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5 WEEKS IN EUROPE – EUROPE TRAVEL ITINERARY

February 16, 2017

In 2014 I embarked on my first relatively long adventure abroad. I spent 5 weeks in Europe, travelling to the countries and cities that really tickled my fancy. The trip was only 5 weeks, so time was quite restrictive. The Contiki style of ‘one day in every...

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Respecting nature = Saving human lives.
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— Regardless of what happens in the future, this beautiful blue marble will be okay 🌏 It was here billions of years before us, and it will be here long after us too. What’s happening right now is not necessarily the Earth breaking down… It’s nature pushing back — fighting against our damaging systems and throwing everything out along the way (including us).
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The Earth will always find a way to survive, but human existence, alongside the survival of ALL other living species, is what’s really at stake 🥺
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Words are makers and breakers of the stories we construct, and during a crisis like this it’s especially important. Capitalism is a practice that’s not inherently tied to being human… We do not need it! It’s putting entire species on the chopping block and if we shout that from the rooftops, maybe (just maybe) it’ll encourage more people to act 🤞🏼
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Indigenous peoples have lived in harmony with the Earth for thousands of years, and still do to this day. We have done it before and we can most certainly do it again.
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We need nature to thrive so that we (and every other living being 🐝🐘🦜) can thrive alongside it too. Use language that gives people no other choice! It IS possible.
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The Earth does not need saving, it needs respecting so that we can save ourselves.
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📍 Dënéndeh Land

Those emu eyes 🧡
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— These beautiful creatures have roamed Australia’s land for around 80 million years… They are the second largest bird in the world standing up to 1.9 meters tall, and the only bird in the world equipped with calf muscles 🤷🏼‍♀️ They have 2 sets of eyelids - one for blinking, and a second for keeping the dust out called a nictitating membrane (kind of like a windscreen wiper).
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Emus are very significant in Aboriginal culture and have many different names such as yankirri, thinawan and dhinawan (depending on the Aboriginal Country)🌞
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This guys name is Albert… He’s a rescue emu at a local wildlife shelter (@emeraldwildlifeshelter) and I’m rather envious of his handsome curls 😍

Here’s a quote that inspired me this week:
— “Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things that you see and everything to do with the way you see them” / Elliott Erwitt
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Taken just an hour from home at @phillipisland, watching the wallabies graze amongst the rising moon 🦘🌙✨

The Maasai Giraffe (with their distinctive pattern as you can see on this hungry baby 🌳🦒) were declared endangered due to their population plummeting by over 50% in the last 30 years…
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This is a reoccurring theme for many wildlife species around the globe, and not only does this affect ecosystems as a whole, it affects us too.
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Being passionate about wildlife conservation (the intersectional/holistic kind) is important for you and I, just as much as it is for the animals themselves.
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When ecosystems collapse, communities suffer along with them. So don’t give up the fight; for the animals, the planet, and the whole of humankind too 🤍

From a moment in Victoria’s High Country; watching the setting moon as the sun began to rise 🌝
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— Australia is most commonly known for its beautiful beaches, and whilst they truly are breathtaking, this country also has so much more to offer... Rich in culture and some incredibly diverse landscapes, I feel lucky to call it home ✨
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📍Jaitmatang Country

Hiding from the blazing sun 🌿
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— This week has been filled with more terrible climate news... If you are feeling helpless, scared, angry or the like, use these feelings as an invitation to mobilize and take action. Now is most definitely not the time to let our fear stall us 💔
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In the end, we are not defending nature… We are nature defending itself, and we need absolutely all hands on deck 🌍
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I hope that this kangaroo can reconnect you with nature’s beauty, even just for a brief moment 🦘
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📍 Boonwurrung Country

Winter moments 🌈✨
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— I often find myself longing to photograph wildlife in far away places, but all it takes is a brief moment to remind me of the magic that lies on my doorstep…
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If you ask me, I think birds are severely under appreciated - don’t forget to look up 🕊
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📍Boonwurrung Country

I guess magic really does exist 💫
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— I took this photo back in 2016 on my very first digital camera. I had never taken a photo of the night sky, let alone even switched my camera to manual 🙃 So on the way to Iceland I started googling the best settings to use to capture the aurora, in the hopes that it would light the sky with green and I could savor its magic forever…
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No matter if it were to turn out blurry, all I could have hoped for was that I could create an image that would serve as a cherished memory, and I think I did exactly that 🙏🏼
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I’m forever grateful for how my photography journey began; it has been a beautiful ride 💚✨

Hold on to hope ✨
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The ocean was on fire. New coal mines and oil fields continue to be approved. 1.2 BILLION people are at risk of displacement from the climate crisis. The systems that are oppressing nature are the same systems that are oppressing people. Wildlife and insect numbers are still plummeting at drastic rates. Many governments continue to take zero action…
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But when the weight of the world feels heavy on your shoulders, don’t forget to focus on the things you CAN control. Remember, hope inspires action and action inspires hope 🤍
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— Sign petitions, contact your government representatives, talk about this beautiful planet and spread it far and wide. The world can look incredibly bleak at times, but it only takes 3.5% of the population to influence meaningful systemic change…
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So rally your friends like this herd (or dazzle) of zebras and hold tightly on to hope 🙏🏼

I’ve always found it so interesting how the moon phases affect nature in its many forms — triggering the mass spawning of coral, acting as a compass for migrating birds and traveling dung beetles, pulling on the moisture in the soil that encourages plants to grow… 🌱
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Predators attack more during the week after the full moon, and more animals are killed by road traffic during the waning gibbous phase 🌖
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Understanding Earth’s relationship with the distant moon is a never ending discovery, and that’s okay with me 🌙✨

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