Nicole Buckler visits Petra, the world’s most perfect ruin.
The most intriguing and stunning site in all of Jordan is the ancient lost city of Petra. It reverberates with the same energy today as it did when it was alive as a caravan city around 300 BC. It still has the power to stagger and disarm even the most seasoned and worldly traveller.
Perfect Petra
Petra – from the Greek meaning `rock’ — lies in an enormous deep desert valley about 80 kilometres south of the Dead Sea. Seeing the dead city for the first time proves to be more dramatic than any modern-day movie special effects. Strangely enough, the ancient city became widely known because of Hollywood’s fascination with the location.
Steven Spielberg put it on the world map when he set up camp and filmed the Indiana Jones flick, The Last Crusade, looking down into the Valley of Petra. Parts of Lawrence Of Arabia were also filmed at the same place. And, it’s easy to see why. It is as awesome, dusty and red in real life as it is on film. Of all the ruins and dead cities in the world, Petra retains its romance and emerges from the desert like a diamond in the rough pink sand. It is a little piece of gorgeousness in a savage, thirsty and harsh environment.
Al-Khazneh – The Treasury – is one of the most elaborate temples in the ancient Arab Nabatean Kingdom city of Petra. It was named the Treasury in the early 19th century by the area’s Bedouins, they believed it contained treasures.
The Siq
At the entrance to the site, you walk down a tiny gap in a wall of rock, which seems to go on forever. And, unexpectedly, the first, and most amazing building appears before you, between the rock walls. It is a beguiling and other-worldly experience.
The first glimpse of Petra’s Treasury upon exiting the Siq. The Siq is the main entrance to the ancient Nabatean city. It is a dim, narrow gorge which winds its way approximately 1.2 kilometres and ends at Petra’s most elaborate ruin, Al Khazneh.
Only opened to tourists in 1993, Petra is now awash with waves of visitors. The gates to the city open at 7am, and this is important to remember. It is in the early hours of the Jordanian morning that a visitor can soak up Petra in all its stillness. It is a surreal beauty in total peace. After about 9am, the tourist operators invade with their legions of followers. It is nearly impossible to get a photograph without the entire state of Texas in the frame. However, even with all the camera-happy crowds and the camel bandits, it feels completely still. Nothing can compete with its sheer magnificence. It’s worth fighting off the crowds to see every single beguiling part of it.
You can trek to the top of Petra in just two hours.
Nabatean Carving
The most fascinating thing about this city is that it wasn’t BUILT. It was CARVED by hand into the sides of the mountains that rise up vertically from the floor of the narrow Petra Valley. It is thought that a people called the Nabateans gouged the ancient city into life over 2000 years ago. Being prone to earthquakes, the area was left with many narrow but deep rifts. This gave the Nabateans a perfect blank slate to create the city.
The rocks consist of layer upon layer of swirling colours which provided the perfect palette. The Nabataeans exploited this in their architecture to magnificent effect. They perhaps used low-tech hand tools made of flint and iron, carving architectural masterpieces into the pink sandstone. It is thought they hung onto the ropes thrown over the top of the mountain. The carvers supported themselves mid-air while they created the amazing buildings.
Being in a valley, most of the architectural masterpieces of this ancient city have been protected from the sandstorms and the driving rain by the opposite mountain face. Still, the hand-carved façades are made of crumbly sandstone. Over the centuries these have gradually changed. Sculptures once depicting warriors and horses are now shaped by the weather into headless postmodern art. It would be worthy of putting in the middle of HOTA.
History of Petra
Little is known about Petra until about 300 BC when the Nabataeans, one of many Arab tribes, occupied it and made it the capital of their kingdom. It became a wealthy commercial empire that extended into Syria. Even less is known about the Nabataeans themselves. They were thought to be Arab desert nomads, who settled in this strategic location of the Great Rift Valley. In its heyday, the city was famous for two things: Its trade and its water engineering systems. It was the Nabataean knowledge of water management that allowed this city to flourish into a trading centre in the middle of Jordanian nowhere. Traders came to Petra to drink.
The system of aqueducts can still be seen today, 2000 years later. To produce water in a desert was the same as striking gold. This attracted camel caravans en route from trade centres such as China, India, Arabia and the Mediterranean. These traders came laden with spices, silk, and frankincense, and they brought a cosmopolitan nature to the people of Petra. And, the Nabateans got rich. Petra became a vital halting ground on the Spice Route.
The Nabatean civilisation flourished, acquiring goods in exchange for water and hospitality by the city’s residents. And, the safety of the city walls between mountains offered the caravans added protection. The Nabateans had the market sewn up – and they pumped the surplus riches into the carving of the astounding stone creations.
