| After surviving one of the hottest
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| | Melbourne before boarding the ship once
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| summers of my life, with regular
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| | more to cross Bass Strait. I am not
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| temperatures of over 100f, I decided that
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| | certain who was more excited about the
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| South Australia was not fit for this
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| | prospect of being Tasmania bound, myself
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| particular human's habitation. I needed
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| | or Margie. Both stood with mouths agape
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| somewhere cooler, and more scenic.
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| | as we caught first sight of the land from
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| (Adelaide is basically flat, and, in my
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| | aboard the ship, eager to make landfall
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| opinion, best seen on a day trip).
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| | and begin the search for a new domicile
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| I had always wanted to visit Tasmania,
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| | and the new experiences that awaited us.
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| having heard a lot about it from friends,
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| | If there was ever any doubt in my mind
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| and seen many photographs that
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| | as to the validity of my memories of the
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| demonstrated a place of immense beauty
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| | beauty and grandeur of the Tasmanian
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| and diversity. Plenty of mountains,
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| | countryside, the drive south dispelled
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| lakes, trees, and rainforest. This was my
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| | them. As soon as we got out onto the open
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| kind of place.
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| | road I fell in love all over again with
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| Around this time, in 1996, major things
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| | the magnificence that I saw. Each corner
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| were happening to put Tasmania in the
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| | of the road forced my jaw to sag a little
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| international news on a daily basis. Some
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| | lower as I soaked up the beauty that
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| crazy had lost it and gone on a killing
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| | surrounded me, in what I knew was to be
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| spree in one of the major tourist
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| | our new home for a very long time to
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| centres. While most people anguished over
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| | come.
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| the tragedy I was awe struck by the
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| | We decided to take a side road from the
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| scenery the images regularly broadcast
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| | main highway and head out to Richmond, a
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| over television showed me. A tragedy, for
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| | quaint and very historical village east
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| sure, but what a place it happened in. I
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| | of Hobart. It was in the surrounding area
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| made my mind up that I had put it off way
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| | of this locale that I had hoped we would
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| too long, it was now or never.
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| | be able to locate a house to live in
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| My partner of the time, and I, packed
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| | whilst we got our footing in Tasmania.
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| our house up, sent the boxes to a
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| | One phone call, and we had located a
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| removals company for storage and began a
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| | nice, isolated, mountain top home, set in
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| trek to this remote southern land. We had
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| | natural bush. Surrounded by the sounds of
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| no idea where we were going, nor how we
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| | nothing other than the wind and bird
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| would manage to find a new house to live
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| | song. It was perfect, and more than
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| in, we simply knew that this was the
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| | either of us could have hoped for on this
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| place for us.
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| | first day in our new homeland.
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| After visiting my family on the east
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| | We spent 18 months in that location, day
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| coast of the mainland, and spending a
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| | tripping to various locations around
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| little time in Melbourne, we finally
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| | Tasmania, falling in love over and over
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| boarded the ship that would transport us
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| | again with a land that is truly unique on
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| to this penal colony that was Tasmania of
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| | the earth, and one which every person
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| old. I will never forget my first images
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| | should visit at least once in their life.
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| of the island. Out on deck, just on
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| | Returning to Tasmania has been the
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| sunrise, the light still filtered with
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| | fulfillment of a long held yearning for
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| the sun not quite awake yet, I saw a
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| | me. It is a journey that I could not be
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| rugged coastline, nothing appeared flat,
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| | happier to have made, and one that has
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| it was as though this was the land where
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| | brought a great degree of richness and
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| nature had let loose her fury and thrown
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| | satisfaction to my life. It is so very
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| things up in a random manner. In short,
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| | nice to be home.
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| it was one of the most beautiful
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| | When day tripping was not enough, and it
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| coastlines I had ever seen. I knew, then
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| | never is in order to explore this land,
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| and there, that this was the kind of
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| | the real journey began. Three months on
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| place I had been searching for, this was
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| | the road, living out of a tent, with no
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| my kind of terrain.
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| | set itinerary, simply a desire to
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| We landed in Devonport and boarded a bus
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| | explore.
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| to take us down south to Hobart, the
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| | The house we had found was perfect for
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| capital. As we journeyed south, through
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| | us.... that was until the owners decided
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| the midlands and historical townships, my
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| | they were going to break up their
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| sense of awe grew beyond belief. Every
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| | marriage and sell the house. Our home was
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| corner produced a new vista to excite the
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| | situated on the same block as where they
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| senses, my jaw constantly dropped open as
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| | lived, so we had regular contact with
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| I gazed upon the natural beauty that
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| | them both. To begin with, there were no
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| filled every moment of that trip.
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| | real problems, and we had begun to look
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| A week after landing in Hobart we
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| | around for somewhere to move. Being
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| located a quaint cottage with a private
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| | pretty fussy about it though, and nothing
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| beach, a little to the east of the main
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| | was turning up.
