Glengarry Bush Maze

During my research, I discovered that there was a bush maze in Glengarry. It is a bit of a novelty and, as I had never participated in one, I thought it would be good to tick it off my Things I've Never Done list. I had planned to take it a little slow that day as my quads were still so sore.

Quick stop to see the opium poppy fields. The farms in Tasmania produce around 50% of the world's (licit) supply!

So pretty!

Waterfalls in Tasmania

The day after Cradle Mountain was painful. The hike to the summit was honestly the hardest hike that I had ever done and it was reflected in how sore my muscles (especially my quads) were. I woke up early from my campground (where I was the only person there...) and drove to one of the tallest waterfalls in Tasmania, Montzeuma Falls. There is a bit of conflicting information about whether or not it is the tallest at a height of 104m. Unlike the previous day, it was a very grey morning and drizzled for most of the drive there. I hadn't done enough research and didn't realise that the walk to and from the carpark would entail a 3 hour return walk. Yikes. Despite how sore I was I ended up walking to the falls, encouraged by the sign that marked the walk as easy. It definitely was easy.

Haul: MooGoo Skincare Products

A bit of a different post! A few weeks ago, I was researching serums / oils to incorporate into my skincare. For those who have tried to research products online, it is completely overwhelming! There are so many products out there and of course, every product works differently for each person. I have normal / dry skin and my biggest concern (aside from wrinkles) is darkness particularly around my eyes.

I wear make up almost every day and a large part of it is due to the fact that it evens out my complexion. I have a lot of freckles which I have grown to ... tolerate. Honestly, I don't really care that I do have freckles except for the fact that without make up, my skin never looks clear even if I don't have breakouts. Ultimately, freckles make my face look ruddy and no they are not cute, they are only cute when there is a light smattering across the nosebridge and cheeks (look on Youtube for all those ridiculous 'How to Fake Freckles' tutorials). Laser for my freckles is a possible course of action and in the meantime, I wanted to address the darkness around my eyes. Cue researching new eye creams on Reddit and then I stumbled upon a recommendation of Moogoo for their Vitamin C oil. Shortly after I then made a purchase online.

I purchased the MooGoo super Vitamin C Serum $34.90 AUD.

Product Description
This serum is based around an oil soluble form of Vitamin C called "Abscobyl Tetraisopalmitate" or VCIP. Most forms of Vitamin C are water soluble. Because the skin is protected by a layer of oil, this means that water soluble Vitamin C does not penetrate well. However our Vitamin C dissolves in oil and so can be absorbed deeper into the skin.

VCIP at this concentration is especially good for pigmentation and sun damage. For this reason, we recommend it pigmentation around the eye area or other areas of the face where pigmentation is a problem

I also purchased the Tamanu Oil ($15.90 AUD) which I had briefly been researching last year when I was trying to find a product to help with acne scarring.

Product Description
Tamanu Oil is now becoming famous for its anti-ageing benefits abased on promotion of new skin and its assistance in repair. Ideal for acne, acne scarring and wound soothing. It is best applied in the evening or under a moisturiser.

They also kindly provided two samples: anti aging cream and small sample of the tinted moisturiser. I will start using the Vitamin C oil shortly and maybe I will write a follow up about my thoughts in a few months time.

Tasmania: Cradle Mountain

Cradle Mountain is 1545m above sea level and is the fifth highest mountain in Tasmania. There are a few day walks in the national park however I intended to walk to the summit and back. This equated to a 13km hike and recommended time of 6.5hrs.




Christmas Day in Australia

Tasmania: Launceston & Devonport

Launceston was my first stop in Tasmania and I had intended it to be a short visit solely for the purpose of getting groceries for my week long trip. I briefly went to Cataract Gorge however as the weather was sweltering, I only managed to do the short walk to the bridge and back to the main area.

Tasmania, Australia

Tasmania was the last remaining state in Australia that I had not visited. I had been wanting to visit for many years now and back in March, I decided to finally visit during the first week of my office closure from 24th December to 31st December. Sadly, my trip did not go as planned and the map below is where I wanted to go and where I ended up going.

