A Journey Back

“That night – we set our yabby nets and enjoyed a brew of sangria under the glow of a full moon. I might have been staying in a canvas coffin but it felt luxurious.”

Everyone has a place from their childhood that becomes sacred. A place steeped in tradition, a place haunted by childhood memories that can bring comfort just at it’s mention. You can show others and relive moments passed but chances are they won’t understand. Chances are you will see beauty where others see desolation. You will see a wonderland, while others just wonder why they came.

For my dad, that place is the Anabranch. Dad comes here when he wants to get his head right. When he was a kid he used to go to the Anabranch on family holidays. I have heard all about the epic fishing trips and the yabbies as big as beer bottles. He has regaled me with stories about catching goanna’s with his brothers and marathon sessions around the dinner table to shell their latest catch. I have heard how they slept on a tarp under a blanket of stars and how when he grew up and grew a beard…how he brought his mates to binge on beer and shoot at snakes. I have heard all of this but never experienced it for myself. But this time, this visit….I wanted to get my head right and dad knew just where to take me.

Weeks out, dad assured me that the weather would undoubtedly soar into the 40′s right in time for our camping trip. Sure enough it hit 46 degrees celsius (115 degrees fahrenheit) just as we pulled up. I actually love the heat but there is hot and there is walking into an oven. We set up camp…moving slowly and quickly retired to the shade with a cool drink. Our setup was simple. I slept in a camp cot – a type of tent that closely resembles a canvas coffin on legs and dad rolled out a swag in the back of the car. We had a fold out table, two chairs and an esky full of booze. Clearly we had our priorities right.

That night – we set our yabby nets and enjoyed a brew of sangria under the glow of a full moon. I might have been staying in a canvas coffin but it felt luxurious. We managed a decent haul of yabbies and finished the night in style with a cigar or two – both of us agreeing that “this is living”.

I saw the Anabranch through dads eyes. For me, the simplicity and the silence felt like freedom. The night under the stars hanging with my dad…priceless. But thats me. I can see how others would find it boring and oppressive. I guess that’s why its dads sacred space and no one elses.

For me, the value of a destination is more about the memories made, the company with whom it is shared. So glad I got to journey back with my dad and take a peak into his past. It was a reminder that the people of our past live on in our memories forever.

For me…my sacred space or ‘happy place’ as I like to refer to it is Moore Park in QLD. I would love to hear about what my readers think. Where is your happy place? Where do you go to get your head right and what memories are attached? I would love to hear your thoughts…leave a comment below.

Remember to scoot on over to my sidebar and sign up for the newsletter. For daily travel inspiration and plenty of pretty pics…check me out on Instagram: @TemptingAlice.

The post A Journey Back appeared first on Tempting Alice.