Theme and Purpose
Sometimes when you travel to a place you have been to many times, you might get bored with visiting the same old haunts. We have found if your have a theme and purpose, it adds value to the trip.
Walking in the Golden Valley Tree Park
We learnt this when we were in Asia some 15 years ago, because we had a purpose and themes to our travels. The purpose was to write and take photos for a series of non fiction books for kids about Australia’s Neighbours for Macmillan Education.
The themes were basically the content for the chapters in each book. They were Physical Features, Animals and Plants, People, Religions and Culture, History and Government, Industry and Trade.
We travelled for nearly 6 months throughout Asia exploring and discovering what made all these countries tick. We went to many places that we would have never even thought about if we only stuck with tourist hotspots. That made it both fun, exciting and, I have to say, challenging at times. We learnt heaps about these countries and about ourselves.
Travelling with purpose and themes is not just about big book contracts. We still continue to travel this way, even if only for a few days.
Autumn colours even in the wineries
As Western Australia partially opens up, we got to chose a location for Jane’s birthday. Since it was the last two weeks of autumn and we had been photographing autumn colours in Perth, we continued the theme.
Our location was the Golden Triangle of autumn colours. The Blackwood Valley Tourist Drive incorporates Balingup (where we were staying), Bridgetown and Nannup. It is one area that is cool enough for a wide variety of deciduous trees.
Apple, cheese and onion tart with a locally made cider
Plus businesses were doing it tough during our Covid lockdown, we wanted to support local food producers. So we went with an empty esky and a plan to fill it up direct from the producer or farm gate. We bought cheeses, fresh fruit, chorizo, local wines and local bread and eggs. All were ridiculously fresh and tasty.
Local produce on the deck
Even our choice of food and beverage at a local Blackwood Cidery, was made with local produce in mind. It allowed for interesting conversations and connection with the local producers as we learnt about their businesses. They always seems so passionate about what they do and are very happy to share that passion with you.
Balinga Cabins in Balingup