Red is where I did go and the blue is where I was planning on going but sadly didn't make it

So what happened: I got into a little car accident and wasn't able to get another car so I went back home early. I am a little bit bummed considering I hadn't seen the best part of Tasmania (arguably) which is the east coast. That being said, I will write about the places that I managed to visit.

Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar is the capital city of Mongolia and is home to 1.3 million inhabitants (almost half of the country's total population). I spent a total of 2 days in the city; 0.5 days when I first arrived and 1.5 days after my 12 day tour ended. From my research, it wasn't recommended to spend more than a few days in the city and in my short period, I believe I had more than enough time to see all that I wanted to see.


Chinggis Khan

2016 Reflection

2016 has quickly come and gone. The year always seemed to go so slowly back in my schooling days however each year, it seems to go by faster and faster. I am not one to really set goals at the beginning of the new year and thus I cannot accurately say whether or not I have achieved what I had set out.

Looking back on 2016

Upon reflection of 2016, it has been a busy year. I travelled a fair bit; I went on one big trip to Mongolia and went on a few smaller ones throughout the year during my long weekends. I successfully completed #take12trips quite easily.

01. Ingleburn
02. Warragamba Dam 
03. Wollongong
04. Riverina Roadtrip
05. Port Stephens
06. Wollongong & Helensburgh
07. Blue Mountains
08. Capertee Valley & Hill End 
09. Mongolia
10. Ettalong 
11. Victoria Roadtrip
12. Wattamolla

I finally properly visited and photographed canola fields which is something that has been on my mind for numerous years now.

I turned 25 this year in December which was a little bit scary; I am now in the mid 20s bracket. Eck! I also realised this year that I have been in a new relationship every year for the past 4 years (....) however I think this time round, I may have found myself a keeper ;P

Professionally, I have learnt so much more about myself however in that area of my life, it has been quite draining and I am a little burnt out. I am glad that I have a two week office closure, although the forced use of 2 weeks of leave when I only have 4 weeks annually is a little painful to swallow.

I also purchased a new camera which was very exciting as I have only ever owned point and shoot cameras. Yes really!

I have successfully completed my reading challenge of reading 60 books this year, follow my Goodreads!

Onto something likely more negative, 2016 has overall been quite a tough year. It definitely has not been the best year financially for me. I had to pay a $433 fine for accidentally running through a red light; I can only blame myself, it was one of those trippy two sets of lights close to together and the first was green and second was red and I wasn't paying enough attention. On my trip to Melbourne, I ended up forking around $250 due to flight cancellation and accommodation. And only two days ago, I had to cut my Tasmania trip short because I accidentally crashed my car, no replacement cars were available and I incurred around $1500 overall for the damage, having to buy a new flight, accommodation, etc. What a way to end the year especially since I had been looking forward to this trip since March.

Looking forward to 2017

I want to take it slower in 2017. My opinion may change when the time arises, but I want to take less trips. I won't be completing #take12trips, however I am sure that I will end up taking that many as a minimum considering my nature. I did not strain myself this year to meet the goal, however I thought it became a little redundant around halfway through the year. I think I need to become more in tune with myself and to slow down when I am becoming burnt out; remembering to take some time to relax and do nothing. Doing nothing is a foreign concept to me however it is valuable. However, I am planning on going overseas on a trip to Vietnam and Thailand in August; that will be my big trip for 2017.

As a consequence of travelling less, I will invariably end up saving more. I have never been one to save to travel, but more save to save and using some of my savings to travel. That is why, despite having a budget for my trips, I can easily blow out my budget without too much of a worry. I suppose I am getting to the age where having savings is becoming increasingly more important. Luckily, I have always been a saver so the mindset is already there. It is a fickle thing; like a lot of people, I do want to get into the property market. However 2017 will not be the year. I will not lament about all those issues and hurdles that are constantly brought up in the news. Simply put, the time is not right for me.

What is one thing you are wanting to achieve in 2017?