Invasions
The mounting riches of the Nabateans attracted the eyes of the Roman Empire. Of course, later in the century, they conquered Petra’s 3000 people. And soon enough, the architecture took on a distinctly Roman feel. However even the Romans could not stop the slow decline the city’s fortunes and its eventual demise. Shipping routes rose to greater prominence and rendered the overland route as uneconomical. Caravan routes shifted elsewhere. As a final nail in the coffin, a devastating earthquake had a severe impact on the city in 551 AD. It set Petra on the road to irretrievable ruin.
Petra became a backwater for the next 700 years. The nomadic Bedouin people kept its existence a closely-guarded secret from the outside world. It completely disappeared from most maps and was known only through ancient lore.
Rediscovery
Westerners became aware of Petra for the first time when it was rediscovered by the Swiss Explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812. Burckhardt had heard legends of the city during a visit to North Africa. He had the monumental advantage of being able to speak fluent Arabic. It occurred to him that myths surrounding the secret mountain enclave sounded a lot like the Petra, which ancient historians were calling “the lost city.” Burckhardt went on a mission to find it. He disguised himself as an Arab Muslim trader and hired a local guide. He knew that the Bedouins guarded the secret of the city’s location well. So he made up a story of needing to find Aaron’s tomb so as to sacrifice a goat, as he knew Aaron’s tomb to be in Petra.
Burckhardt rediscovered Petra, and only spent a day in the lost city, (much like modern tourists), not wanting to arouse the suspicion of his guides. However, he became the first westerner at Petra in seven centuries. Upon his return the west, he told the outside world about his discovery.
Bedouins in Petra
It is thought that the modern-day descendants of the Nabateans, who built Petra, are the Bedouins of Jordan. They are a desert people that still live a nomadic, tented life. Many of them, up to recently, still lived in Petra. However, wanting to develop Petra into the world’s most fantastic archaeological site, the Jordanian government relocated them. The Bedouins were evicted, having lived in Petra’s caves for thousands of years. The government set about building the Bedouins a village nearby. Even though they are officially displaced, the Bedouins return each day to do commerce with the tourists.
The Bedouin life certainly doesn’t strike a tourist as easy. Most sell Coca-Cola or jewellery or a ride on a withered donkey or a cranky, weary camel. I came across a little girl about four years old, selling colourful rocks that she had found. The fact that the ground around her was littered with the same rocks seemed of no relevance. To her, it was dignified way to beg.
Many tourists are reluctant to believe that the Bedouin people have been fully removed from Petra. Some fires can still be seen at night, and the ceilings of Petra’s stone buildings are blackened by campfire smoke.
Petra by Night
The most majestic time to see Petra is at night. The operators of the twilight tour run about pre-departure and put candles all throughout the entrance to the city, making the night walk a magical, eerie time to visit. After dark Petra is almost abandoned by tourists, bar a few scattered Bedouin families and their goats. Petra’s designation by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site reflects efforts to protect the city and its artefacts.
Ongoing excavations uncover more culturally delicious information on a daily basis, even as tourism swells at a steady pace. Amongst the ruins, archaeologists have identified 800 tombs, a market, a forum, shops, baths, and a huge Roman amphitheatre. The amphitheatre itself was painstakingly carved out of a mountain by hand. It is amazing to run up and down the seamless steps and enjoy the high-quality acoustics.
Petra isn’t just an archaeological wonder amidst startling desert scenery, it is also surely the world’s most perfect ruin.
Logistics
The best way to see Petra is to stay at one of the hotels at the entrance, in a little town called Wadi Musa. If you are religious, then you will believe that Moses led the Israelites through Wadi Musa on the way to the Promised Land. Remember, this is the desert, bring a lot of water and wear sensible shoes.
The best way to get to Petra is to fly into Amman airport, then it is a four-hour drive down a highway which has English signposting. You can get a public bus direct to Petra from Amman bus station, if you don’t want to hire a car or taxi.
Nicole Buckler, Editor-in-Chief
Author Bio: Nicole Buckler has been a journalist for over 20 years, working in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, London, Dublin and Taipei. She recently returned to the Gold Coast, saying she has seen the world but the best place on earth is right here, and she’s never leaving again. You can contact her at Nicole@sunkissmedia.com.au
Aqua. Remember that word if you are thinking about a boating holiday… Check out what the 1% are hitting the high seas in!
This boat is not so much a boat – but a bucket list on water. Named ‘Aqua,’ this is amazing concept superyacht comes with an eye-watering price tag of $645 million.
And here’s the fascinating bit – it has been designed to run on liquid hydrogen. The only emission that will come out of it is water.
Recently, Bill Gates was rumoured to have commissioned one to be built for his family’s seafaring life. However, the company who designed this incredible seafaring vessel – Sinot – have been forced to release press information saying that there is currently no connection with Gates.
The yacht debuted at the Monaco Yacht Show at the tail-end of 2019. This silver beast has room for 14 guests and 32 crew. While on board, passengers can use the gym, a yoga studio, beauty room and massage parlour.
