In the application cover letter for my current job, I facetiously said Sydney was the best city in Australia but if they took a New South Welshman aside they’d admit Queensland’s beaches are some of Australia’s best and they happily holiday above the border at any opportunity. It was a way of retaining my blue dignity in the chance I got the role and had to move into maroon territory. It seems my backhanded compliment was received well and four months later I’ve sunk my toes in at least 15 of Queensland’s beaches.
The verdict? Australia (not just Queensland) is beautiful and I’m proud to live in this land of sweeping plains, ragged mountain ranges, droughts and flooding rains. I cherish the far horizons and her jewel sea.
But after 20+ years of New South Wales coastline and inland regions, I’ve enjoyed familiarising myself with the Goldie, Brissie, Straddie, Sunny and Bundy. It seems Queenslanders like their abbrevs as much as their southern neighbours. Queensland is a big place and I’m keen to keep exploring however long this sunscreen dependant and beaded upper lip adventure lasts.
A few months ago the sun woke me at an ungodly hour. Usually cursing the early northern sunrise, that morning I sat up from the air mattress atop a catamaran roof and looked out across the coral cay and lagoon. I considered the series of events that led me there. I was being paid to stay on the Great Barrier Reef in order to photograph the crystal waters of Nemo, Squirt and his all his buddies. The end goal being for more people to enjoy hopefully more than I did in my very brief trip. What a huge blessing.
And it goes without saying that each time I look out from the expanse separating the water from water, I consider the work of God’s fingertips and am truly thankful. We have a creator God who blessed us abundantly with a beautiful world to take care of. Despite the curse that now lays across the land, we can continue to take rest from work and enjoy his creation.
This is Queensland, well just a small selection of snapshots from Southeast Queensland. It seems it’s a whole larger than I realised!
