by Carla Caruso

Content creator Udani Abey migrated to Australia from Sri Lanka with her husband 13 years ago.

Since arriving, the pair have been busy exploring all the riches Oz has to offer – including your Adelaide Park Lands.

We chatted to Udani to find out what inspired the couple’s popular Instagram account, Wander with Ud. The duo launched the account in 2019 and now have more than 7000 followers.

Hi, Udani. Please tell us more about your Instagram account, Wander with Ud.

Hello there! Connecting with the wonderful community around us has been an amazing experience. The content on Wander With Ud is the result of a joint effort by myself and my husband, Bash Dissanayaka.

Our shared love for travel and photography inspired us to create this profile five years ago. As passionate explorers and photography lovers, we were driven to capture the beauty around us and share our adventures with our loved ones.

Little did we know that our journey would captivate the hearts of travel and photography enthusiasts worldwide! We are incredibly thankful to all our followers who have joined us on this extraordinary adventure. 

Being true to ourselves [online] is essential. When we wholeheartedly pursue what brings us joy, and share that with those around us, it resonates.

What interesting travels have you undertaken since launching the account?

We are passionate about exploring Australia. It’s a stunning country with so much to offer.

One of our most memorable adventures took us to Alice Springs in central Australia. The sheer size and beauty of landmarks, like Uluru and Kata Tjuta [The Olgas], left us in awe, showcasing the incredible power of nature.

Learning about the Indigenous stories and history behind these remarkable sites also made us realise just how vast and diverse our world truly is.

As well, we have created content for some ‘gifted’ holidays, including [holiday home] Cristal Murray River, Waywood Wines & Accommodation, the Pink Lake Tiny House, and a few projects with the Riverland. We have a couple of other [sponsored] holidays lined up for the coming months too. 

How often do you frequent the Adelaide Park Lands?

We’re a bustling family, with both my partner and I working full-time in our day jobs, content creating for Instagram, and parenting a lively kiddo [their nine-year-old son] who demands a lot of attention.

I am a chemist, working in a food testing laboratory, and my husband is an interior architect, working for an architect firm in the city and as a professional photographer as well. 

But, once we step into the great outdoors, it’s like all our worries disappear. The instant relief and joy we feel give us the energy to power through each day.

We make it a point to escape to the outdoors at least once every week, and we've found the perfect haven in the Adelaide Botanic Garden [Park 11]. There are lot of activities there for every season, ensuring that we never run out of things to do!

What keeps you busy when you’re not creating content?

We love everything about music! It's the one thing that keeps us feeling truly alive. Every night, my boys take out their drums and sing their hearts out.

Music feels like therapy to me. When everything else fails, it has the power to work magic.