Lorne

Sometimes I forget how incredibly beautiful Australia is. I went to Lorne in March this year on a surf camp with my students and these were some of the photos I took. We stayed right on the beach at the Surf Life-Saving Club there, which has been there for over 150 years (which for modern-Australia is a really long time). The mornings were amazing. I'd fall asleep to the sound of the waves on the shoreline and wakeup and see nothing but a pink and blue hazy sky and turquoise surf. 

One of the days we took the kids for a hike up into the hills of temperate rainforest behind the town. At one stage there was a congregate of church-goers who would take the same hiking trail and congregate amongst the trees in an area of natural occurring steps, much like a sort of 'bleachers' made of stone. We got the kids to sit quietly on the ledges and do some deep breathing exercises, which they loved. It was quite a powerful moment; forty or so students sitting peacefully on the rocks surrounded by lush greenery. No iPods or Nintendos. No texting or YouTube. Just them and their thoughts. Amazing. 

If you haven't been to Australia, or Lorne for that matter, you need to come and see it for yourself. It is truly amazing, not to mention the Great Ocean Road you have to take to get there from Melbourne.