Says Sinot, “In the design and development of Aqua, our team derived inspiration from owners’ lifestyles, the fluid versatility of water and cutting-edge technology, combining all of this in a 112m superyacht with truly innovative features.”
AQUA PROPULSION
Many new seafaring vessels have been highly optimised over the past few years. Diesel-electric combinations have grown in popularity. But Sinot want to take the discussion into an entirely new realm. They are doing this with their hydrogen-electric system, which is capable of providing all onboard energy needs.
Using hydrogen, Aqua can hit 17 knots and travel 6035kms before the need to refuel. That’s about the distance from England to the USA. There is a second back-up diesel engine, just in case there isn’t a hydrogen refuel point on the way.
As for the tanks, they are huge. Each tank weighs 28 tons, is vacuum sealed and cooled to -253C in order to hold the hydrogen fuel. In fact, the two massive liquified hydrogen tanks have been made into onboard art. On the lowest level, the hexagonal-textured surface structure of the tanks sits behind a giant façade of strengthened glass.
THE DECKS
Aqua is configured with a with a five-deck set up. The aft deck features a unique and innovative series of platforms cascading down towards the sea. A large swim platform allows all Aqua passengers to enjoy the ocean at sea level.
WELLNESS
The indoor health and wellness centre is a water-world of serenity. To get to the wellness area, passengers pass through a sensational circular tunnel. Moon-shaped portals surrounding the central lobby lead to the gymnasium and massage room.
The hydro massage room offers massages administered by pressurised water jets. Invented by the Romans, hydro massage remains one of the most popular, wellbeing-enhancing massage techniques.
The gymnasium has a gym-wide hatch, which opens to reveal the ocean’s surface at water level. This creates the perception of exercising on an island paradise. A yoga space and workout floor is positioned so that all gym users to enjoy the magnificent views and close proximity to the water. All the while, they are protected by the strengthened panoramic glass window.
OTHER INTERIOR AREAS
Situated at Aqua’s core, the spectacular circular staircase is one of the yacht’s defining features. It winds from the top deck, down to the lower deck. It floats naturally in place around a cylindrical void.
The spectacular owner’s pavilion occupies the front half of the upper deck. It is the ultimate private apartment – arranged in a vast open-plan area of interlinked spaces. It is divided by finely-crafted wooden screens providing intimacy and subdued lighting. Floor-to-ceiling windows supply an incredible impression of openness and freedom.
Aqua’s large master bathroom is accessed directly from the bedroom section in the owner’s pavilion. The use of premium surface finishes, such as the pitchblack, and highly reflective precious marble floor, accentuates the timelessness of the interior.
With amazing views over the ocean, the scenery can be enjoyed from both the showers and the free-standing bathtub.
ROOMS
Located on Aqua’s beach deck, close to the waterline, the spacious VIP state rooms have perfect ocean views. Features include textured silk carpets, fully customised furniture pieces in sustainable woods and the use of multiple textures in wall and ceiling panelling.
SOCIAL AREAS
Aqua’s beach deck lounge is a constellation of interlocking spaces. Its inner section has a secluded fine dining setting, for 14 guests. Towards the aft deck, there’s a custom-designed circular couch. It is ideal for hosting informal chats while enjoying the seascape view through the floor-to-ceiling glass façades.
The circular setting can also be rotated to transform it into a home cinema.
To the aft deck, where the infinity pool cascades to sea level, there are sets of lounge chairs with the best views of the ocean. Gel-fuelled fire bowls allow guests to stay warm without having to burn wood or coals.
The inside and outside of this vast space can be connected by opening the curved, sliding, floor-to-ceiling glass doors. It has been designed for intimate alfresco dining or extensive sunbathing in absolute privacy.
THE BRIDGE
Aqua’s wheelhouse is located under the bubble hood-shaped roof on the bridge deck. It is designed as a cockpit with a 360° view all around. It creates both a great working environment. And, a spectacular space in which the owner and guests can enjoy the operation of the yacht.
Want to buy this beast? The vessel is not expected to be ready to take to the open seas until 2024. So you may have to wait. It looks like it will be worth all the suspense, though!
Love? Lust? Hate? All three? The horoscope knows all! Find out what is happening for you this month as Indigo Sparrow reads your zodiac.
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 19)
This month, your horoscope planetary movements suggest that creeping boredom may get the better of you. It is important to get out and entertain yourself, and not wallow in how boring everything is.
For singles: Make new friends with people you know vaguely through work. The business and romance houses are in each other’s path at the moment, which only happens for another few months. The planetary movements are suggesting that you may have more than one beau to choose from – both are willing to wait for you.
For couples: It will be an emotional time. You will need to support each other all through some stuff soon. Just remember the mantra: “Give them whatever they want.” Remember, they just want to be happy, and you do too.
TAURUS (Apr 20 – May 20)
The planets are in the right alignment for fun this month. So cut loose and have a seriously wild time. Forget about your cares, while your planetary alignment is free from trouble. Now is the time to get crazy.
