking to the bottom of the pot.

flour, parmesan, sage, garlic, nutmeg,

Once the pieces begin to float to the

salt and egg yolks, with a wooden

surface, remove with a slotted spoon

1 tbsp olive oil

spoon, until a soft dough forms.

and place into a colander to drain.

200g pancetta, finely sliced

4. Knead the dough on a lightly

8. Place the hot gnocchi into the pan

½ cup sage leaves

floured surface for a couple of

of warmed sauce and gently toss to

250g cherry tomatoes

minutes, adding extra flour if required, until smooth. Divide into four even

combine. Serve with freshly grated

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp sage, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, finely grated 1 tsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp sea salt 3 egg yolks extra virgin olive oil, grated parmesan and freshly ground black pepper, to serve The sauce:

pieces. Roll each piece into a long sausage shape about 60cm x 2cm, then cut into 2cm lengths. Use your

Gnocci

thumb to roll each piece gently over

Gnocchi come in a variety of thick, soft dough dumplings that can be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, egg, cheese, breadcrumbs, potato, or other similar ingredients. Today, gnocchi are primarily made with the potato, which has become an Italian tradition. The potato needs to be floury with a minimum degree of water content to produce best results. In Australia, Desiree or Sebago varieties are an ideal choice.

SPECIAL THANKS

a floured fork to form a dent in the back of each one and fork marks on

parmesan and pepper as desired. Note: Cooked potato skins are delicious, eaten warm with a little butter and a sprinkle of sea salt. Gnocchi can be cooked ahead of time. Simply toss the cooked gnocchi

the other side (this creates a textured

in olive oil and place in the fridge or

surface, helping sauces to cling to

freezer until ready to reheat in boiling

cooked gnocchi). Place the gnocchi

water.

pieces onto a tray lined with lightly

V option: Substitute feta for

floured non-stick baking paper.

pancetta. Sprinkle feta over finished

5. Bring a large saucepan of salted

dish.

water to the boil.

GF option: Many people who have

6. In a large frying pan warm the olive

wheat allergies can tolerate spelt flour,

oil, add pancetta and cook on a high

use your own discretion.

©Jane Grover – Recipe from Jane’s cookbook: Our Delicious Adventure – Recipes and Stories of Food and Travel w: www.janegrover.net

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TRAVEL PLAYreLIVE ctory

WOMEN'S ADVENTURE DIRECTORY A network of adventure groups and active individuals dedicated to creating new friendships and helping all women add zest to their lives

MUST DO EVENTS Tick off your bucket list and discover your wilder side with our hand picked recommendations

SOCIAL SCENE All the latest news from our Aussie adventure girls in action

COMPETITIONS AND GIVEAWAYS Winners and grinners

TPL DIRECTORY Look no further for all your adventurous needs & desires

INSTA LOVE TAG US TO SHARE YOUR ADVENTURES @travelplaylivemagazine #travelplaylive

www.travelplaylive.com.au

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SOCIALSCENE SALLY CLEMENTS AT MT BULLER. It's been a huge year for me getting back into adventures, early in 2015 I came off my mtb and smashed up the top of my arm / shoulder. It's been a long road to rebuild confidence and some fitness. So grateful for all the supportive people in my life helping me on the journey back to living a life full of adventures- this pic sunset at Mt Buller.

Hayley Bunting hikes the Larapinta Trail. Mid-year on the Larapinta Trail hike with Bill Playne from 50 Days. 14 days walking SouthNorth and were amazed by the beauty of the 1400 - 2400 million year old landscape, fossilised trees and sea floors, smooth, cool river beds, ancient desert flora and ice-cold water crossings and evenings. Many thanks to the Arrernte people whose land we experienced.

BUCKET LIST ADVENTURES. My first bucket list adventure trip done and dusted, Uluru was magic and I just ticked 5 things off of bucket list in 3 bloody days! 50 & feeling Absolutely Fabulous…I’m turning up for life daily now, removing my comfort zones has allowed room for growth. Many times in my life I've been so scared, but pushing through these fears has brought exhilaration. I think I'd like to keep pushing the boundaries from now on! Big thanks to Travel Play Magazine and the gals in your adventure hub. Rikki Lou Tayler

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SOCIALSCENE CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF WILDNESS From a small group of Sydney trekkers with a dream 10 years ago, Di Westaway, Lisa Marshall and the WWOT team have forged what is now one of Australia’s leading female adventure networks, Wild Women On Top. Recently celebrating their 10th birthday, these ladies encourage us all to embrace nature, tackle life's challenges both big and small, making a difference through the power of adventure.

