For the Love of Travel
The romance of travel is not just tied to a place, it also lives in the memories made and the experiences shared.
WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY Jim Butcher, and Mr & Mrs Romance
“Right here, right now, we are fully present, focused on the light touch of our fingers and the blue-hued vista before us.”
My wife Christina and I are travellers. It’s one of the strongest bonds we share and we find ourselves on a never-ending quest – to discover new places and experiences, but more important than that, to do it together. After spending more than half our lives exploring the world as a couple, the special moments we share through travel continue to draw us ever closer.
The romance of travel is not so much in what you do. I mean, sure, spending the night on a remote pontoon, anchored among the opalescent shapes of the Great Barrier Reef might be one of the most romantic things a couple can experience, but it’s more than that.
On the boat over to Reefworld, a three-story platform permanently fixed to the seabed on the brink of Hardy Reef, we’re excited. We’re ready to explore the marine life of the Great Barrier Reef, but even before slipping into the water, we share a moment. We stand on the deck of the pontoon, gazing out over the coral reef that has built up over the millennia on the banks of an ancient river system, long ago consumed by the Pacific. You can see where the river once ran, a dark-blue thread cutting loops through the reef, leaving deep underwater cliffs of coral. We hold hands as we take deep breaths of salt-tinged air, lost in the moment. Right here, right now, we are fully present, focused on the light touch of our fingers and the blue-hued vista before us.
Naturally, on an experience like this, the inclusions are fabulous, but they are the functional parts of travel. The romance comes from the details. It’s watching the moon lift out of the water as bright as if it were sunrise. It’s seeing the brilliance of colour beneath the waves as fish and coral kaleidoscope before you, or marvelling as turtles, damselfish and a 300-kilo giant grouper eye you through the windows of the underwater observatory. It’s sharing a moment in time that will never be the same again Sometimes, these moments are obvious, but for others you have to make sure you’re aware, ready to spot them. They’re often fleeting – a touch, a whispered word, a glance – and perhaps it’s their mortality that makes these ephemeral instants all the more romantic.
As evening falls on Reefworld and the gold filigree of sunset draws a line along the distant horizon, we take our seats for dinner in the underwater observatory. It’s probably the most extraordinary meal we’ve ever eaten, not only because of the delicious food; as we sit side by side looking out into the deep blue of the ocean, watching silver flicks of fish darting in and out of the light cast from our submarine dining room, we catch our reflections in the glass. The look of wonder on each other’s faces – the exquisite dinner all but forgotten – is one of those moments that creates an indelible memory.
Our travel romance has taken us to so many spectacular places, from the mighty windswept dunes of the Kalahari to the delving lush jungle valleys of Borneo to ancient walled cities of Europe. But always, we find our way home.
Australia and her vast ever-changing landscape hold a profound enchantment over us. The magic of travelling through Australia, a spell of this land that quickens the pulse and raises the hairs on the back of your neck, has never been more palpable than when we ventured into Seven Spirit Bay — the far northern sanctum of Arnhem Land (Miwatj).
We’re standing together on the brink of this extraordinary ancient shoreline on the Cobourg Peninsula. This is the second-most northerly point of Australia, and perhaps the very place where humans first came to this land over 65,000 years ago. We look out at the coruscating blue water before us. To our backs, the rich dense coastal forest, dug into the red dirt and rustling in the light breeze, caresses the indigo sky.
When we’re taken to visit Victoria Settlement, the eerie tumbled ruins of a 19th-century British outpost, we share another moment. These weathered craggy sandstone blocks were once home to pioneers – soldiers, doctors, mothers, lovers, and, above all, explorers – they all had the sense of adventure that we cherish, albeit theirs came with a tragic ending.
Indeed, it’s the love for travel that brought us together more than 23 years ago; it’s been at the heart of our journey from the beginning. I came to Australia from England to explore a mysterious place I’d heard of called Kakadu (Gagudju). Seeing for the first time the glowing ochre and amber of ancient rock art on the sacred sites of Ubirr and Nourlangie was an epochal moment for me. But meeting Christina, then bringing her to this place, gave it even more meaning. Standing side by side sharing the view of the towering rock, we marvel jointly at the millennia of history in the art. Uncovering this extraordinary record of time, witnessing it together, deepens our travel experience.
Christina and I have been back to Kakadu many times since. The anchor – when we first went there together – still holds fast, but the layers of colour from each trip have given a wonderful patina to our memories.
Sometimes these shared memories are attached to grand places, like the rock art of Kakadu or swimming together under the sparkling gledes of the Maguk waterfall. Other times, it’s a simple moment that speaks to your heart, like watching a butterfly hover over a nectar-filled wildflower. Either way, these experiences, and the memories, come with waves of sentiment. That’s where the magic lies – and the romance.
A view worth celebrating in Arnhem Land.
Wake up to nature at Seven Spirit Bay.