I've spent a lot of time in the Australian bush. Not every day of my life but definitely a lot more than most Australians.
That's an assumption on my part, of course, though given that approximately 90% of our population lives within an hour of the coast and much of them within an hour and a half of our major capital cities, we have many more suburbanites than adults like me.
Once upon a time I was a kid who learned how to climb trees early and who had parents who taught me how to do so safely instead of forbidding me from doing such "dangerous" things.
I became a teenager who would climb the tallest accessible tree on our property whenever I needed to escape the dramas of other people. Over time, I became an adult who secretly looked for any excuse to climb a tree, anywhere and not get in trouble for it.
Maybe that's what drove me to become an outdoor guide, to train in abseiling and rock climbing and multi day hiking: it gave me a legitimate excuse to climb things in the outdoors.
In the many, many days and nights I spent working in the Australian bush in my 20's I realised that one of my favourite things was spotting unexpected colours in the so-called "boring bush".
Who called it boring? The young teens from city schools of course š
While working with groups of school kids I found lots of ways to share my love of the outdoors with them. My aim was to turn their mandatory school trip into a positive experience they'd never forget.
One way I did this was by pointing out beautiful unexpected things in the bush. I'd share things that would spark curiosity, wonder and awe.
Or at least, that was my hope. The things I would find with my wide open eyes certainly made me feel that way.
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These were photos taken during a 4km walk we did this morning in a big chunk of lovely Australian bush a short drive from our home south of the Brisbane River.
All photos were taken by me on my (Google Pixel 2XL) phone.
