Jump in with Jacob 11 September

And breathe.

What a whirlwind of a weekend. From the elegant glamour of the Debutante Ball of the Year to the chaotic, colourful atmosphere of Queen Street during the Water Festival Grand Parade—it’s been equal parts dream and nightmare for a journalist trying to capture it all.

Don’t get me wrong, I thrive on this. These events remind me, time and time again, of the strength of this community. People show up, celebrate, connect—that’s the essence of rural life. That’s the Burdekin.

But then there’s the other side—the deadlines, the late nights, the mental roadblocks, the brain fog that settles in after a weekend spent running from one story to the next. It's a privilege, but it can also be relentless.

So, I’ve found my antidote—a good old-fashioned Mount Inkerman sunset. Seriously, try it if you haven’t. There’s just something about watching the sunlight melt over the cane fields as the breeze lightly massages your face that forces you to slow down. To breathe. To recalibrate.

One of the many things I've learned in my time here is the importance of striking that balance between chaos and calm. Deadlines and sunsets. Which makes having a 200m-high scenic lookout ten minutes down the road very convenient.

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