One Akubra, Six Years of Serendipity & Plenty Of Humour: Denya Dean’s Hat Trick
We chat with avid traveller, storyteller and mother-to-be Denya Dean. When she’s not at work in the corporate realm, Denya documents her travels and life adventures online, sharing her lens to the world with such genuine appreciation and honesty… with a great dose of humour mixed in. We were thrilled to welcome Denya and her partner Steve, to The Lord Byron for their babymoon.
Denya, travel has become such a big part of your life. How did that journey begin, and what inspired you to start sharing it with others?
Well, the initial push to leave work and commit to full-time travel sounds grim! However, it all began following my thyroid cancer diagnosis back in 2020. The initial three month trip snowballed into a three year long adventure. The inspiration for sharing the trip came from friends suggesting I should document my adventures, which at first I didn’t really care too much for however quickly turned into something I really enjoyed.
You capture your adventures so beautifully. For our fellow holiday-makers, what camera or setup would you recommend? And what’s one simple tip for taking photos they’ll love looking back on?
I am currently using a SonyA7iii with a 16-35mm 2.8 lens. I love this camera and really enjoy shooting in RAW and editing my images. I know how much time this can take so anyone time poor I would suggest picking up a Fujifilm camera with built-in editing, so the camera does all the work for you — especially for anyone who loves that vintage look!
We have to ask about your love story. In 2019, you walked into an Akubra store and were helped by Steve – who, unbeknown to you, was a sixth-generation Master Hatter at Akubra. Fast-forward six years and your paths crossed again, leading to where you are today, on your babymoon together in Byron Bay. The kind of serendipity that makes a great Hollywood film – we love it!! Can you tell us the story from your perspective?
I just love how we met. It is so special that we met buying a hat, knowing Steve’s family history in hat-making!
When I walked into the Akubra store and saw Steve, I was a bit starstruck by this tall, handsome man behind the counter. I thought “what is wrong with you! Act normal, or leave the store before you make a fool of yourself.” So I went to leave before he turned around, but as I was walking out he asked “can I help you with anything?” and I thought… Damn it, act cool. Thank gosh he caught me before I left because we wouldn’t be here if he didn’t.
Steve often refers to the invisible string theory that it wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when our paths would cross again.
And so now we’re curious – what are your travel personalities like? Who chooses the destination, who plans the itinerary, who’s always finding the best food spots? Or are your travels as serendipitous as your meeting story?
As much as I love travelling, Steve knows it’s his job to book flights — because that task sends me into oblivion with the anxiety it holds over me! I’m the one who normally pitches to Steve when we take time off work and where we go; but when it comes down to booking… that’s all him. Decisiveness and attention to detail aren’t my skillsets.
When it comes to budgeting, I’m tighter than a fish’s bumhole, so Steve normally takes over to make sure we are not skipping on any of the luxuries. So we make a great team — definitely lost without the other.
Moving our attention to Byron, we’d love a rapid fire of your Byron Bay favourites from this getaway.
Favourite way to start the day:
Coffee! Glad Byron has so many spots to rotate around with. My favourite was High Life which opened at 6:30am most days which was great for those early mornings.
Favourite breakfast:
Our favourite breakfast was actually us heading to Woolies and grabbing a bunch of supplies and eating it in the heated pool at the Hotel. The whole pool area to ourselves and having the biggest spread of breaky goods. Helps when Woolies is right next door, would highly recommend!
Favourite adventure/activity:
We loved the hike down to Minyon Falls! Was a tough one while pregnant but well worth it. Also having the bikes to hire we had a great day zooming around town, the trek up to the Lighthouse was a bit ambitious but we made it to The Pass, to the Stone and Wood Brewery, and back!
Favourite store:
The Source Bulk Food. We don’t have one near home so we went hard on restocking our pantry for when we went home. We also really loved walking around Bangalow.
Favourite dinner spot:
I have two: Bang Bang was unreal, as well as Treehouse — we LOVED the vibe and entertainment there. Treehouse was the only place we visited twice (had to go back and try the pizzas).
Favourite mocktail (or cocktail for Steve!):
Treehouse had the best mocktail margaritas we could find, followed by the cucumber mezcal mocktail at The Balcony Bar. These both SLAPPED. Steve just drinks Great Northern lol.
Favourite part of The Lord Byron:
I was exhausted the week we went, so we spent a lot more time lounging around in the room, outdoor lounges and pool area. I’m so glad there were so many spots just to relax!
Favourite thing you packed:
Pregnancy Care Kit from Pure Muma made the holiday feel so much more luxurious.
And finally, a little life snapshot: what’s bringing you joy at the moment?
It’s calving season at home at the moment. I’m loving watching all the calves have zoomies, racing past our bedroom window every morning!
That wraps up our chat with Denya! To keep up with Denya’s travel and life adventures, or soak up her honest humour, you can find her @plentyofdust on Instagram.