Dahna McConnachie and Jonathan Edwards

Jono Dahna

We both still have ever-itchy feet and woke up in a cold sweat one morning with the realisation that if we did not take advantage of the under 30 (ish) work visa that Canada offers to Australian residents, we would never get to. So here we are over 17 months later, taking the long way home via South America. No need to rush...

Post Script: We are now 4, not 2, and we are no longer under 30! We still have ever-itchy feet but also a mortgage to contend with so for the most part our travels from now on will probably be a little shorter in duration... but they will continue!



Travel Blog Posts


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Published: September 23rd 2012Oceania » Australia » Australian Capital Territory » Canberra
Jono   Dahna icon
Jono Dahna
September 23rd 2012

It feels kind of strange writing a travel blog from home, but a large part of travel is the arriving home part. I often struggle with a bit of post-holiday flatness but it was great to come home to a green and budding garden and a nest box full of eggs. Jono could not contain himself when we arrived home, after spending two nights in Wollongong at mum and dad's house. One minute he was sitting next to me and the girls as we ate lunch on the front lawn and then next he was up with the hose in one hand and pulling weeds out with the other. I think he still had lunch in his mouth! As soon as the girls went to bed for their afternoon nap I joined Jono in the garden ... read more



homeward bound

Published: September 19th 2012Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Karuah
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Jono Dahna
September 19th 2012

The day started in a very civilised way over goats cheese, poached egg, mushrooms and dukkah with a yummy expresso coffee and ended eating dinner on a balcony looking over a mangrove swamp watching the sun go down. Who said travel with babies was hard? Ok, so as I confessed, it can have its harder moments but all in all this trip has been absolutely smooth sailing... dreamy driving might be a more appropriate expression. The distance from Sawtell to Karuah (320km) was probably about the biggest distance we have done with the girls and it is probably about the most we would want to do in one day at the moment. We had a morning tea stop at Kew - a small town as right on the highway as a town off the highway can ... read more



how quickly the fog returns

Published: September 17th 2012Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Sawtell
Jono   Dahna icon
Jono Dahna
September 16th 2012

Perhaps I jinxed us by publicly declaring how well the girls were sleeping. Perhaps the girls are yet again trying to teach us something about expectations... but it is amazing how quickly you can become undone by a few rough nights. Those pre-molar teeth seem to be causing some grief after all. Hence the lack of blogging because my bed time has become 7.30 again instead of 8.30! Anyhow, this is meant to be a travel blog so I guess I should be writing about exciting things we are doing rather than having a whinge about the lack of sleep we have been having. Despite foggy brains and hurting heads we have still been determined to make the most of our holiday. Since I last wrote we went to bongil bongil national park for another rainforest ... read more



Sunny Sawtell

Published: September 13th 2012Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Sawtell
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Jono Dahna
September 13th 2012

"Welcome to sunny sawtell" reads the sign as you come in to the cute seaside town. Ironically it was the first cloudy day we have had so far on the trip. Though, as the sign promised, the afternoon did clear up -- while the girls happily napped and napped and napped! This trip has seen a whole lot of firsts in the girls' development: they have learnt to touch their head, clap their hands and today they had their first ever 3 hour day time nap. They must have been worn out by their morning at Boambee creek where, I am delighted to announce, they finally enjoyed themselves in the water. Perhaps they will be beach babes after all. The creek is another beautiful salt estuary which is part of a reserve and absolutely perfect for ... read more



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Jono Dahna
September 11th 2012

So, we say goodbye to South West Rocks today, 'bye bye' in baby speak which I catch myself using every now and then these days. I also catch myself waving like a baby too, as I am so used to imitating the girls. Tomorrow we hit the road for Sawtell, a whole 100 kms north. We are redefining my concept of taking things slowly tomorrow -- with a 10am check out here and a 2pm check in there. I don't think I have ever planned a route that will take 4 hours to travel 100kms before! The drive out to yarriabini national park was worth it. Great views of the valley from the top of the mountain and we drove past some lucky old growth trees that survived the logging era. The picnic area was a ... read more



Jono   Dahna icon
Jono Dahna
September 8th 2012

I feel like we are becoming seasoned family holidayers already. I can feel the coating of salt on my skin, but I guess this is from the sea rather than from being seasoned. My attempt at humour aside, those first 7 (to 9?) months of the girls' existence where we struggled to even get out the door seem a distant foggy memory, touch wood. Holidays can exist with two babies afterall, despite often held scepticism (my own included.) Yeah, there's still dishes and laundry and nappies but each day so far we have swam and walked in the bush, done yoga, read books, gazed at sunets and stars... wow. The girls have been sleeping all night every night and having great naps during the day EVEN THOUGH big painful pre-molars are starting to poke through their ... read more



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Jono Dahna
September 6th 2012

So here we are in South West Rocks . . . all 4 of us! This time the adventure revolves around nappies and naps but so far so good: after a 1 night pit stop in Wollongong and a 2 night stop in Newcastle. Ode to family on the way! While driving along the Pacific Highway I had memories of road trips I did to Woodford folk festival in my younger days (driving all the way home in one go often after a week of very little sleep.) We also reminisced about a trip we did together (Jono and I) not long after we had met to Bryon Bay for the blues festival. We drove home to Sydney in one day, through terrible traffic and what seemed like endless road work -- getting in to Sydney ... read more



Jono   Dahna icon
Jono Dahna
September 16th 2008

Leaving no grass to grow under our itchy feet, (which were probably itchy more from foot fungus caused by poor on-the-road hygiene, than from any metaphysical relationship to the travel urge) Jono and I made our way to Smith Rock. On the way, we visited the very good and very pregnant friend of mine, Jane, who we had only managed to catch up with once in the whole time we were in this part of the hemisphere. I am slack. I confess. But slack things can tend to have more give and be less likely to break than tight things… where that point is leading and what, if anything, it is justifying I do not know. I have already mentioned this earlier I think, but I just could not get my head around how much my ... read more



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Jono Dahna
September 11th 2008

Before we took off to Smith Rock, Jono and I had a date with Cass. She took us to Vancouver Island and showed us around where she grew up in Campbell River, a logging town on the Island. We met her Dad, her mum (who are seperated), her sister and some of her cousins. One of her cousins has been adopted by the first nations people and lives on a reserve. His friend and flatmate is an incredibly talented carver, and artist and we got to look at a lot of his work. Breathtaking. He makes the big traditional masks that they use in ceremonies, and he is also commisioned by the council to do a lot of public art. The reserve was also the first one we had seen that was pretty and well maintained, ... read more



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Jono Dahna
September 8th 2008

Faced with a week of forecasted bad weather in Squamish, and enough experience from a year of living in the area to believe the forecast, we joined up with the rest of our friends from home and hatched plans to go to Skaha for a few days, chasing the sun. The trip started with a night out in Vancouver drinking, dancing to bad music, and then crashing at Tim's place - all 7 of us crashed out on Tims apartment floor made for very cosy accommodation. We put Damo out on the deck due to his tendency for snoring, loudly. The sun chasing plan worked. We had a good three days of sunshine and climbing. After this we all split up. Ev went home back to keep his business running. Damo went abroad for more adventures ... read more






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