Highland Magic: Three Days of Wonder

The familiar highland road stretched before us like an old friend's embrace, yet this Christmas Eve journey held its own unique magic. Each turn revealed missed treasures, beckoning us to pause and discover the secrets we had previously passed by. Anth's pursuit of ancient geocaches became our excuse to slow down, to savour these moments between moments.

At Lake Arthur, where a twenty-year-old cache waited like a time capsule of adventure, the wild soul of Tasmania revealed itself. The fading light painted the landscape in honey-gold hues as wildlife emerged from their daytime sanctuaries. Small wallabies, their movements delicate and precise, bounded away from our approaching vehicle, while a wombat, determined and purposeful, crossed our path like a reminder that sometimes the most precious encounters are unplanned.

Through Mienna we traveled, the Great Lake Dam stretching before us like nature's cathedral. The view over the lake spoke of vastness and solitude, a fitting prelude to our Christmas Eve adventure. As we turned onto unfamiliar roads, the setting sun became our companion, its golden light forcing us to slow our pace - a blessing in disguise as the wilderness came alive around us. Wallabies and kangaroos emerged like spirits from the lengthening shadows, each one a gift of wild Tasmania.

Our intended campsite, occupied by a solitary tent, became another subtle nudge from the universe. In honouring another traveler's solitude, we discovered our own perfect sanctuary at Little Pine Lagoon's boat ramp. The water stretched before us like liquid silver, promising a Christmas Eve unlike any we had known before. In our nomadic life, we had learned that sometimes the best destinations are the ones you never planned to find.

As darkness embraced the landscape, the lake transformed into a canvas of reflected colors, while the legendary Tasmanian wind sang its wild lullaby, rocking our home on wheels like a cradle beneath the stars. We drifted to sleep imagining Santa navigating these wild highlands, bringing Christmas magic to even the most remote corners of this island.

Christmas morning dawned with a gentle whisper of possibility. The anticipated hike to Lake Saint Claire gave way to a different kind of celebration - one of stillness, of being present in our cozy sanctuary. "Violent Night" played on our screen, a contemporary Christmas tradition in our unconventional life, while the lake outside our window provided an ever-changing backdrop to our celebrations.

The magic of connection bridged vast distances as we reached across continents, our hearts touching both Japan and mainland Australia through the miracle of technology. Our children's faces, illuminated by screens but warmed by love, created a tapestry of family that transcended physical boundaries. In these precious moments, we were reminded that home isn't a place - it's the constellation of hearts that beat in rhythm with our own, no matter how far apart.

As Christmas night deepened, nature offered one final gift. Just before midnight, the southern sky awakened with an ethereal dance - a subtle aurora painting the darkness with whispers of otherworldly light. The very faintness of its appearance made it more precious, like a secret shared between the heavens and those patient enough to witness its delicate beauty. In this remote highland sanctuary, far from artificial lights and holiday clamour, we were granted a celestial blessing that seemed to validate our choice of this unconventional life.

The pull of Little Pine Lagoon proved too strong to resist, our planned departure yielding to the gentle invitation to linger. Boxing Day dawned with the same peaceful presence that had blessed our Christmas, the lake's surface reflecting our contentment back to us like a mirror of liquid silver. We found ourselves unwilling to break the spell that had woven itself around our temporary haven, choosing to extend our stay another night.

These additional days became a meditation on the gifts of stillness. The lagoon's changing moods, the wild birds' morning chorus, the wind's endless conversation with the water - each element added its voice to the symphony of our extended Christmas celebration. In this pause between festivities and future adventures, we discovered that sometimes the greatest luxury is simply the freedom to stay, to breathe, to be.

Our nomadic life had taught us to recognise these moments when a place asks you to linger, when the usual urgency of movement gives way to the wisdom of stillness. Here, in this highland sanctuary where Christmas magic had touched both earth and sky, we allowed ourselves to sink deeper into the profound gift of presence - with nature, with each other, and with the quiet joy of choosing our own path through this remarkable life.

The aurora's brief appearance became a metaphor for our journey - sometimes faint, always beautiful, and most visible to those who choose to venture far from the beaten path. In these three days beside Little Pine Lagoon, we celebrated not just Christmas, but the courage to live differently, to find magic in unexpected places, and to let love guide us home, wherever that might be.Read more