Hi there! My name is Jade — explorer of quiet corners & local secrets, the author behind this Melbourne travel blog about hidden places. I’m just an everyday, ordinary human — living west of Melbourne, Australia, and loving every minute of exploring the city’s hidden gems with awe and wandering.
I’ve got two grown kids, a fiancé, and a full-time job in IT. Life gets busy, but when I get a chance, I love discovering the kind of places most people drive right past.
Who am I, really?
I’m shy and introverted, which explains why I have very few friends. All the ones I do have I met online, though I have met a few of those in person now. I would probably describe myself as a lot quirky and unconventional, and undeniably kinda nerdy.
I am also very prone to clumsiness. A friend of mine claims I’m the unluckiest person he knows. When we first met he thought I was exaggerating. He now believes I somehow used my lifetime supply of it in my early years, ran it into the negatives and am now paying off the debt with interest. It’s one theory I guess.
My ability to experience downright weird disasters is unparalleled. Example: my very first school trip was to an island. Long story short, a bird stole my bag and I was with nothing but my bathing suit. Doesn’t sound so bad until I mention the trip home included a trip to the cinema. I was freezing! I don’t think I ever fully recovered- I’m ALWAYS cold!
When I’m not working/studying, or exploring, you can usually find me snuggled up binge watching something on TV. (Please send recommendations, I keep running out of stuff to watch). Or I’ll be missing the hobbies I just don’t do enough of anymore, like dancing or paint by number kits. For some reason, the urge to finish the painting I started over a year ago seems to hit at 3 am. I have about a 100 unread books in my kindle app, and a good dozen or so unopened puzzles. I’ll get around to them, eventually.
Awe and Wandering: A bit about my travel story
I spent most of my childhood moving around a LOT, living throughout different places in Queensland. As an adult, I eventually settled into the far north for 12 years and had a very rewarding career. I think most people would agree that 2020 wasn’t a pleasant year, and I was no exception. So at the end of the year I did the opposite of what everyone else was doing. I packed up and left one of the few places in the world that had remained relatively untouched by covid.
I packed everything that would fit into my car and drove down to Melbourne. Yes, the city people were fleeing and now holds the world record for having the longest lock down. I left education behind and started a new career working as an IT consultant, which I love. It probably wasn’t the best time for a cross-country move and a career change though. I told you, unconventional.
I had visited Melbourne briefly a few times before, and loved the place. Moving here, lock down and all, has done nothing to change that (although I DO miss the weather come winter!). As an adult I have travelled a little, mostly within the eastern states of Australia. I have been to the USA a few times, each time vastly different and I’ve enjoyed it each time. My number 1 location I want to visit would have to be Patagonia.
Why Local?
My list of places I want to visit covers most of the planet and just keeps growing. If I could retire right now and spend the rest of my life travelling around the world, I’d do it. My kids haven’t quite left the nest yet, and my fiance can’t handle more than 4 hours on a plane, so unfortunately that time isn’t here just yet.
So for now I’m contenting myself with exploring what’s right here in front of me, and preparing for bigger adventures later. Read that as trying to save enough money to afford it all. As I’m sure many of you are also experiencing, my bank account has developed an identity disorder. It now believes it is an onion. Why an onion? Because it cries whenever I start researching trips. I love looking at other people’s blogs and reading about their trips, so I figured why not start my own? I’ll expand slowly over time!
If you’ve made it this far, good job for sticking with me! You can read more about why I started this blog here. I hope you’ll follow along for the journey and discover your own quiet corners with awe and wandering.
And I promise to give you a popcorn warning when I have a good disaster story to share!
