Travels of Shepp

After having been working in Brisbane for three months now, I'm very much looking forward to getting back into backpacker life. Saying that, I have recently been really enjoying the balance of my working holiday. I've been able to continue to earn money for the next leg of my trip whilst also enjoying spending time in Queensland with lots of mates I've made since being here. I feel blessed enough to say I've had the best of both worlds; enjoying the perks that come with living here as well as fun times and travelling. Having a big room and bed to myself, all my stuff being in one place, and eating delicious food every night is a far cry from hostel life, and yet I'm still able to enjoy backpacker life on the weekends, partying with my mates and seeing more of beautiful Queensland. And there's so much to see! I couldn't be happier that the restrictions have eased enough so that we can travel as we please within the state to see gorgeous beaches...

I've got a new tattoo! I'm so buzzing about it so wanted to share with you the story behind it and what it means to me. {Aside: It's so funny cos when people ask me about the reasons behind my tattoos I don't like to say, I guess I find it somewhat invasive? Especially people who don't have tattoos themselves as it feels like they won't get it. I guess I'd rather offer up the information freely.} It's a sunset or sunrise design which I had been sitting on for a while. I wanted something at some point in Australia as a commemoration to my trip. Australia has some of the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises I've ever seen. From watching the sunrise at the Cape Byron Lighthouse, to singing the circle of life to the sunset over the Grampians, these are some of my most treasured moments of my trip so far. Sunrise over Byron Bay was a really special moment for me   Anyone who's ever watched a sunset ...

All my life I've had the desire to truly understand myself. Not change who I am or be someone I'm not, just simply to understand what kind of person I am and be sure of myself. Now, please let me make clear the differentiation between this is the horrible cliche of 'going travelling to find yourself'. I don't understand what this means as it implies that you've been lost your whole life, and going somewhere you've never been that isn't your home will help you find that? Sorry but if you're from Watford, you won't find yourself in Bali hun, all you'll find is the shits and maybe a nice keyring. This always seemed very superficial to me. Just because you got a dodgy tattoo and bought some harem pants does not mean you're enlightened. You'll likely come home to your nice big bed and your hair straighteners and you'll realise you're still the same person that left a year ago. (Fyi- there's nothing wrong with th...

I'm so grateful to be in a country where the covid restrictions are really easing up now. On 1st June travel within the whole state opened back up again, and many restaurants, cafes, shops, and outdoor playgrounds are now open again. Social distancing is still in place and many places are still takeaway only, but hopefully we should be at our new normal by July. So I've been venturing out a little more and seeing friends where I can. Last weekend I saw my amazing friends who I lived with in Melbourne. It was the first time I had seen them since I left St Kilda in February so I was so excited! They are working on a farm in Caboolture, about a 40 min drive from me, which was just a happy accident. This also goes to show how lucky I am to have a car to use in my spare time, as I'm not sure how I'd get out to places like this without it. We piled in the car and drove to Bongaree beach on Bribie Island. It was great weather for the first time in a few days, which made fo...

With the murder of George Floyd, and countless other black people affected by police brutality in the States and beyond in this day and age, it's time for me to talk on here about my white privilege. I've been empowered to do so by many social media influencers and activists (which I'll put a list of at the end of this blog post), but also by a conversation with my friend Charlotte who wrote a fantastic piece on white privilege and uplifting black film makers. I was initially hesitant to write something on this topic as I've always felt it wasn't exactly my place to be chiming in. I absolutely don't want to step on the toes of black creators, filing spaces where I don't belong and ultimately feeding into the 'white saviour' narrative. Additionally, white people are always afraid we will use the wrong term or get it wrong. But that's exactly why these difficult conversations need to be had. This post is part of an open invitation t...