It took me 31 years to start exploring my own country. Thirty-one years that also included moving countries twice, exploring 26 other countries and self-proclaiming I was a city girl to the core. 

Moving countries changed the second part of that statement and turned me into a nature lover. But it took returning, for a five-week cross-country escape, to reverse my preconceptions about a place I grew up in and still utterly love. 

One of the first mountain hikes I took in Kananaskis as I discovered the rugged beauty of West Canada, September 2023.

Home to me will always be Canada, despite first moving to New Zealand and now residing in Australia. There is something familiar and heartwarming every time I step off a plane within these borders. A desire for someone to politely tell me where the nearest Timmies is or see a ‘courtesy face-off’ when both individuals want to open the door for the other, that I crave.

Yet it wasn’t until this trip, that my city eyes were open to the rich nature, rugged beauty and the awe-inspiring landscapes I was so blind to before. 

I’m no stranger to how familiar many others are to the impressive nature of Canada already. Living in Australia, I’m constantly reminded of how often individuals make the pilgrimage to do their ski season in Whistler. Nor am I the first to declare the decree ‘we never explore our own country.’ I declare it often as I regale tales of trips around Australia with my newfound sense of adventure living abroad. 

But I can say this: I am grateful. Grateful that it took me thirty-one – not thirty-two years – to start appreciating this place. I didn’t wait for retirement, like I’ve previously stated, nor did I take a narrow city-focus, as my previous obsessions would have steered me to. Instead, I dove straight into getting up close with Canada’s natural outdoor bounty. 

Around every corner, Canada’s natural beauty really shone through. Along Highway 1, just outside Whitehorse, Yukon, October 2023. (Photo: @photosbyhazzagg)

I can’t take the credit for getting here on my own. This all came to be as part of a longer four and a half month extended leave period from work that I spearheaded with my partner Harry, to explore parts of South America. 

As I grew into my nature obsession in recent years, South America presented itself as this place with the perfect balance between intense, diverse landscapes and a rich culture I wanted to soak up. 

While my partner agreed to this trip, we came to a compromise that we could couple a few months in South America with trips to see family (as he also battles with living halfway around the world from England). As we started to nut out the details of the trip, it became apparently more clear, that we were chasing a rich landscape in South America, but we were also entering a country which offered up as equal a one at the start: Canada.

Suddenly our four months in South America became two and a half as we diverted our time to encompass trips to the East Coast of Canada, through Quebec, a road trip from Calgary to Vancouver and even a territory visit to the Yukon. 

I acknowledge we barely scratched the surface of a country that could almost fit the entirety of Europe in it within a few weeks of travel and family visits. But we were able to sample some of the countries delicacies, enticing us to come back for seconds as we eagerly lined up ‘future places’ pinpointed on our Google Map. 

As we sampled each region, each offered up a new flavour.

Witnessing one of the most awe-inspiring sunsets along the Skyline Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Sept 2023.

The East Coast brought in large, angry swells from the Atlantic Ocean, painted orange skies at sunset along the Cabot Trail and small fishing villages adorned with lobster nets on the shorelines. 

Quebec and Montreal transported us to a European-inspired city, led by the dominant Quebecois language, and musical streets. 

Then as we entered the West from Calgary onwards, we came head first with towering snow-capped mountains, quaint ski towns and the turquoise waters of glacier lakes. At nearly every turn along the Trans-Canada Highway from Kananaskis to Revelstoke, we were awed by the West’s beauty.

Finally, as we headed north to Whitehorse, which despite not seeing the Aurora Borealis while there, shone a new light on the expansive Canadian north, in which large mammals roam free and major cities have the feeling of a small town. 

The autumn colours along Highway 1 on the way to Kluane National Park in the Yukon, October 2023.

As we wrapped up our trip, I messaged a few friends who visited Canada previously, exclaiming, ‘How amazing is Canada?!’, followed by a ‘You were right.’ These friends were all international travellers, but I walked away with a newfound appreciation for those that stayed and saw the beauty in the first place. 

While I’m grateful I’m still young when I came back to discover the place I grew up, it was a refreshing wake up call that declaring ‘we never explore our own country,’ wasn’t good enough. I had fallen victim to the ‘get out’ mentality we’re inundated with now a days, and ran away from a place that is quite frankly, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited. 

As I write this, I’m sitting on a train on my way to Puno, Peru, not having completely changed my travel plans despite this revelation. But I can say it has influenced the pace I’ll take for the remainder of the trip, knowing that you can’t tick everything off a list and sometimes, the most stunning, natural places, are the ones right in front of you.