All takes is a spark! As keen adventurers with a year-long European trip on the horizon daughter Zoë Fahy and her mum Fran recently attended the She Went Wild expo in Sydney excited to hear from the inspiring, adventurous women that were lined up to speak. Morgan Koegel, CEO of the One Girl Charity particularly peaked Zoe’s interest, her little ears listening and her heart connecting. Once home Zoe’s family were signed up as sponsors. Zoë totally inspired and with an interest in social justice also proposed and floated the idea of a fundraiser with her school principal at Darlinghurst Public School and her idea was met with an emphatic YES! From this one spark, the encouragement of others, the generous support of companies, her school, Zoë and her friends are working hard to create change for the girls in Sierra Leone.

TPL CAPE TO CAPE WALK. 7 days, 130km of trekking, 60 knot winds, daily rain and the occasional hail storm didn't even see these ladies flinch. WA’s Cape to Cape is spectacularly ancient, rugged and a must do experience for those ticking their bucket lists of Australia’s best trekking experiences.

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She Went Wild Expo. Our Travel Play Live team were thrilled to partner with She Went Wild to bring together Australia’s first Women’s Adventure Expo in Sydney in November, what a success it was! If there was ever any doubt about the growing women’s adventure interest in Australia, the vibrant atmosphere, dynamic speakers, well attended workshops and exhibits silenced all cynics.

KAREN BERG AND LAURA THURTELL

THE HAPPY WALK After adding another 4,000kms to her solo unaccompanied walk around Australia this year endurance charity walker Terra Lalirra from The Happy Walk is taking a break to escape the wet season. She will return to Central Queensland next year hoping to complete the final leg of her 16,000km lap for Lifeline in Canberra.”

They did it! The Hawkesbury Classic. Great mates Karen Berg and Laura Thurtell ticked this one off their event bucket list. 111k and 10hrs 48 min and now Ladies Veteran 40+ record holders. This event has around 600 paddlers travelling 111 km in moonlight, down the Hawkesbury River from Windsor to Brooklyn. Paddlers, their land crew and hundreds of volunteers converge on the banks of the Hawkesbury River at Windsor on the day of the event to enjoy the now famous camaraderie and spirit of the event.

Jeanette Cheney A quiet moment of reflection watching the water flow by at Trentham Falls, Victoria.

Photo Credit - Traveling Honeybird www.travelinghoneybird.com

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must donts

DISCOVER YOUR WILDER SIDE

eve

Twilight Racing with Pilgrim Sailing.

NOOSA SUMMER SWIM

Type: Sailing Location: Sydney Harbour, Sydney NSW Date: 7 December 2016 - 17 March 2017 (weekly) www.pilgrimsailing.com.au Join the crew on a beautiful 58 foot yacht, either sit back and enjoy the stunning harbour at sunset or help sail the boat. No experience necessary. Pilgrim races twice a week in the twilight yacht races on Wednesdays and Fridays around Sydney Harbour where up to 100 other boats can be competing! A great introduction to sailing in a competitive and safe environment and are a perfect way to de-stress from your day - you'll feel like part of the crew by the end of the race!

Type: Ocean Swim Location: Noosa, Sunshine Coast QLD Date: 11th & 12th February worldseriesswims.com.au/noosa-summer-swim The Noosa Summer Swim is a bucket list event for any keen ocean swimmer in the heart of Noosa. It’s the perfect location for swimmers of all abilities to give ocean swimming a go. The event includes a full weekend program offering everything from junior events to a 5km marathon distance, where seasoned swimmers can push their limits. Join World Series Swims Ambassador Michael Klim for a huge weekend of sun and swims in Noosa, topped off with shopping, surfing or sightseeing in one of the gems of the Sunshine Coast.

SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP Type: Obstacle Racing Location: Bago Vinyards, Wauchope, NSW Date: 20 May 2017 Ok sweetheart, pack away your laptop, your gadgets and designer gear. It's time to go BUSH! Challenge yourself both physically and mentally whilst you get down and dirty. Suck it Up Buttercup is not about the fastest time, it’s about having a good time!