For singles: You don’t have to accept the most obvious person who is in front of you and jumping up and down to get your attention. Just because they are making themselves the most noticeable, doesn’t mean they are right for you. If you look behind that person, another one in the wings might be worth considering.
For couples: The planets are showing that this fortnight, you will need to shake things up. You’ll need to come up with new ideas, and if that means acting a little unattainable or elusive then so be it.
GEMINI (May 21 – Jun 20)
As your month begins, the horoscope says you already feel that there are good things on the agenda for you. The Moon, Mars, Saturn, and Uranus are all on fire as your week kicks off, so your energy will be at a peak and you will feel better than ever before.
For singles: You will be in total control of your emotions and you will be feeling like nothing can affect you if you don’t want it to. Your logical thinking will also be at its best, which aids you in making some excellent decision this year in relation to a relationship.
For couples: This year is a year for you to plan an adventure together. Accumulate your holidays, or even change jobs if you have to. This is a year to try new things.
CANCER (Jun 21 – Jul 22)
This month is a time of change for you. So when things go a bit downhill, you can make one of two decisions. You can learn from your experiences and go onto bigger and better things after that. Or you can wallow in your mistakes and stay that way for the rest of the year. What you need to do is dust yourself off, and get moving again, and you will have a great result by the end of the year.
For singles: You will try new things, go places you haven’t been before, and meet new people, some of who you will actually like…yes! People can be awesome!
For couples: Your family matters will be in harmony so enjoy it. As for finance and money, some property decisions will need to be made very carefully this year.
LEO (Jul 23 – Aug 22)
This is a time for body and mind. You need to reduce your stress levels. Get it out of your life, out of your mind, and out of your heart. Just focus on being happy and everything will fall into place.
For singles: Try to put less focus on work, and more on being happy and feeling well. The horoscope wants you to focus on being optimistic, no matter what is happening around you. This attitude will attract the right person very soon.
For couples: Life can be complicated sometimes and you may feel this now. However, life is a series of cycles, and soon times will be less complicated and less confusing. The one thing that you need to keep in mind, however, is that no one is perfect, and to give people a chance to redeem themselves.
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sep 22)
This month, you will feel like things are moving very fast. Commit yourself to more than you can handle, because you underestimate how much you can actually do. When it comes to friends, you are highly loving and protective – more than one friend will need you to close ranks around them now.
For singles: You must be able to walk away from drama from your past and enjoy your life, otherwise you will feel taken over by it. There are a few alignments this year that could prove to be romantic, but you must let the past go!
For couples: The horoscope says you need to be a bit flexible this fortnight. Instead of always just saying no…try saying yes and just being way more agreeable than you have been. Watch it work wonders for your relationship.
LIBRA (Sep 23 – Oct 22)
You’ll have a bit of extra time so use it wisely. Don’t go straight to hedonism, as this year could be a good year to make some well-researched investments. Even if they are small investments, they could come good for you within a short time frame.
For singles: The horoscopes says this year is a good year to find someone, on one condition: make sure that person is completely single and has closed up shop with their previous partner. Do not commit until you can be sure that their focus is totally on you.
For couples: There are a lot of things that can go wrong this year in romance. If you partner is telling you they want you to change, then change. Don’t wait until you have been spurned before changing, do it now.
SCORPIO (Oct 23 – Nov 21)
You need to restructure your life to make your goals happen this fortnight, so get stuck in. The horoscope is also saying that this is the month of relationships. Be sure to make time for people in your life. Don’t get caught up in stuff that doesn’t matter.
For singles: The urge to start a new relationship will be strong now even if you are not ready. But sometimes, you can’t help get caught up in the romance of the moment, so this time you might just have to let go of your reservations and fall in.
For couples: Start a mutual project that will bring you some good times. Renovate a house, restore a car, go on a hiking holiday…whatever it is, it is the fact that you two work well together that will strengthen your bond.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
This month in your horoscope sees some tough planetary alignments for you. There will be good times and bad times. The way to mute the bad is to plan carefully for a rainy day. Start now and ask your friends to hang close to you. As for work, there will be ups and downs there too. But again, don’t panic when things are a bit tricky, plan well and be ready.
For singles: If you are single the planets will be working for you this month. But this is on the proviso that you stay open to say yes to every invitation or opportunity to meet someone. Don’t be judgemental at first impression…just remember to consider the slow burners.
For couples: Beware others who feel a need to interlope. Don’t get lax, and keep an eye out.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
Scorpios have a few things going on planetarily this month, there are some clashes in the celestial heavens that will make you feel you are being pulled in two different directions. This will send a few opposing currents in your social life. Be careful not to fall out with friends, and make sure you show up for them when they need it.
For singles: Be aware that you are not being very co-operative. If you want to find love you do have to get out there and present yourself to the world. The lover in shining armour is not just going to knock down your door and hunt you down.
