go-see-do guide for adventurous travellers
Bruny Island As far as I could tell, the fashion police hadn’t made it down to Bruny Island’s Adventure Bay. Just as well. If they had, they’d have been handing out infringement notices left, right and centre on board our purpose-built Naiad. We were donning the Bruny Island Cruises complimentary waterproof onesies – our only protection from the winds[…]
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Even if I’d been to Woodenbong BEFORE I listed the Aussie place names that WON’T keep you guessing, it never would have made the cut. Yes, there really IS a town called Woodenbong. And no, this Northern New South Wales town just south of the Queensland border and ~150 km west of coastal hot spot Byron Bay ISN’T named after[…]
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Picture this. You log on to the internet one day and open your email. There’s a message from someone you don’t know who turns out to be a managing editor for a major publishing company. She asks if you’re interested in turning part of your blog into a book. No, this is NOT a hoax! A couple of days later[…]
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As this FAAAABULOUS January 26 gets under way, the ozone layer prepares itself for a high carbon emission onslaught and the planet’s remaining trees breathe a sigh of relief. It’s Australia Day and almost compulsory to have a barbecue and PROVE your Aussie pride. Do this by putting Aussie flags on every conceivable product from toothpicks to tablecloths; serviettes to[…]
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For some, the whole point of Central Australia is Uluru. For others the whole point of AUSTRALIA is Uluru. And who can blame them? It’s HUGE. It’s magnificent. It’s RED!! But Central OZ isn’t just about Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Of COURSE they’re several kinds of awesome, but there are lots of other attractions that’ll show you just as good[…]
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I slowly climbed the hill through the knee high dry grass, each step raising a cloud of dust. Every stick looked like a snake. But that was better than the other way around. The heavy breathing behind me increased. The horse that owned the paddock was getting tetchy. I wondered what he’d do when he found out the camera bag[…]
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The last few kilometres were heavy going as I trudged back to camp. The bright daylight faded into twilight as the sun sank below the eroded peaks surrounding the amazing Wilpena Pound valley, centrepiece of South Australia’s Flinders Ranges National Park. The evening coolness rose as we entered the campground. While taking an 18.8 kilometre (11.7 mile) hike might not[…]
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In the 12 months of this year Australia gave to me … 12 Veterans Medals 11 Wind Turbines 10 Mountain Peaks 9 Mallee Tree Trunks 8 Points of Interest 7 Mile Beach 6 Strata Layers 5 Telescopes 4 Turtle Cakes 3 Plump Seals 2 Wild Orchids and a Beetle near a Gum Tree!! Merry Christmas! Want MORE? Check out the[…]
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Australian Opal I didn’t understand all the fuss about SiO2.nH2O until 2004. That’s when I first visited Coober Pedy. It’s slap bang in the middle of absolutely freakin’ nowhere in the South Australian Outback. And it’s where I first found a piece of SiO2.nH2O I wanted to take home with me. You might know SiO2.nH2O better as Hydrous Silica. Or[…]
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I’ve got Pilchard to thank for some of our more obscure travel destinations. If not for him, I wouldn’t be out birding. And if not for birding, I wouldn’t have been in this marvellously scenic spot near Werribee on the outskirts of Melbourne’s west! As I photographed the sunlight glinting across the waters of Port Philip Bay to Portarlington, and[…]
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