... going places
#Travel4Retirement
Who Are We?
Join us as we travel Aust. & NZ, enjoying ourselves while capturing the vast array of landscapes.
Julie is an avid photographer & Ron is a happy retiree 😊
Julie Novotny
I've always loved walking and since I was a small child and I absolutely love heights. I enjoy hiking up steep paths to the summit of a mountain and then standing there in awe, looking down on the world below. When you combine it with my love of photography, you have a match made in heaven.
I have a tremendous urge to keep myself engaged and active. This has inspired and motivated me through the ups and downs of my life. I first arrived in Australia when I was 20 years old on a travelling holiday. After 6mths, when I was ready to return to NZ to follow up on my Passion for tramping (as we called it back in NZ), I met up with my future husband on a hike through the Blue Mts and the rest is history, as they say.
But when our children were in their early teens, I was barely able to walk due to a crushed disc from my constant bending while photographing children. I had to have a total disc replacement in my lower back, which fortunately turned out to be a very successful operation and this then allowed me to resume my favourite pastime of walking.
Unfortunately, that resulted in me having to undergo a total knee replacement two years ago. This was a huge challenge for me, being such an avid walker, but thanks to my determination and motivation, I have been able to get back out there and walk once more.
Being active and occupied is one of my coping mechanisms for dealing with life's challenges. So I am constantly on the lookout for new activities to keep me busy.
#Travel4Retirement
Ron Novotny
Julie and I have enjoyed a combined passion for walking since our very 1st meeting way back when! One of our early walks took us through Arnhem Land for a month, living off fish and freeze-dried foods. Then to the other extreme and down to the Snowy Mts, where we spent 2 weeks cross-country skiing and camping out in a tent during one of the century's biggest snowfalls. We wondered why we never came across anyone until we ventured out to find the whole area isolated due to the huge snowfalls. It was very memorable.
When the children came along we took to travelling and camping around Australia with a homemade camper trailer. Again many great memories for them to look back on.
Our son has inherited our passion for the outdoors especially walking. He completed the Arizona Trail in America and rafted down the Grand Canyon in 2019 and then in 2022-2023 he walked the Te Araroa Trail from the top of NZ to the bottom, The 3000km route stretching from Cape Reinga in the north of New Zealand to Bluff in the south before returning to Cairns to contemplate his next big adventure.
But because I live with Parkinson's now, life moves a little more slowly for me these days. Fortunately, I can still travel and enjoy walking and exploring new places, just not as quickly as Julie does.
These days, you can also often find me out enjoying a coffee with a lifelong friend, taking a walk out to the headland, and taking advantage of Julie's passion for cooking and photography.