For couples: Check your jealousy this year. The horoscope says you are known for your jealous streak, so keep your cool and don’t give in to the psycho inside you.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
This is a month to stay composed, but you know this already. When trouble hits the fan just stay calm and carry on. Once you lose it, it will all go wrong. You may need to take two holidays this year just to get away from it all.
For singles: Several movements in planetary alignments suggests the past coming back soon. There will be good and bad that comes with this. Don’t make any impulsive decisions; just let things unfold slowly so you have all the information you need. Only trust that person if their actions equal their words.
For couples: Don’t overcommit yourself to things outside your relationship. You may need to pare back a few activities and commitments and your lover needs a little more attention than you are giving.
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
There are a few “endings” indicated in your alignments this month, so stay the course with friends and avoid arguments like the plague. Work will be competitive; however, you are well able for it. Stay calm and keep being your usual high-performing self.
For singles: It’s not going to be easy to choose well this year, due to choppy waters in your planetary alignments. Just be really careful about making sure that person you are interested in is all they are saying they are. You might need to ask a few people to “step aside” so the real contenders can come through.
For couples: This will be a good, steady fortnight. There will be no surprises, which is a good thing. Be sure to cherish special events together and have special alone time.
Author bio:
Indigo Sparrow is a spiritualist specialising in tarot card reading, psychic predictions and the horoscope. She lives on the Gold Coast with her husband and two children.
If you are looking for a local psychic, we can recommend Susan Kennedy who is based at Southport.
Jet Ski Safari. Those three words can make all the difference! This is a great day out for the whole family tree, from the kids, all the way through to the grandparents. Nicole Buckler reports.
Jet Ski Safari: Keeping the Kids Entertained
When kids are in their tweens and teens, all they want to do is be with other kids. But I refuse to be rejected by my kids just yet. Dammit, I was in labour with them for a long time. They will have family fun with me, whether they like it or not. I just need to find family activities that won’t kill or maim their image or their soul.
My kids are now 10 and 12, and parks and other indoor play areas are just not cutting it. They don’t even want to go to the beach with the family unless friends come, too. Well, excuse me for being daggy company. So when I started looking around for family adventures, Jet Ski Safaris caught my eye. This is a company that takes people on tours of the Spit/ Broadwater/ South Straddie area – on jet skis.
And here’s the good part. Kids aged 12 and over can drive the jet ski themselves, as long as a parent is on the back. So for our family of four, we only had to hire two jet skis, with the option that the 12-year-old could have a go at driving it on the way back. There’s other good news: we didn’t need a licence. We just had a little lesson beforehand at the Jet Ski Safaris’ school of life. We also had to take a test afterwards to make sure all the info had sunk in. My kids smashed the mini exam, and then subsequently cheated for me on the understanding that I forgot my glasses… (I didn’t)…and off we went.
This jet ski safari activity is rated as Gold Coast’s number-one adventure attraction on TripAdvisor. The Foo Fighters are fans of the activity. They return again and again to do the tour. And if it is good enough for the Foo Fighters, then my family can learn to fly, too.
If you aren’t familiar with jet skis or are considering buying one for your family, this is a great experiment. While they look like they are quite unstable, they are actually super-hard to tip over. Also, you don’t need to be fit or even mildly coordinated to use them. Take me as an example. In my mind, I am training for the Gold Coast Marathon in July. But in the real world, I am highly unco and often distracted by shiny things. And the entire trip was easy stuff for me.
There would be very few people who couldn’t do this activity. There were older people on the trip, plus younger people, and even people who couldn’t swim! There were four grey nomads (senior travellers) on the trip, and they crushed it. It really is a great day out for any age.
Everyone wears a life jacket, and the group leaders keep an eye out for anyone who falls off and needs a pick-up. The life jackets are attached to the ignition. So if you fall off, your jet ski goes dead. That way, no one has to swim far to retrieve their jet ski. The jet ski safari is all good, even for people who can’t swim, as long as they have a basic level of English.
As we were led out in a line, following our leader, from the take-off point near Seaworld, I was nervous. There were a lot of other pleasure craft on the water, and I was worried I would make a bad move and cause some fancy cruiser to go full Titanic. But actually, like a roundabout full of motorbikes going different directions in Ho Chi Minh City, it all seems to work out. Humans, we got this. Like a flock of starlings, baby.
I had my youngest on the back of the jet ski with me on the way out. My kids grew up in Ireland, they are fresh off the boat to Australian life. While they can speak Irish and are completely oblivious to never-ending rain, they can be a little soft in comparison to hardy, outdoor Aussie kids. So the ten-year-old was a little nervous. Okay the truth will set you free…She didn’t trust my driving. Rude.
At the start, we were required to go slow and get used to the jet ski. Also for the instructors to ensure that we were not going to fly through the air and take out a helicopter full of tourists.
