Winter wanderings
It’s winter in Australia, and you can spot the visitors, especially where I live in Queensland. They’re the ones wearing t-shirts and shorts, and sometimes even…
A Gold Coast sunrise
Artists and writers often talk about the quality of light in Australia. It’s different to anywhere else in the world; but subtle is not always a…
Feeling literary
Best-selling Australian author Graeme Simsion was kind enough to sign his second book, The Rosie Effect, for me last night. It was the second time I’d…
Teaching youngsters about culture
One of the delights of attending the Laura Aboriginal Dance Festival, held every two years on Cape York in remote north Queensland, is seeing indigenous youngsters…
The Prison Tree
The boab tree has always fascinated me. This strange, bottle-shaped tree has such an unusual form and each one is unique. Australian boabs are found only in…
Sydney’s QVB shopping centre
Shopping centres generally hold little appeal for me. But there are exceptions, and one of them is Sydney’s gorgeous Queen Victoria Building (affectionately called the QVB).…
Cirque du Soleil brings TOTEM to Brisbane
It begins with the “Crystal Man”, descending onto the stage in a costume made of 4500 small mirrors. It ends with a cast of 45 mesmerising…
A village in monochrome
Easter in the northern New South Wales village of Ulmarra brought patchy weather. Everything from blue skies and sunshine to a massive 3am thunderstorm and drizzly…
Lunch Timed at NEXT Hotel Brisbane
The days of the long, languid – and often liquid – lunch are long past. Gone are the days when businessmen and women would linger over…
Taking a walk in Sturt National Park
The Dingo Fence – also sometimes called the Dog Fence – runs for more than 5600 kilometres through Australia’s remote desert country and is the world’s…
A Glass Half Full 