Welcome Home
Why Awe & Wandering?
We live on a big, beautiful planet that offers so many things to see and do. There’s no way any one person can manage it all in an entire lifetime, though many try! I love looking at the world with a sense of awe and wandering through spaces. Wondering is good too, but wandering is more fun. It’s all about seeing the stuff and doing the things!
I love seeing places, experiencing cultures, trying new things. Adventures exploring the new and different bring me joy and amazing memories. This page is all about why I started this blog. If you want to know more about me as a human in general, you can find that post here.
Why start a Melbourne hidden gems blog?
I decided to start this blog about Melbourne’s hidden gems to document my local adventures… before expanding to cover my bigger travel goals later on. I know, there’s a million other travel blogs out there, and I love reading them. One of my favourite things to do is plan trips. Sometimes I take them, sometimes they sit in the background just waiting for me to act on it. I used to plan my trips around what others recommended. More often than not, everyone was offering the same advice. It got rather meh after awhile.
You know the stuff. Find a walking tour! Go visit your 600th museum/library/old building! Here’s another garden in the middle of the tourist zone! I’m not saying they’re bad places to go- that is not at all the case. Many of these places are incredible, and they are popular for a reason. By all means, please DO go to them.
But there is MORE than just those places. I go to new places to experience the heart and soul of the place. The people, the culture, the things that are a little different. That’s why I started Awe and Wandering- to share the under the radar spots I stumble upon. I figured I can add a different voice into the mix. Help people go beyond just the obvious places and have an more unique, enriching experience. So I’m starting with my local area while I’m preparing for bigger travels again (aka, saving).
What’s you’ll find
You won’t find me writing about Eureka Skydeck or the Great Ocean Road here. Instead, you’ll discover the lesser-known side of Melbourne and regional Victoria (for now). Forgotten places, abandoned spaces, peaceful nature walks, good vibe cafes and the quirky oddities that I love most. Goofball stories of my misadventures. The odd typo here and there. Like the one in this section’s heading. Not fixing it. I’m human. I make mistakes. We can deal with it. On the same thread, I wont be editing photos. Sure, I’ll crop them a little, or straighten them up if its on a weird angle. But I won’t be messing around with whatever popped into the background or ‘fixing’ the lighting. What you see is what you get. It most likely will not be insta perfect or pinterest pretty. But it will be real.
No crowds. No clichés. Just real places, real stories, and real moments .
You’re in the right place if you’re someone who:
Prefers quiet nature spots to popular landmarks
Loves exploring without spending a fortune
Wants to support small businesses and local makers
Feels more alive in hidden places than tourist hot spots
Whether you’re visiting, newly local, or have been around long enough to be considered part of the furniture, you are welcome here. I hope my blog inspires you to get off the beaten path. Hopefully, you’ll find your own hidden gems through awe and wandering.
Thanks for being here.