But after they are satisfied you can handle the ski, all bets are off. They take off and you are expected to follow. At the start, I drove like a granny three days from the grave. But after a few minutes, I was driving like Evel Knievel. My little one started out with her eyes closed, fearing the worst. But after about ten minutes at full speed, she accepted the wind in her hair and actually spent the journey singing in joy.
The trip we took was the 1.5-hour jet ski safari along the beautiful sub-tropical shores of South Stradbroke Island. It is such a stunning trip. Why do we leave this stuff to the tourists? We all need to do this trip. It’s hell fun in a stunning tropical wonderland. And I liked riding along inhaling the same air that the Foo Fighters breathed.
We headed north for 20 kilometres, weaving our way up past beautiful Islands, beaches, sandbars and through mangroves. Then we arrived at a tropical bar called Tipplers on South Stradbroke Island.
Here you can have a breakfast buffet, or just some drinks and snacks, and a rest on the beach, watching other people enjoy their pleasure crafts. We have never owned a boat or a jet ski, having lived in Ireland for two decades. But now I have the full picture about why people love these vessels so much. It was just. So. Much. Fun.
After a break at Tipplers where wallabies hang around like they own the place, we all got back on our jet skis. We were all looking forward to the best bit – the ride home. The reason why it is SO DAMN GOOD riding home is that by this stage, you are familiar with the jet ski and how it works, and all your nervousness is gone.
With my older kid on the back this time (my husband and I swapped kids), I became a wave terrorist, full of confidence and daring. My daughter kept telling me off as I did cool stuff. Ugh, kids these days, such squares.
On the way out towards Tippler’s, I avoided waves. On the way back, I actively sought them out to jump them and generally act like a really cool idiot. IT WAS SO FUN!
My husband was the same: on the way out, he was more cautious. On the way back, he was deliberately dropping back from the crowd so he could speed up and do stunts. Afterwards, I asked my kids who was the better driver and the most fun. They said their dad. FINE. Next time, he can be in labour with them for several days.
And the best part of the way back was jetting back into my favourite skyline in the world: The Gold Coast. It is a stunning view to absorb. Fish jumped, birds flew overhead, helicopters zoomed by, and the buildings grew in front of you. Yes indeed, I am in the market for two jet skis, thank you very much. But the most important question: did the tween and the almost-teen like this jet ski safari adventure?
They absolutely loved it. While the 12-year-old had plans to have a go at driving, at the last minute she decided that she preferred to be chauffeured around the Gold Coast. No change there then. But next time, she has ambitions to drive the whole way. It really was a fun, bonding experience for the family, and my kids didn’t think it was a daggy family hell. Winning!
I chatted with the grey nomads afterwards, and they too loved it and found it easy to negotiate. The safari takes place ever Saturday and Sunday. But there are other tours if you want to sleep in.
They have off-peak lunch safaris where you can stay for longer on South Stradbroke Island. You can visit Tipplers Cafe, Couran Cove or McLarens Landing Beach Bar as well.
My advice? If you’re planning on signing up for this jet ski safari, get a pair of wetshoes and a rashie. Don’t forget the sunglasses, and have a whale of a time.
Online sales are the key to economically surviving the hellscape that is Covid-19. Evan Connell tells us how to succeed online.
Let’s Get Started
Having an e-commerce website as well as a brick-and-mortar retailing site is a really good idea. The e-commerce site allows you to reach customers who are not in your immediate vicinity. Your online website can be open 24/7. Most bricks-and-mortar retail outlets cannot be open all day every day. Also, the operational costs of an e-commerce site are much lower.
Many customers are starting to prefer shopping online to actual shopping in-person. Despite this, so many online shopping websites utterly fail. This is due to several issues, and most have easy fixes.
Here are some things that you need to be aware of to ensure your ecommerce site is a winner.
Online sales: Have good quality images
Make sure you display the product from several viewpoints. Use excellent quality photos, that enables the customer to zoom in and really check the product out. Customers cannot pick up the product, so you need to provide the closest substitute to this as possible. If your photos are of poor quality, you will almost certainly lose the sale.
Have excellent product descriptions
Make sure your product descriptions are very detailed, and unique to that product. Don’t use generic descriptions, which have been supplied to you from the supplier. You need to draw in the customer with creative product detail. Put the effort in, it is worth it!
Missing contact information
Having clear, easy-to-find contact information makes customers trust you. Having it buried deep in the site is not a good idea. It will put a trust barrier up superfast and they may even just simply log out and never come back.
Customers need to know that they can contact you if a problem arises. If they get this peace of mind, they are much more likely to spend money with you. You need to show your location, your full contact details, and your phone number. If you don’t, then your customers won’t be breaking down their trust barriers any time soon.
Complicated checkout
The big, successful ecommerce websites all have simple purchasing processes. This is why they are so successful. Make sure you keep your payment process easy and clear. Once it gets too complicated, with too many steps, customers are likely to get spooked and click away from the purchasing process.
