IT SEEMS LIKE AN UNDERSTATEMENT

to say that 2020 has not been the best of years. It started with the bushfires that ravaged large parts of the country. The vision of day turned to night under an ominous blanket of smoke shocked the world, and broke our hearts. And just as we were rallying, coming together as a nation to assist those affected and forge a collective focus on recovery, the pandemic dealt us another blow.

It says a lot about us as a people that we have not let both of these once in a generation events keep us down. Even with rebuilding still happening and border closures physically isolating us from each other, we have moved forward with a united spirit. We have holidayed here this year, we have filled empty eskies and we have committed to doing the right thing to keep our families, our friends and our fellow citizens safe and well.

This effort, this commitment, this resolve deserves reward. To breathe easy for a while. To enjoy our stunning landscape again. To rediscover the joy of sunshine on our skin and feel the warm embrace of balmy nights. It is time to reclaim summer, and in doing so celebrate our resilience as a nation. It is often said that there are two seasons in Australia: summer and everything else. It is a time when we recharge our positivity and become the best versions of ourselves. This issue is filled with sunshine, with fun, with memories of halcyon summer days, with hope for the days to come. It is a love letter to the most Australian of seasons.

Before the pandemic hit, we were ready to trumpet our commitment to delivering a magazine even more focused on assisting Australians to make informed choices in order to become more conscious and responsible travellers. While we missed the opportunity to launch it with suitable fanfare, please also consider the pages that follow as our line in the sand, the starting point from which we will be championing destinations, operators, communities and individuals who are committed to making the country we live in, and the world we exist in, a better place, both environmentally and socially. We will be offsetting all of our journeys, because that is the least we can all do, but we will also strive to help enact big change within the country we love.

So, it’s time to #ReclaimSummer, time to be better travellers, and time to find our joy again; share your summer with us by using the hashtag!

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Check into the remote Faraway Domes on p36; Put Mallacoota’s Wild Harvest Seafood Festival in your diary on p132; Discover Sydney’s best places to swim on p48; See summer in Queensland and across the country on p90; Explore Esperance like a local on p156.