Australia

Most of my time was spent in St Ives about 20 minute drive north from the harbour bridge but is easily accessible by train or bus. It’s in the heart of the Sydney bush, on the edge of the Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park with an incredible number of plant and animal species. 

Where I stayed at my family’s house, the rainbow lorikeets fight for space at the bird table, with cockatoos and galahs swooping in and out. Giant insects are a common sight that you soon get used to – as well as peculiar reptiles that shed their tails when attacked by a dog! A strange sight indeed as the tail continues to twitch after it has been dispatched. 

But the real beauty of the bush for me was the plants. The trees are astounding and the Sydney red gum is prolific, constantly shedding its bark so the bush seems to be snapping all around you.