March 2026 (From Flinders Island to Fiji!)
I wrote February’s entry rather nervous as I wasn’t sure how that Flinders Island trip was going to go. I have given an account of it in my Mamamia story – see link at the end of this blog entry.
In short, I really enjoyed it! The solo aspect was much more fun than I expected, the physical aspect was harder than I expected (but being pushed is not a bad thing), the scenery was breathtaking, the food was fabulous and I loved the Eco Comfort Camp.
Without documenting the trip too much (my Mamamia story does this I think), I’ll talk a bit about the solo aspect.
I have never lived alone. I have never travelled alone for work. I have been married for almost 34 years. I have four kids, two of whom still live at home. I have been surrounded by people all my life. I love that but, sometimes, I also crave quiet and the freedom to talk when I want and do what I want. Without explanation. Without permission. Travelling solo gave me that.
Travelling solo also meant I was forced to leave my comfort zone and talk to strangers! And I found they were lovely. And interesting. And much better walkers than me!!
Whilst I am not sure that I would like to travel completely solo, I would never hesitate to travel solo in a group tour again. There were people to chat to when I wanted and there was quiet when I wanted quiet.
I had lots of time for reflection, especially whilst walking. I marvelled over and over how lucky I am to be at this stage of my life – a new grandma, all my kids thriving, a happy marriage and a new chapter as a travel writer and content creator. If only young Leonie knew what was ahead of her although, if we knew what our future held, the future would not be nearly as exciting!
I returned from Flinders Island for a few days then flew with Andrew to Sydney for a Saturday night to mind beautiful Grandbaby whilst her parents went to a wedding. The weather was gorgeous and we had a couple of lovely walks around Manly (where the wedding was). Little bubs was perfectly behaved for us.
Home for a few days and back to Tullamarine to fly to Fiji!
We cruised for 7 nights around the Yasawa Island group on the MV Fiji Princess with Blue Lagoon Cruises. This is a boutique expedition cruise. There’s only 32 cabins and one room for meals so there is a lot of mingling with the other guests whom you get to know by name. There’s plenty of communal space too – the onboard Pool, the Bar & Lounge, the Sun Deck and some sun lounges on outside decks.
Although it can be intimidating to sit on long tables with strangers, it forces you to chat and you meet fascinating people. On our cruise, most were Australian (mainly from Brisbane; no others from Melbourne) but some were from overseas including: the US and Canada.
There was the 70 year old who had just become the oldest person to swim the Cook Strait ie the water between the North and South Islands of NZ, the sisters-in-law who had both lost their husbands (brothers) and who travel all over the world together, the couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary with two women, the lady approaching 80 who was cramming in all the travel she could whilst she could. And many more…
The anniversary couple had been friends for decades with the other two women and their (now deceased) husbands. The women friends had plenty more trips booked this year. As they told us, they have a “travel window” which is closing so they need to cram in as much as they can!
As has happened many times now since our cruising has accelerated, we met older people who are active and curious and still out having the time of our lives. It was inspiring!
There were a smattering of younger people too – at least 10 of the 60 odd passengers would have been younger than us.
I’m writing a story for Citro about the cruise but there’s a few things which stuck with me that I won’t have room to write about…
Firstly, I cannot rave enough about the scenery - dark green vegetation over the mountains, coral reefs, palm trees white sand and all contrasted with crystal clear water in all shades of green and blue.
There was a real cultural focus – from Kava ceremonies to welcoming ceremonies to a Lovo (an underground oven) to Fijian music. The Villages we stopped at were traditional. According to the onboard Activities Director, TK, that is their choice. We were told to dress modestly for our Village visits and given a Sulu (sarong) each to wear so as to cover our shoulders and knees (men and women). An interesting “rule” was no hats in the Village as only the Chief wears a hat. For the same reason, no sunglasses on the head either.
