Bell from 12th IHS Brisbane 2006

Do you see the map of Australia on the tag along with the three handbells?

Attending this event was a way to combine my love of travelling with my passion for ringing handbells.

I flew from Alberta Canada to Auckland New Zealand and enjoyed some time with a teacher friend whose home was in the Bay of Plenty area of NZ. From NZ I flew to Brisbane and the week before the Symposium I headed north to Cairns.

I enjoyed snorkeling and seeing a small part of the Great Barrier Reef. I joined a tour of the rainforest in Daintree National Park and I had a visit to the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary in Kuranda.

Back to Brisbane where I shared a room at a Backpackers Hostel with friends from Canada, I participated in the mass ringing rehearsals and attended amazing workshops at the Symposium. The final concert and the closing banquet were highlights of this International Event.

After the event I spent another week in the Gold Coast area and enjoyed visiting friends and seeing the sights in this beautiful part of the world.

Have you ever been ‘down under’? What is your favorite thing to do in this part of the world?

# living life abundantly   # published author