After emerging from quarantine, it felt like the world had changed, there was no toilet paper in the shops, the pasta sauces and canned food were reduced to almost nothing. I now had to queue at the checkout on very specifically marked crosses on the floor. This was a new kind of world and one where I had not been told the rules, so safe to say my post quarantine food shop was an event in its own. Barring this adventure, there was not much else to do. The University had advised us to begin working from home and travel restrictions were in place to only go to places locally. I felt this was as better time as any to visit some of my favourite local hikes and walks in Adelaide, enjoy!

Hallet Cove conservation park boasts beautiful beaches and spectacular coastlines, I am very much drawn to nice beach walks and this one is stunning. There is a board walk that leads up to a spectacular lookout where you can spot dolphins swimming and down near the water there are rock pools full of small crabs and molluscs. The cliff faces tell the immense history of this site, belonging to the Kaurna aboriginal people, you are able to make out the glacial pavements which are a record of the Permian glaciation.

The next adventure I found myself surfing in South Port, Port Noarlunga, this is my favourite local surfing location. This is where the Onkaparinga river meets the ocean. This is one of my favourite spots in Adelaide, mainly because at the mouth of the river there are cliff faces boasting beautiful burnt orange and deep red colours. It is like a window into history where each layer has a story to tell, on top of this the bird life around here is wonderful. There are hooded plovers running along the beach and cormoran’s nesting in crevices in the rock face. There is also a plethora of coastal dune plants and the council has done incredible work to maintain diversity and plant presence here, stabilising the dunes and maintaining a beautiful landscape for all to enjoy.

Cobbler creek is a great local favourite, it is very so close to suburbia, yet it feels like you are in Aussie bush scrub with beautiful eucalypts and amazing rugged landscape views. This is brilliant for a day hike, especially in winter when the creeks are flowing, and everything is green. It is a great way to get away for a little bit and take in the fresh air and the peace and quiet.

This is a challenging time, who knows when things will return to normal. I have already had the Lindau nobel laureate meeting postponed until next year as well as another conference due to the coronavirus situation. Thankfully the Lindau organisers are hosting an online version, so I will still get a chance to network and engage until I can make it in person next year. This is definitely a good time to get back to nature, be grateful for what you have and take the opportunity to re centre yourself and prioritise what is important. So where have I gone after escaping quarantine?… Into my own back yard.