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ULTRA-TRAIL AUSTRALIA Type: Trail Running Location: Katoomba, New South Wales Date: 18th - 21st May 2017 www.ultratrailaustralia.com.au This whole weekend is such a well orchestrated event. From the 22km on the Friday to the finish of the 100km on the Sunday, its a credit to the AROC organisation and it’s no wonder it sells out so quick! Everything has been thought of for entrants and spectators alike, the new kids activities, and the expo all great additions to this awesome weekend. The events are awe-inspiring and the finish line is always packed with celebrations. Cross the finish line t with this great atmosphere, you'll be hooked on trail love forever and looking forward to the next year !

NAVSHIELD Type: Navigation Location: Destination announced 2 weeks prior to event. Date: 24th & 25th June 2017 www.bwrs.org.au Every year the Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad organises and runs the NSW Emergency Services Wilderness Navigation Shield. The event, acknowledged as an important training event for the NSW emergency services, tests participants bush and compass navigation abilities in an overnight event through 100 square kms of wilderness terrain a few hours drive from Sydney. There is also an easier one-day event. A great opportunity to build your navigation skills in a safe, friendly and multi-service environment.

The Women’s Adventure Race Type: Adventure Location: Lilydale Lake Park (40 km east of Melbourne CBD) Date: 16th April 2017 www.womensadventurerace.com.au/event Are you afraid that adventure racing might be too extreme, too hard and perhaps not for you? Not anymore! Women’s Adventure Race is designed to create a beginner friendly environment to introduce more girls to adventure racing, encourage and support this journey. Call your friends, get your team together. Mums how about racing with your daughter? (Minimum age 10) All you need is very basic level of fitness (approximate distance is under 4km for the run/trek, under 10 km for the mountain bike and under 2 km for the kayaking leg), a bike (commuter style will do), female teammate, a readiness to try something slightly different and have lots of fun.

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The

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WRITTEN BY; SPUTNIK

It seems these days there’s a catchy sound bite for just about everything gender related with plenty of us being accused of ‘body shaming’, being ‘misogynist’, of ‘mansplaining’ - hell, I hope my writing that doesn’t make me guilty of it - or just being a bit of a good old fashioned, run of the mill ‘sexist bastard’. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying any of those things are OK but I am saying I’m not entirely sure where the line is anymore. For the main part, you’ll simply have to forgive me for being a man. Except for a brief time during the 80s, I’ve been one all my life and as much as I’ve tried to move with the times and know that it’s no longer OK to say things like “he runs like a girl”, there are times when I’m pretty clueless about what I can and can’t say anymore. It feels a bit like any time I open my mouth, which is often, I have to double, triple and even quadruple check what I say for fear of offending someone, regardless of how good my intentions are. At last count, there were a grand total of about nine words left in the dictionary that I can still use unchecked. No, wait, eight. Possibly seven. I should explain (ie mansplain). I am making light of something that in many respects is, of course, a serious issue. It’s never OK to discriminate, put people down or ever treat anyone anything less than the awesome human beings they are. While I’m 100% on board with that, I do see it more and more affecting my little outdoor adventure world and I’m so confused. So I’m here to raise the white flag, on behalf

of all well- intentioned men, (all three of us) and beg you to cut us some slack. You see, not so long ago, I was unloading some gear at the She Went Wild Women’s Adventure Expo in Sydney and I was told the volunteers would help me carry some boxes for me. When several women turned up to help, I will admit, I was conflicted. On one hand, I was happy to have help and the women who turned up were strong and capable. On the other, I was brought up to be a gentleman that did not include having women carry my stuff for me. You see where I’m headed with this, right? The same goes when I guide adventure tours. My natural inclination is to offer women a hand… with their luggage, across rickety bridges, over rocky creek beds and all manner of obstacles. I’ll even stand in the water to help them cross without getting wet. And it’s not because I think women are weak or incapable of getting their feet wet. I know full well there’s many, many women out there, most of them in fact, who are faster, tougher, more resilient and resourceful than I’ll ever

be. I just have a lot of years of being told that’s what a gentleman would do. To now be told some of these well- intentioned acts are inappropriate, is tough. Somewhere along the way, some of these things became less gentlemanly and more insulting. I’m not even sure if I’m allowed to open a door for a woman any more. So please, next time you’re walking through a door or across a creek, don’t be offended if someone like me, offers to help. By all means explain what works for you, (explain, mansplain or womansplain - any type of explanation is fine), but don’t crucify us. We’re but simple creatures and sometimes, slow learners. But with a little bit of patience and some gentle guidance, we’ll all get there. Together. [For the record, there will always be a place in society for a true gentleman, good manners and a helping hand. And dito on the getting the women to carry the boxes thing, even I apologised for how heavy ours were, and I’m a chick – editor]

Sputnik is Chief Swashbuckler at the Swashbucklers Club, www.swashbucklersclub.com. A business focused on “celebrating, creating and inspiring the things that make life more awesome”.

