Comfort Zones

I thought that I had left the wet season behind in Darwin for a moment to have some summer sunshine in south east Queensland.  It hasn't rained all the time I have been here but.......


Weather aside, I have been taken on a quick road trip through this corner of Queensland.  The beautiful green wooded hilly countryside has astonished me.  I had not realised that I had SUCH strong pictures in my mind and preconceptions of what Queensland is like - the coastal belt, green and luscious extending up to the tropical north; the arid flat inland, the home of vast stations - these were the pictures that I associate with this area.


Travelling from the Fraser Coast to inland Dalby was eye opening.  I will admit to panic settling in when we reached the flatness of the Condamine Basin, a stark contrast to the areas around Kingaroy.  I have driven through the centre of Australia (which is not flat, there being hills, undulations, gullies) and enjoyed the 360 degree views that the vastness allows but this area left me nearly hyperventilating with its FLATNESS.  Wow!  


Queensland is taking me out of comfort zones that I did not even know that I had.  Yes, I was born in Tasmania, within the gentle undulating landscape of the north-west where I lived for the first 12 years of my life.  How does this still influence my idea of what the landscape I want to live in should look like? After living in the tropics for 16 years, I would not have thought that the look of Tasmania would still be there in my mind, the green of the hills being like a beacon of comfort tucked away to savour when I am feeling visually challenged by the landscape.


The question I ask myself here is how close together are comfort zones with being in ruts?  Where do we draw the line between staying with what is comfortable and make the decision to challenge ourselves, stretching our imaginations to what is possible, to allow us to grow and experience different emotions, feelings and situations?  Should we take the seemingly easier option of staying with what we are familiar with or choosing the option to extend ourselves beyond our known boundaries?  


I have a feeling that I will take the option of extending myself.


As an aside, the ducks did not want to travel with me on this short road trip.  They must have known about the flatness, lack of water and abundance of flies  in the Dalby area and the huge crowds at the Eumundi Markets which had me refusing to get out of the car and mingle, even though this had been the other destination of the road trip.  I admire the foresight of the ducks for their wanting to stay put in their comfort zone, even while I am coming out of mine!

January 2010 in Queensland

A few weeks ago I would not have believed that I would be spending time in Queensland but here I am, with ducks!  I travelled with Banana Duck as travelling without a duck in my bags somewhere is difficult to contemplate.  Ducks add a dimension to life that may not be appreciated by those who travel through life without one.


I arrived in Brisbane on New Years Eve to go up the coast for two weeks.  While going through Brisbane stopped to have lunch with my eldest sister.  Lovely sitting on her verandah for a while.  And there was a present there from Berenichi, one of my fab nieces.  Introducing Brit Duck to everyone, the first of my Queensland ducks.

Very confidant and self possessed is Brit Duck.   Welcome.

And here is Cushion Duck which was waiting for me when we arrived up the coast later on New Years Eve. Soft and cuddly, Cushion Duck will be a welcome addition to my couch along with turtle cushion who already lives there (lime green and orange, no photo as yet).






Below we have all the Queensland ducks waiting to be grilled, the new ducks not wasting any time for a photo op and horsing around.

Banana Duck and Brit Duck playing at being duck a la orange in waiting.


We did eat duck a la orange on Saturday night so they are pretty close to the mark.


It is raining here, not as much as Darwin is getting at the moment, and I will admit to enjoying not being as hot as I have been in October, November and December in Darwin - humidity was very high and even sitting still I broke out in a sweat.  Queenslanders are saying how hot it is but I know better.