It's been over three months since my last post on Absolutely Lucy, the longest break I have ever had from blogging. I needed it, I needed time to live and grow and experience away from the screen. Three months ago I was really struggling, I let myself become overworked and exhausted, I was feeling pretty low about a few things and was starting to question everything. I kept trying to force myself to write but it just wasn't working. I couldn't find my flow. So I made an unconscious decision to take a big step back. I quit my job, made travel plans and decided to take some time for myself. Since we last spoke, I have traveled thousands of kilometers by car across Australia with the most unexpected bunch of people, I have explored so much of the country that has been my home for nearly two years and I've experienced a dream trip come true. I've lived out of a car, walked barefoot through national parks, bathed in icy cold waterfalls and swam with the most incredible deep-sea creatures. I've hiked and climbed, I've laughed and sang. This road trip truly was the one I've been waiting a lifetime for, but more about that at a later date.

Taking this trip without any pressure on myself to document, write or photograph every moment was just what I needed - I did it because I loved it, not to write or force myself to create. Instead of the posed photographs, I have a memory card full of candids of laughing faces and make-up free smiles - it's full of soul and that is more precious than anything. It's so easy for me to forget that although I run this blog as a hobby and a passion, I also treat it like a business and work just as hard at it - if not harder - than I do in my job. Travel blogging, or blogging generally, is much harder than you all think. So often I will work a full 9-11 hours, spending my breaks at the gym or running errands, then I'll head home and spend several hours writing and curating the pieces you read. It's hard work and so often I will let that get the better of me and push me into exhaustion - it's silly I know, but I'll never be one of those girls who settles.I have so much to catch you all up on, but for now I want to focus on this blog makeover. I have spent the last few weeks coding and building a brand new website that I feel reflects the newer, more grown up, Absolutely Lucy. You see, I started this blog over three years ago and a lot has changed in that time - my whole life in fact. My relationships with friends, family and loved ones, my career choices, my lifestyle and travel plans, they couldn't be more different. When you first met Absolutely Lucy, I was a 24-year-old girl who had just come out of a nine-year relationship and was on the brink of quitting my job in journalism to travel the world. Now, almost four years later, I'm a 27-year-old woman who has been traveling solo for three years across Asia, Australia and Europe, has set up an online business single-handedly, and who has completely fallen for someone amazing who has made her question whether solo travel is for her anymore. That's a pretty big life change in just four years and while I still have the spirit of the old Absolutely Lucy hidden inside - the girl who just wants to live life to the fullest and experience all the world has to offer - I also have a whole new view on the world.

We all change and grow as we learn more about ourselves and the world around us, so this blog should be no different. Since I started blogging for fun, I have won awards, been commended and mentioned in magazines and online articles, and more recently have worked with some amazing companies including Emirates, Thompson and Durex. This blog should reflect how Absolutely Lucy has grown since that very first blog post and how the writer behind the blog is changing as the years go by. This will still always be the blog for first time or inexperienced travelers seeking an adventure beyond their wildest dreams. I plan travel for every budget and time-scale from weekends away, to festivals and longer holidays, to gap years. Nothing is outside your reach, just as I have achieved so many amazing experiences - so can you, with my help. As the clock ticks down on my final months in Australia and my Eastern adventure comes to an end, it seems right to reinvent Absolutely Lucy to fit with her future plans.

To everyone who has been messaging me to ask where I've disappeared to, it's lovely to have been missed. Absolutely Lucy is back in business and I can't wait to share my West Coast adventure, and future travel plans, with you all.

Let me know what you think of my blog makeover - what do you love about the new look?

Today marks the start of a brand new adventure. Yesterday, I sat in my apartment attempting to squeeze my life into my backpack and felt like I was standing on the edge of a precipice about to jump. Oh god how I've missed that feeling. I've missed the feeling of freedom and excitement at picking up and starting again somewhere new and different. I've been back in Melbourne for five months after living here for five months last year - don't get me wrong, Melbourne has turned into a home from home for me and remains one of my absolute favourite places in the world. But when you know it's time to go, it's time to go.

Living in the city, both times, has been a real challenge with surreal highs and some crazy lows that have left me questioning everything. Every time I come here, I seem to end up in jobs that push me to the very end of my tether and while I've loved my cocktail waitress gig and have had an amazing time working on a rooftop bar all summer - I am more than ready to move on and get back to traveller life. This last few months have been both amazing and exhausting - I've worked too much in my goal to save as much money as possible and I've had to sacrifice my writing due to lack of time and routine. But at the same time, I've made some amazing new friends and I've had some pretty special adventures in this city and beyond. I don't regret a single second of it, but I know that out there a healthier and happier life is waiting for me, so I think it's about time I went and found it.

This past week has been a flurry of goodbyes and leaving drinks, after living here for a total of ten months I've picked up a pretty special crowd along the way. I want to say a huge thank you to every single person, who no matter how short a time we spent together, really made my Melbourne experience. Now I plan to finish my time here with a bang, tonight I'm heading to a pretty incredible house I've rented with my friends for a joint-birthday celebration along Great Ocean Road. We'll be spending the weekend there and, just as it should be, I'll be finishing my time in Melbourne with the people who mean the most to me. Follow me on Instagram and check out my InstaStories for all the live updates.

So what's next for Absolutely Lucy?

On Monday I'll be flying to Adelaide, where I'll be catching up with an old friend and checking out the city for a week. I'm definitely going to need a chilled week after this hectic last few weeks in Melbourne! Then I'm heading to Perth, where I'm hoping to find some road trip buddies to start heading up the West Coast with - it's been a dream trip for a long time and I'm so excited to be on the road again. I can't wait for the sunshine and beaches after this last week of rain in Melbourne, get me tanned, fit and healthy again. I've slipped into so many bad habits lately, not sleeping enough, barely eating and drinking way too much - hospo life has definitely got the better of me - so now I'm looking forward to taking care of myself for a while.

I'm excited to get back to blogging and to be able to focus on my passion for a while instead of working the same repetitive job and having the same conversations over and over again. Being a waitress in the bar was fun but I'm so much more than that and I can't wait to pursue the things I really love, to have the time and the energy to be creative again. I'll miss my big city life, my cute little apartment all to myself with a gym downstairs, my local coffee shop and bars where the staff remember my orders, my work crew and how much they cared about each other. I'll miss the families I found in my neighbours, my work crew and my besties I've met all over Australia. Melbourne is an incredible city but it is always the people who make the place and I've been lucky enough to meet some amazing characters who I already can't wait to see again. Next week I'll have lots more to share with you all - trust me I have a lot of adventures to catch you all up on! But for now Melbourne, over and out.