Online sales: Make registration optional
If customers have to register for their first product, they might not commit to the purchase. Let the customer go through the checkout process. Then give them an option to register their details at the end. If they come back for a second purchase, their details will be saved and the checkout process will be even easier. Otherwise, let them view products and buy as a guest, and use the checkout as a guest. It builds trust and is more likely to get that sale.
Don’t have hidden fees
People abandoning their cart is a massive problem for online retailers. A big part of this is surprise fees added at the end, like unexpected shipping costs. The shipping rates need to be clear from the very start of the purchase process. Show customers clearly how many items (or the spending threshold they need to cross) to get free shipping. Hiding them until the end is a big no-no. It is easy to give your customers a shipping calculator based on where they are in the world.
Which Screen?
Most shoppers are moving away from bigger screens like laptops and tablets to their mobile phones. You need to make sure your website looks great on both types of screens. Make it a priority to be mobile responsive, so your customers don’t click away because your site doesn’t load properly.
Tell customers what to do
As soon as your customers log on, tell them what to do. If they get confused or cannot work out the next step, you’ll lose them. Pages that don’t have products for sale on them should steer the customer towards the products you want them to buy. Make sure they are guided through your website from start to finish.
Online sales: Marketing
Your products are ready. Your site is finished and looks snazzy. And now, you have arrived at the hard part – internet marketing. You might have the best ecommerce site in the world but if you don’t drive traffic towards it, then it’s not worth having.
You will need to create an inbound marketing strategy. Then implement it. You will need to collect leads from social media, Google organic and paid advertising. As you start to get sales traction, people will start rating you online and offline, and you’ll be able to grow your business. But you will need to get the initial marketing right.
Engage with your customers
Get into the minds of your customers. Talk to them if you can on social media by creating a discussion etc. If a customer is not satisfied with a product, or has returned it, try to find out why. This way, you can work out what went wrong and make the process better for future customers.
Targeting
Make sure you are targeting the right market. You may have many online campaigns driving customers to your site. But if they get there and it is not what they are into, then your marketing efforts are wasted. You’ll need to research what your target market likes, and match that to your ad campaigns and how your website looks and sounds.
Get the pricing right
Pricing online is incredibly important. Online shoppers can check with other websites in just minutes. In physical stores, they have to walk from store to store. But online, you have to be smarter. If your price is too cheap, customers will think your products are rubbish. If the price is too high, then they will just go to an alternative supplier. Keep an eye on your competitors and work out your customers’ pricing ‘sweet spot.’
Online sales: Conclusion
You can build a business online with minimal overheads. But it does take some thought and work to make it a truly great selling machine. If you want more advice, you can contact the author from our contact page.
The organic pool has entered the chat. The movement to swim in natural bodies of water, instead of artificial, stagnant bodies of water full of chemicals is growing momentum. Several decades ago in Austria, people were used to swimming in wild, pristine lakes in the summer. When they moved to the cities, they wanted the same experience. When the first natural pools started to be built in Austria, people were amazed. The idea spread to Germany. And then all across Europe, as far as Britain and Ireland. And now, the idea is taking hold in Australia.
A lot of people don’t like the artificial smell of chlorinated pools, or the “dead zone” of water that is created. And, people can also get red eyes, green hair, and skin problems from the chlorine. So “organic” or “natural” pools have started to appear. There is a whole online community, where people are teaching other people how to self-build natural pools. And, these pools are very inexpensive and relatively easy to construct. Additionally, they become a nature strip – a paradise for local creatures and birds. David Pagan Butler of Organic Pools tells us how we too could have a little piece of paradise in our garden.
Organic Pool Construction
A natural swimming pool is simple to construct and works perfectly. Indeed, there are many people who would have you believe this is too complicated for the nonprofessional. That is nonsense. It is hard work but deeply rewarding and completely achievable.
Why do we smile, or for some of us, struggle to contain our gushing beams of joy, the first time we see a natural swimming pool? Is it because inside we know this is so right. It is giving something back to nature by the creation of a small wilderness? Perhaps we have always secretly wanted to jump into deep luscious pools of freshwater. But we have been frightened off by decades of myths listing battalions of hazards awaiting any adventurous swimmer.
Building an organic pool
Organic pool: Nature
Today, flourishing on a tide of awareness, we see living freshwater with fresh vision. Thankfully now, we can jump in as happily as an otter. A natural swimming pool, or the name I prefer – organic pool, has been the most magical addition to our home.
It is a beautiful place to observe nature throughout the seasons, bringing us closer to wildlife. The multitudes of species that now live in the pond are an endless fascination to my children. They spend hours observing them from the small jetty which traverses the shallows. They dangle down their nets to catch water boatmen or dragonfly larvae for a close-up look at these incredible creatures.
Creatures will come to say hello in your organic pool.
