go-see-do guide for adventurous travellers
‘If it’s a choice between my camera and the family jewels, you know what to do,’ I instructed Pilchard as I plunged into the thigh-high frigid water flowing through Ormiston Gorge. Despite the hypothermia warnings on the Ormiston Gorge fact sheet, it was either that or return the seven km (~4.5 miles) we’d already come over a cross section of[…]
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Reflections at Glen Helen Gorge, Central Australia, Northern Territory The rugged red rocks that make up the natural wonderland of Central Australia have spawned thousands of photos – many of which reside in the depths of my memory cards. And there most of them shall stay … In 2004 on our first visit to Glen Helen gorge deep[…]
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Approach south eastern Victoria’s magical Bright region Victoria from any direction, spot Mt Buffalo’s impossibly scenic bulk dominating the skyline and you’ll swear you’re not in Australia! It’s difficult to believe the soaring granite cliffs and outcrops leading to the extensive plateau more than 1200 metres above sea level were once much higher. Right at the end of the Aussie[…]
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Most people know what a traditional Scotsman wears under his kilt*. But far fewer people know what a Frenchman wears under his sarong! I’d never given this tragic gap in my knowledge any consideration whatsoever – I mean, who associates Frenchmen with sarongs? But if this vexed question HAD been keeping me awake at night, I certainly wouldn’t have expected[…]
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My mother was born and bred in Western Australia, right in the heart of the fabled wildflower zone. If I had a dollar for every time I heard how wonderful the Western Australian wildflowers were compared to anywhere else in Australia – if not the world – I could have travelled round the world to find out for myself! But[…]
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My hard-won title of ‘World’s Greatest Coward’ was in no danger of disappearing as I stood poised on the first of the 140 hand-hewn rocky steps descending into the depths of the chasm. Above the Grotto: A loo and no view! The Grotto’s inauspicious car park and ‘rest area’ had promised worse than nothing. A desolate expanse of bare, rocky[…]
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Western view from Five Rivers Lookout, Wyndham, Western Australia The lookout with the most staggering scenery in Australia will always be a matter of personal taste. There are so many contenders that jaded travellers have been known to pass up the opportunity to see yet another lookout over even more staggering vistas. Southern View – Five Rivers Lookout, Wyndham, Western Australia[…]
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A good morning in Kununurra starts really early. That’s because this town in the East Kimberley is just west of the Northern Territory border and the Central Australia time zone. Crossing the border into Western Australia means you gain 1½ hours so what was 7:30 am in the Northern Territory is now 6:00 am! And the sun is well and truly up[…]
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‘It’s just a short walk up the gorge starting over there,’ the kiosk attendant told the three fit young women in front of us, waving casually towards the trail head. Then it was our turn. Pilchard produced his senior’s card. ‘The track is uneven and rocky, and there’s a couple of creek crossings so please take it easy and take[…]
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It’s getting increasingly difficult to do something that no one else – or at least very few – have done. Even the ‘I’ve-climbed-Mt-Everest’ club is not the insider clique it once was … But conquering Mt Wycheproof, deep in the heart of Victorian Mallee country should cement my mountain climbing credentials once and for all. Because I’ve now done what[…]
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