Today, I turned 30.

Today is my 30th birthday.

I’ve been thinking about this day quite a bit as it’s been approaching. Turning 30 is significant. It feels like that last complete step into adulthood. When I look back at my 20s, I accomplished a lot of great things and had a ton of fun along the way. I graduated college, married my best friend, built a house and started a business. Yeah, I crammed a lot into those 10 years. Not a minute was wasted (ok, maybe a few minutes were wasted on afternoon naps, but hey, we all need that at some point. Some just a little more than others). Needless to say, it is a great chapter of my life that has sadly come to an end, but where one ends, a new one begins.

What will my 30s bring? That’s a good question. Some people are hoping for one or two little Nathans or Allies. With ten years to go, it is definitely a possibility. What turning 30 has made me realize, however, is that I still have a lot I want to accomplish, and turning 30 is no excuse not to do them. I can still have fun and change the world. I’m just doing it as a 30-something instead of a 20-something.

That’s where Alycat’s Walkabout comes in. Visiting and/or working in Australia has been at the top of my to do list for a long time. In fact, Nathan and I almost went after college. We applied for a special Australian visa, which allows young people to come to the country for up to a year to travel and work. Those plans changed after Nathan was offered his dream job. I was excited for Nathan, but to say I wasn’t incredibly disappointed would be a lie. (Side note: This visa program is a fabulous opportunity that very few countries offer. If you have the chance, you need to do it! Don’t wait like me!) Fast-forward seven years and I am helping a young woman get outfitted for boots at REI. She’s telling me all about this Australian visa program she and her friends are doing. You have until you’re 30 to participate, but now was as good of a time as any.

That’s right, now is as good of a time as any. It’s funny how life can go about telling you what you need to hear. I would be turning 30, was there a better time to take on the one goal I hadn’t accomplished in my 20s? No. At that moment, I knew I was going to do whatever it took to get to Australia.

Over the course of several months, I have been diligently planning this trip. My mission was more than just photographing wildlife. I wanted to do something “bigger”. So this November, I will be partnering with different non-profit groups around the country to highlight Australia’s great outdoors and the incredible work being done to protect those unique ecosystems. This blog will serve as my multimedia journal, filled with photos and videos capturing everything that I can’t put into words. It is my hope that the end result will be a multimedia thesis, one that answers the questions of why the great outdoors are so important and what each of us can do to preserve them for generations to come.

It’s an adventure of a life time. I am thrilled to have you be a part of it!

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Follow along the journey.

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Follow along the journey

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