A favourite seaside escape, Shellharbour is blessed with a beautiful environment of beaches, lakes and national parks, incredible local food served with a genuine smile and magical underwater worlds. 

It really does have a summer vibe all year round, with a laid back lifestyle that gently washes away all the noise and replaces it with a sense of peacefulness. 

"All the stress, noise, and distractions of life are left at the surface. The ocean is the last truly quiet place on Earth."

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As a photographer and storyteller I  capture moments and bring them to life. To do this, Adobe Lightroom is essential. So when they approached me to officially help launch their #BeBoundless campaign on the Lightroom Instagram, I couldn’t think of a greater honour. They invited me to share my unexpected moments to show you what being boundless means to me.

Where the sky meets the earth •

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Those places that pull you in an unfamiliar yet comforting way. They connect you, change your perspective. 

My little part in something big, last month I had the highest honour in being a part of the launch of the brand new @canonaustralia #6dMkII.

Escaping the winter blues.  

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As much as I consider myself a summer baby, winter along Australia’s east coast holds a special place in my heart. It is a beautiful and peaceful time of year to spend by the sea. The days are shorter and we find ourselves making the most of each moment and the winter sun before retiring to the warmth of indoors. The skies are bluer and the ocean is clearer. The wattle is flowering bright yellow and the gumnuts are blooming - our nations colours of green and gold are everywhere. Beautiful beaches, golden sand and warmer days are what the Sunshine Coast is famous for, and even in the depths of winter it can still provide the most magical days for sitting on the shore and water warm enough to swim. With daily temperatures sitting steady around 22 degrees (celsius), winter may actually be the perfect time to take advantage of Queensland’s sub-tropical climate and make the most of that seemingly “endless summer".

Recently I found myself back in the Blue Mountains with [Visit NSW][1] and some of my favourite work peers/friends for a few quick but fulfilling days of adventure. 
Last time I was here I spoke to some locals about the ever-changing scenery of this stunning landscape, all of whom told me, with a certain enthusiasm, about the beauty of Autumn. And did it live up to its beautiful reputation? Did it ever!

ON THE ROAD, AGAIN: With COUNTRY ROAD X Live With Us // NORTHERN RIVERS. A change of season is coming; you can feel it in the air. You know the kind, those mornings that are so crisp and fresh that the cool air sends goosebumps all over your body. The sun is beginning to rise a little later and curling up beside one of your best friends in a loft apartment nestled between the beautiful coastline of Byron Bay and the rolling hills of Bangalow is the perfect escape. 

ON THE ROAD: With COUNTRY ROAD X Live With Us // THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. I started out on this journey heading in the direction of the unknown. That’s the true freedom and beauty of the open road. You get to discover more of Australia with the windows down, hair blowing wild in the wind, nostalgic songs and good company – all of which makes heart sing. 

Maintaining an active lifestyle and always dreaming my next adventure, big or small, near or far. Camping is a fantastic way to get outdoors, to escape the bustle of everyday life and find some stillness, some peace and tranquillity in nature — to reset. 

Taking a break whenever I can back in Australia and visiting all my favourite places to just “be.” A chance to recenter and immerse myself in the beauty that is a place, which I am lucky enough to call home. Kick starting a micro-adventure series with TEVA Australia. // Please head to the full blog post here. Get out there! M. x

We are all visitors here, in this time, in this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow and to love, and then we return home. – Australian Aboriginal proverb Spent some time with good hearts in my soul place. It’s so good to be home. M. x  

The world is huge and we are tiny. Explore it. ✧♡• In just under two and a half hours from Brisbane you can escape to paradise.  You know those places that you instantly connect with, that pull at your heartstrings in an unfamiliar but almost comforting way? Calling you back again so much so that you spend days dreaming about your return, before you even leave? I was pleasantly surprised and completely blown away with the incredible untouched beauty of Vanuatu. 

Life is not about milestones, but moments • The open road, fresh air in our lungs and laughter filling our bellies: eight days on the road with Tourism Queensland and Toyota Australia.  One of my biggest photo updates this year. I’m feeling incredibly grateful to have spent time with good friends exploring all the natural wonders of my home state along The Pacific Coast Way, a 1700km stretch linking Brisbane to Cairns. 

The stars will remind us of the beauty in our struggles and we won’t feel so lost anymore. I recently spent a week on the road with some of my favourite Australian Photographers/Instagrammers and friends. We took the Grand Pacific coastal drive which starts in the Royal National Park, less than an hour south of Sydney and makes its way through the Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama and Shoalhaven regions.  

Beautiful things don’t have to cost the Earth • I was recently a part of @etsyau’s #city2outback adventure featuring Evie and Essie, based in the picturesque foothills of Hobart’s Mt Wellington. The Children’s clothing label Evie & Essie is the joint love of best friends and lifelong crafters Suki Hopgood and Sarah Crawford. Suki and Sarah hosted myself and the Etsy team for a few days, showing us around the unique beauty of Hobart with the city and its surrounds being a constant source of both inspiration and escape. 

“I wonder if the things that remind me of you, remind you of me.”  I recently went on a whirlwind (and I really mean whirlwind) adventure to Colombia with Kathmandu. What can I tell you about it? My itch for South America has only just been scratched and I’m left wanting more. We hit the ground running and began filming at the airport in Medellín city. I’ve never hidden that I am not much of a city girl, but I think the cute streets, botanical gardens and salsa-dancing nightlife in Medellín are attractions I’ll go back for. 

Recently I had the unbelievable opportunity to visit “The Land of a Million Elephants,” LAOS with Helloworld and Insider Journeys. I’m going to break this post up into two parts because I’ve travelled to SE Asia multiple times and I hadn’t yet made it to Laos, always adding it to the “I’ll-do-it-next-time-list” and I’ve, as to be expected, fallen head over heals in love with the incredibly, beautiful and untouched country. 

One day / 10 photos. One an hour from sunrise to sunset. Bourail to Nouméa, New Caledonia. 

I wanted to do this post a little different to the way I normally do, because we did a lot of seriously amazing things in Dubai and I’ll let the photographs do the talking, but I just wanted to share the personal highlights for me. So, my top things to do in Dubai:  Adventure, adventure, adventure! Dubai is one of the biggest playgrounds in the world. Take a day trip to the Hatta Hajjar Mountains. Just go and go high! The layers of the mountains and alien like landscape is unreal. 

Wollongong is one destination in Australia I’ve always wanted to visit, so when I booked this job earlier in the year I was really excited about it. It would be a working-reunion of sorts with some of my favourite travel buddies and personal mentors. Plus, my friend and ridiculously talented Photographer Will Patino has been showcasing the best of Wollongong for years now and I couldn’t wait to get down there and see it for myself.  

Earlier this year I collaborated with Broadsheet Sydney & Melbourne for their Winter newspaper – The Dark Heart of Australia: Tasmania. The full photo blog post here and as seen on the Broadsheet site. Nothing like receiving the newspaper and seeing my work in tangible form, along side some of of my photography peers and personal inspirations.