This post is sponsored by Bobux Xplorer

Walking in the Tasmanian canopy. The Tahune Airwalk

It is the time of year when bloggers write posts about the year about to close, and travel bloggers write about all the exciting places they visited. To understand exactly how far I have travelled in 2014 you need look no further than to one of my first posts of the year which was all about wheelchair accessible Melbourne. This time one year ago I was nearing the end of a complicated pregnancy that left me reliant on the use of a wheelchair when outside the home. The reason – crippling low blood pressure making me faint as well as unstable pelvic bones causing severe pain.   As an added bonus I developed uncontrollable gestational diabetes and needed to inject myself with insulin four times a day. As a consequence of the pregnancy, immobility and insulin my weight ballooned to 30kg more than my pre-pregnancy baseline.   I am also one of the unluckily pregnant that have morning sickness the entire pregnancy – my last dose of anti-nausea medicine was in the car on the way to hospital for my induction. If by some miracle I had been granted the strength to do so I would have happily leaped out of my wheelchair to throttle anyone that mentioned the phrase “Yummy Mummy.”

Flash forward ten months and I am now a completely besotted mother to a gorgeous, thriving baby girl who is crawling into previously undiscovered nooks and crannies in my house.  I have ditched the wheelchair I hope for ever, recovered from the pregnancy, and am heading towards being back to my regular shape. Getting back into travelling has been about exploring new places and asserting that I am still me after nearly a year of being unbearably crook.  Admittedly with a body weakened from the pregnancy illness, and with a very young baby, our travels have been toned down this year, staying within Aussie borders, making it to 3 states outside our own. We discovered Tasmania as a family in May. Tassie is an awesome and affordable destination that I completely recommend to other families. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the Tassie section of this blog do have a squiz for some travel inspiration.

Other than giving birth to a most delicious baby the highlight of my year was traveling up to tropical north Queensland on my own with my three kids. The trip well and truly proved that I was back in the saddle. It also completely reminded me of how in love I am with the tropics so that even though Melbourne is now my base I plan to visit a tropical destination every year.  By the way, courtesy of our travels Little Lady Bub has already gotten up close and personal with a crocodile and a lion.  In the interest of cuteness only I want to share photographic evidence of this.

Little Lady Bub meets her first crocodile

Lion Feeding Zoo Doo Wildlife Park in Tasmania

2014 has also been about rediscovering Melbourne, my hometown till I got married. This is the first time I have lived in Melbourne with children and I am revelling in it’s classy awesomeness.   As I type this we are on our second bayside staycation this year. On a glorious summer day like today has been I can’t help comparing Melbourne to European cities such as Barcelona which has a hip waterside culture just like Victoria’s capital.

Love, love loving exploring the Melbourne waterfront.

As for the boys, Bub 1 has gone maze mad and I seem to spend more than my fair share of time stumbling blindly around mazes and relying on my directionally gifted son to lead me out. Bub 2 has simpler tastes telling me often there is nothing more fun than playing in dirt. While I encourage his fondness for such simple pleasures I do prefer it if this occurs on spectacular bushwalks, or when the dirt is substituted for sand on a stunning beach.

During 2014 Bub 1 declared himself to be an adrenaline junkie. Tree Surfing at the Enchanted Adventure Garden on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula

East Beach Geelong in our home state of Victoria.  Scene of some rather frenetic sand play.