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| city. A rural and peaceful setting with
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| | As time passed, and very few people
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| water as our backyard and a mountain
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| | showed any interest in buying the
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| rising from the front. Water and
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| | property, the owners started getting
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| mountains I have always had an affinity
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| | desperate. Although their marriage was
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| for, to me, this was heaven. It did not
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| | over, they continued to live together,
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| matter that we were around 7k/m from the
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| | and this no doubt created its own brand
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| nearest store and without a car, I simply
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| | of stress upon them. Soon they became the
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| had to take this house.
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| | landlords from hell, and stress was
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| For me, it was perfect and idyllic, the
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| | building all around. Our health and work
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| nicest and most relaxing location I had
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| | were beginning to suffer, we could not
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| ever lived in. My partner found the
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| | relax at home, and worried about
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| isolation too much to bear and soon
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| | potential damage whilst away. Life was
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| announced she was leaving to find more
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| | getting ridiculous.
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| populated locations. Life is like that,
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| | Things had to change, and change fast.
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| and we each must seek what we need for
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| | We could not continue to live the way
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| ourselves, I remained in my hideaway, she
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| | things were going, and there was no sign
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| moved to a township nearby.
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| | of improvement on the horizon. We were
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| After 6 months of enjoying the beauty of
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| | sitting in our car one day, and I looked
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| the region I had settled into I was
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| | down at the floor in front of me,
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| forced to return to the mainland.
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| | noticing the guide to campsites around
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| Reluctantly I returned to the smog of
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| | Tasmania. I looked at Margie, and
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| Sydney and work. My uppermost thoughts
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| | said..."I have a solution to our
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| being on the beauty and serenity of the
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| | problem". I followed up with the idea of
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| Tasmanian landscape and lifestyle, vowing
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| | packing our belongings away, putting them
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| to return as soon as I possibly could.
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| | into storage, for an unspecified time,
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| 2004 was a turbulent year for me, loads
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| | and simply driving around the state,
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| of stress through the kind of work I was
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| | exploring Tasmania in a tent, for as long
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| doing, living a hectic lifestyle,
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| | as it took to get rid of the stress, and
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| virtually in the centre of Sydney, the
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| | begin to enjoy life again.
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| smog capital of Australia. I had taken
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| | Whilst most people would have reacted
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| way too much on board and needed to get
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| | with some degree of shock at such a
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| away. Reducing my workload to a single
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| | suggestion, Margie has a sense of
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| major project involving civil liberties
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| | adventure, and a strong desire to seek
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| and social activism I left the partner I
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| | new things. She agreed readily. 3 days
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| was with at the time and moved to the
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| | later we were busy packing and arranging
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| mountains west of Sydney.
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| | storage. 5 days later we hit the road.
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| The project I had undertaken was shaky,
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| | The feeling of relief was immediate, but
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| a small team persevering against public
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| | we still needed to get some time out
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| ignorance and resistance to change. It
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| | before it would vanish entirely.
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| was challenging though, and stretched my
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| | You will find the descriptions of the
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| abilities to their limits. During the
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| | places we camped by looking in our
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| time I was working on this project Margie
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| | community forums, under the "Places To
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| came into my life, an interesting person
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| | Pitch Your Tent" section. I will
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| with an openness to new ideas and
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| | basically gloss over the finer details of
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| potentials rarely found. By the end of
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| | the locations here, and focus on the
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| the year she had settled into my mountain
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| | stories behind the journey, and the many
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| home and life was taking interesting
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| | changes we experienced as we traveled.
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| twists and turns.
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| | This is the "inside dope" on our life
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| Early in 2005 it became clear that the
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| | during the period we refer to as "The
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| opposition we faced in the project I was
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| | Journey".
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| working on was far too great. It was
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| | Not exactly wealthy, we did not have
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| going to take a long term commitment that
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| | much left over after covering the costs
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| promised no results in the foreseeable
| |
| | for storage and getting a few things
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| future. We decided it was time for a
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| | together for the planned trip. We needed
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| change, and where better to make that
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| | to wait for payday, and that was still 3
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| change than Tasmania. Margie had never
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| | days away. A few nights spent in
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| been there before, but had heard enough
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| | different locations around Hobart saw us
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| about it to have a desire to explore the
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| | through though. After getting paid, we
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| environment. Her willingness to explore
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| | updated our camping gear (getting what we
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| new places and desire for adventure took
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| | thought we would need) and headed for
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| over and we soon found ourselves reducing
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| | campsite number 1...as far south as we
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| our possessions to only that which would
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| | could possibly get, and into isolated
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| fit in the car before driving off for new
| |
| | lands, away from the landlords from hell,
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| places and experiences.
| |
| | and our problems of city living.
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| It was a long drive from Sydney to
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| |
|