My favourite cultural excursion was to the High School. Our tour guide (a girl in Year 10) said she wanted to go to uni and then be an air hostess and see the world! Other kids said they wanted to be a nurse (but mum said no, she needed to be a doctor!). Another, a lawyer.
The Assistant Principal told us about the vocational stream, focussing on tourism and hospitality. Students learn front office, housekeeping and other skills for two terms and then have a placement with a local hotel before getting a tourism or hospitality job. English proficiency is a given as English (and Maths) are compulsory to the end of Year 13.
We heard about the day pupils who walk an hour to an hour and a half each way to school and the 43 boarders who come from the outer Yasawa islands. The Boarders only go home at the end of Term which can mean 14 weeks away from home. They wake at 5.30 on weekdays and their days are scheduled until lights out at 9. Saturdays are sport and cleaning and Sundays are church. At the moment, all this is without electricity; only portable solar lights.
The electricity situation was heartbreaking. The solar system (funded by the EU 7 years ago at a cost of $1.5m) was damaged in a recent cyclone so it wasn’t working. The backup generator also failed and, although the parts have arrived, the School is waiting on a technician. So far, there has been no power for 3-4 weeks. The wall fans sit idle in the stifling heat and the few (old) computers are similarly idle.
The Assistant Principal said the solar system will cost $60-70K to fix. Local hotels have visited and inspected to come up with a plan.
Apparently, there is also a water shortage which, sometimes, forces a school closure.
Despite these hardships, the students, “Ensure they always have a Bula smile.” The Concert the students gave us was full of energy and joy. It was truly inspiring.
Two of our group were a recently retired Principal and his partner, an assistant Principal. They were telling us that their students flush toilet rolls down the toilets for amusement. Of course, that’s not all students but it’s a telling difference between the have and have nots. The Aussie teachers were taking photos to show their students back at home.
The cruise was thought-provoking but also incredibly relaxing. Highly recommend! Love just having a 5 hour flight during the day too and only a 1 hour time difference!!
In my (short amount of) spare time this month, I wrote 4 stories about Flinders Island (one is the Mamamia one), finished off two Tasmania stories for the NZ papers and another story on the Dove Lake (Cradle Mountain) walk. I have one more Tassie story to finish and a story on the Blue Lagoon cruise and I am up to date. I’ll do that before I board our Crystal cruise in early April. More on that next month!
Suffice to say that this travel writing caper is keeping me busy. I love the writing process which makes it fun too. For me, at this stage of my life, the fun aspect is the most important part. If it wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t do it. To be able to do what I do for fun is a true luxury of this stage of my life.
Andrew is keeping busy finishing off YouTube episodes on Tassie so he can produce one on the Fiji cruise and then concentrate on a couple of videos for Crystal.
Work and hobbies are meshing very nicely for us both:)
In Writing Wins, I had three travel stories published and two flash fiction stories. My creative writing (including my children’s picture books) has almost ground to a halt in the last few months. I just haven’t had time. Pitching for trips and travel stories chews up hours every week plus I have travelled a lot. Not complaining at all but I am trying to seek a bit of balance. Will report back how I go with that given how much travel we have lined up this year!! Ah well, you only live once!
• Moorish Magic- The Spain cruise for People who don’t “do cruises https://www.thepost.co.nz/travel/360952718/moorish-magic-spain-cruise-people-who-dont-do-cruises
• 'I'm a mum of 4 and just went on my first solo holiday. It was nothing like I expected.' https://www.mamamia.com.au/flinders-island-solo-hiking-experience/
• A magical day on Rottnest Island https://www.joincitro.com.au/news/day-on-rottnest-island
• It wasn’t the first time this happened https://chewersmasticadores.wordpress.com/2026/03/07/it-wasnt-the-first-time-this-happened-by-leonie-jarrett/
• Bitten Fingernails https://chewersmasticadores.wordpress.com/2026/03/14/bitten-fingernails-by-leonie-jarrett/
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