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Holiday

MUST READS BY; MELANIE TRETHOWAN

CRUSADER

BY HORSE TO JERUSALEM Tim Severin

‘Nearly 900 years ago, Duke Godfrey de Bouillon set out on the First Crusade - and in our own time, author Tim Severin retraced his steps. The destination: Jerusalem. For more than eight years, Severin followed the historic trail, riding through northern Europe's green countryside and into the heat of the Near East. In the process, he covered more than 2 500 miles by horse, past ruined Crusader settlements and ancient battlefields, over arduous mountain passes, and across Anatolian steppes.’ This book could only be described as an epic read and a perfect example of what happens when obsession and imagination collide. Tim Severin completes detailed research into every

aspect of the Duke’s original journey and sets out to replicate it as closely as possible. He even buys and trains the same type of horse – an Ardennes Heavy Horse – that the Duke would have ridden. The story is a great mix of history, adventure and sheer madness as they ride across a range of countries – sometimes inhospitable and always challenging. Just the sheer logistics of traveling by horse is challenging in our modern world. If you enjoy ancient history, then I would highly recommend this read. I have no desire to replicate their efforts but you have to admire their bravery, guts and sheer determination. Not for the faint-hearted. Publisher: Phoenix Press

SLOW JOURNEY SOUTH:

THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY Rachel Joyce

WALKING TO AFRICA - A YEAR IN FOOTSTEPS Paula Constant

‘Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does. Little differentiates one day from the next. Then one morning a letter arrives, addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl, from a woman he hasn’t heard from in twenty years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye. But before Harold mails off a quick reply, a chance encounter convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person. In his yachting shoes and light coat, Harold Fry embarks on an urgent quest. Determined to walk six hundred miles to the hospice, Harold believes that as long as he walks, Queenie will live.’ A lovely story that really resonated with me so soon after my very own Camino pilgrimage. The author accurately captures the thoughts and feelings, and physical exertions related to

‘When Paula Constant and her husband, Gary, attempt to break away from the conventional 9-to-5 routine, a few weeks lazing in a resort or packed in a tour bus is not what they have in mind. What starts out as an idle daydream to embark on 'a travel to end all travels' turns into something far greater: an epic year-long 5000-kilometre walk from Trafalgar Square in London to Morocco and the threshold of the Sahara Desert. Quite an ambition for an unfit woman who favours sharing cigarettes and a few bottles of wine with friends. But if the sheer arduousness of walking over 25 kilometres a day through the landscapes and cultural labyrinths of France, Spain, Portugal and Morocco - without a support vehicle - is overlooked in her excitement, then so too is the unexpected journey of self-discovery and awakening that lies beyond every bend.’ I am going to have to stop reading these walking books. All they do is to fill me with an urgent wanderlust. Paula and Gary come up with the idea to walk across the Sahara desert. This dream expands and

a long walk, and builds a plausible human story around it. So many of Harold’s experiences echoed mine – the people that moved in and out of my life on a daily basis during the walk, and the little, or lot of their story, that they shared. I also particularly enjoyed how he related to his environment and the varying doubts that overtook him during each day. This is a gentle and touching read. It is not demanding or challenging but sweeps you up and carries you along as he takes step after step. An amazing effort for a first novel and quite a personal experience for me. Highly recommended. Publisher: Penguin

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they finally settle on walking from London to Cape Town! All these dreams and plans are delayed and postponed as they work up the courage to finally put one foot in front of the other and actually start walking. I can’t believe how ill-prepared they were with virtually no training or fitness to speak of, and carrying a pack the size and weight which makes my backpack look like a day pack! I am surprised they even made it out of England let alone across France, Spain, Portugal and on to Morocco. There is so much that resounded with me in this book and Paula’s voice is honest and amusing. An entertaining read for walkers, dreamers and would-be adventurers. Publisher: Bantam

Byron Bay, Wategos Beach Photography By : Elma Gradascevic IG @elmagradphotography

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