Not a whole lot happened in 2021 either, but I did hit a milestone birthday, made a new friend, went on a plane (yes, you read that correctly!) and had one of the most memorable holidays. So, let’s get into it!
June – The big 3-0!
June marked a pretty big milestone for me… I turned 30!
I celebrated with a small party at home surrounded by close friends and family. Nothing too extravagant, just a lovely little get-together with the people closest to me.
But the celebrations didn’t stop there!
June – Off to Cairns we go!
After celebrating my 30th, it was time for a little getaway! We packed our bags and headed off to Cairns.
Now, let me just say… ME AND FLYING. OMG! So scary! I’m absolutely terrified of heights, so getting on that plane was an experience in itself. 😂
But we made it!
Once we landed, we picked up our hire car, a Holden Equinox, and let me tell you… if I could have kept that car, I absolutely would have! I LOVED driving it. Even though I don’t drive all that often, I just loved the feel of it.
We spent around two weeks staying at a friend’s place (Jeff), exploring Cairns and the surrounding areas. It was honestly one of the most memorable holidays and birthdays I’ve had, spending time away with Matt, my parents, my parents best friends and Matt’s family.
Pictured above – my parents and myself, cutting my birthday (chocolate mud) cake! It was delicious.
We visited so many beautiful places, saw some incredible waterfalls, went on plenty of scenic drives and even made our way up to Port Douglas.
There was quite a bit of exploring, so here’s a little rundown of some of the places we visited!
💥 Australian Armour & Artillery Museum
This was definitely an interesting experience! For the first time in my life, I actually got to fire a gun.
I had the opportunity to do some target practice, and honestly, I didn’t do too badly!
It was such a strange feeling holding and firing a gun for the first time. Definitely not something you do every day!
🌿 Paronella Park
Next up was Paronella Park, located in Mena Creek.
If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a heritage-listed attraction built by José Paronella, surrounded by beautiful tropical gardens, towering trees, waterfalls and natural rock pools.
The grounds cover around five hectares, with thousands of tropical plants and trees. It’s quite an enchanting place, almost like stepping into another world.
Definitely one of the more unique places we visited during our trip.
💎 The Crystal Caves – Atherton
This was another interesting stop!
The Crystal Caves in Atherton is a unique, man-made underground cave filled with an incredible collection of crystals, minerals and fossils.
One of the coolest things about this visit was getting to crack open my very own geode and keep it!
How cool is that? A little souvenir to take home with me. 😁
🦋 Kuranda – Markets, Skyrail & Birdworld
We also made our way to Kuranda!
I got to experience the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, which sounds lovely in theory… until you remember that I’m absolutely terrified of heights. LOL!
Let’s just say I was a little nervous travelling above the rainforest, but it was still an experience I’m glad I got to have.
While we were there, we wandered around the markets and visited Birdworld, where I got to see so many beautiful birds and butterflies.
There was certainly no shortage of things to look at!
And that’s a wrap on Cairns!
Looking back, Cairns was definitely one of the highlights of 2021. Between the beautiful scenery, waterfalls, little road trips, interesting attractions and spending quality time with family, it was such a wonderful couple of weeks away.
I even managed to survive a plane ride AND the Skyrail despite my fear of heights. Small victories, people! 😂
I’d absolutely love to go back one day and explore even more of what Far North Queensland has to offer.
July – welcome to the world, Logan
July brought a new little addition to the family! My sister welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world.
Welcome to the family, Logan! 🥰 It’s always special to see the family growing, and I’m so happy to have another little nephew! ❤️
September – A second job!
In September, I decided to take on a second job!
I started working casually at another residential aged care facility, which I’ll refer to as BC, while still continuing my work at KG.
And yes… I was doing night shifts at BC as well!
Apparently, one night-shift job wasn’t enough. 😂
It certainly kept me busy juggling two workplaces, but it was another little change in my working life.
December – A friendship I never expected!
Now, this is where things get interesting!
In December, I headed out to the Dirty C (also known as the Cenny), one of our local nightclubs.
I was just minding my own business, enjoying the night, when out of absolutely nowhere, this lovely woman walked straight up to me and started chatting.
Little did I know that this random encounter would turn into one of the best friendships!
And just like that, Laura and I became friends.
We ended up having one of the BEST nights at the Dirty C, and it was the beginning of an awesome friendship that I’m so glad came about.
Funny how some of the best friendships can start from a completely unexpected encounter!
And that’s a wrap on 2021!
So, there we have it! Another year down.
From celebrating the big 3-0 and conquering my fear of flying (well, sort of!), to exploring Far North Queensland, juggling two aged care jobs and meeting a new best friend, 2021 certainly had a few memorable moments.
It might not have been the busiest year, but there were definitely some lovely memories made along the way.
Now, let’s see what 2022 had in store for me… because we’re not done playing catch-up just yet!
Stay tuned for the next chapter! ❤️
Amanda x
