The Secret Family

A sense of home to me has always been about the people.

I went into my time in Alice Springs with a strong dedication to refocusing on my own design work, writing, fitness routine in the morning…productive goals. 

But of course, I’m easily distracted. Instead, I tried to sometimes be productive while watching parts of the epic Marvel Comic Universe movie binge before the new Avengers: End Game. I did always put my computer down for the group watch of Game of Thrones on Monday nights - with the final episodes I was grateful to have people to discuss with and help feed my obsession.

It wasn’t really the movies or the shows that drew me in, it was the people. Where do I even begin? Probably with this screenshot of all of us with weird SnapChat filters.

Patricia - my morning partner in crime as the laundry goddess. Brazilian and full of an insane amount of energy, she could talk your ear off with her stories but always be willing to listen too.  Arielle and Amandine, always down to watch cheesy Netflix romcoms or dance it out in the mornings after work. Arielle was the resident kitchen master, and enforced the washing/drying of dishes to keep the hostel clean (crucial!). Jess, the resident Brit that every family dinner fed my chips/dip addiction with amazing crackers and hummus.

The German sisters, “Tim Tam” and Tanja, always down for activities whether the Sunday markets, sunset (which I kept missing!), or live music at Monte’s. Tim Tam spent the last two years traveling and was full of advice for Alice and the Northern Territory.

William (truly Guillaume but when I tried to pronounce it correctly in French, he told me I should stick with his English version William), looks great in socks and sandals and is not the best bowler. Samson, Kiwi and the most gentle soul - creates amazing jewelry from avocado pits, rocks and gems found in nature. Simon, with a broken arm and a true German love of beer, brought us all together with a group What’s App chat

And of course Jo! We didn’t spend much time together in Alice but have more than made up for it since.

As this section is ever evolving, I didn’t expect to write about a group of people! But I need to share my love for the Secret Family and how important they are to my time in Australia! The community at the Alice Secret Travellers Inn is amazing and all thanks to Seb and Miriam bringing such a group together!