Then come the birds, visiting the pond in the morning and evening. They skim the surface to drink or bounce with delicious splashes to bathe. Dragonflies patrol, buzzing into skirmishes with intruders. Bats flit in and out of their invisibility cloaks in the evening glow reflected on the pond. And sometimes, in the skidding sunbeams of the morning, I may catch the iridescence of a kingfisher feeding on water beetles.
This pond has become another stepping stone for wilderness. Local native flora and fauna has found its way in and flourished, increasing local biodiversity. If we create more ponds, we will contribute to re-establishing our country’s diminishing freshwater network.
Organic Pool Swimming
And of course, there is the swimming. Our children are learning to swim in a healthy environment free from the unpleasant effects of disinfectants found in most pools. I imagine, one day we will look back and wonder how we ever thought it was reasonable to let our children swim in anything other than natural water.
Until now only people with a fair amount of cash have been able to consider having one of these pools built for them. But there is a different way. I built my organic pool for roughly $12,000. And knowing what I know now, I could do it for considerably less. It takes a lot of work but, after all you’ll be saving tens of thousands of dollars by building it yourself, and I can’t think of any work more rewarding than creating a pool. Once you see how easy it is to construct one of these pools, the process will be demystified and you’ll think it’s a project you could happily be immersed in.
Organic pools work with nature to provide clean healthy water for swimming. Plants and animals in the pond condition the water without the use of chlorine or other disinfectants. So the water doesn’t sting your eyes, bleach your skin, corrode your teeth or make your swimming trunks fall apart. Instead, the water holds a vibrant and diverse ecosystem, teeming with micro-organisms that constantly filter and devour any human pathogen that has the misfortune to plop in.
Not enough room for a large pool? Try a plunge pool.
Sections
In the Organic Pool, the area is divided into two sections, the swimming zone and the regeneration zone. The regeneration zone contains the plants so is also referred to as the planted zone. The pool has the deep swimming zone in the middle surrounded by the planted zone. The planted zone should represent at least half of the total area of the pool, and it is here that most of the water conditioning occurs.
The water is circulated throughout the whole pool. If a pool is large enough, with enough deep areas, then it can rely upon natural convection currents and surface wind movement to maintain the water circulation. If the pool is smaller, or the regeneration zone proportion of the whole is reduced below half, then technical equipment can provide the circulation and filtration.
You can even install a little sandy beach in your organic pool area.
Chemicals
Conventional chorine pools can expect a build-up of chemical residues, so the pool needs to be drained out and the water changed from time to time. The water in an organic pool, on the other hand, never needs to be changed because it is constantly being maintained by the pool’s ecology. This equates to a huge saving in precious water resources.
Because tap water contains chemicals that interfere with how a natural pond works, it is better to fill your pool with rainwater. All the rainwater that falls on our house is collected and pumped to the pool. Even better, it is quite simple to construct devices to divert the first flush of roof water away, reducing the amount of detritus making its way into the pool. It may still take many weeks or months to fill the pool, but if you are making the pool yourself, you will find that it fills up as you are working on the project.
The laboratory water tests for my organic pool showed, not only was it perfectly safe for swimming, it was good enough to drink. It comfortably exceeded drinking water standards in all parameters tested.
Organic pool: DIY Help
In 2007 I made my organic pool with the simplest circulation system I could devise, using only partially competent DIY skills, standard domestic plumbing pipes and bubbles. At the time, I had no idea it was such a novel approach but it turned out to be the world’s first bubble-powered Natural Swimming Pool. Compared to a commercially-installed pool, it was ultra-low energy and a fraction of the cost to build. I then effectively made the design open source, by just charging a small amount for my DIY film “Make a Natural Swimming Pool” and my Organic Pools DIY Manual.
The Idea Spreads
Since then, all over the world, others have taken up my design and applied it to their particular location. The pool was made for the UK climate. But the design has proved remarkably robust for a range of conditions. This is from the frozen winters of Canada to the tropics of Brazil. Indeed, interest for these pools has proved particularly keen for those in warmer climates. I suppose I should not have been surprised by this. Now there are examples in Goa, Bali, Ecuador, South Africa and Thailand. And of course, in Australia.
It is possible to make an organic pool with a swimming pool physically separate from the planted filtration bed. This is suitable for those who prefer their pool to look more like a conventional swimming pool. But it may also be suitable for some tropical locations where it is important to keep the local wildlife separated from swimmers. An organic pool built in South Africa has the planted filter bed surrounding the swimming area. But it is physically separate with a wall that doubles as a path around the swimming pool. The owner is now proud to have wild turtles living in his regeneration zone.
This DIY approach to making organic pools has led to more people rediscovering the joy of swimming in freshwater and simultaneously helping biodiversity for their local ecology. ■
Indigo Sparrow is a spiritualist specialising in tarot card reading, psychic predictions and the horoscope. She lives on the Gold Coast with her husband and two children.
