The Outback Way, Day 4: Alice Springs and surrounds
Alice Springs provides a couple of days respite from the road, as we take time away from driving to explore this iconic outback town. A lazy…
The Outback Way, Day 3: Treasure hunts and space junk along the Plenty Highway
Even on the longest stretch of driving along the Outback Way, there was plenty to see: space junk, geocaches, outback cattle stations and giant termite mounds.…
The Outback Way, Day 2: Hunting the mysterious Min Min Lights
Tall tales are a feature of the Outback, where a “yarn” (Australian slang for a story) can get bigger in the telling. And the five-hour drive…
The Outback Way, Day 1: Dallying with Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs once roamed the countryside around Winton, a Queensland outback town that’s now famous for the evidence of their existence. Winton’s other claim to fame is…
My year of islands
Born and bred in an island nation, perhaps it’s no surprise that I’ve got a penchant for islands. And looking back on my travels this year,…
A very antipodean Christmas
Christmas in the southern hemisphere is almost incomprehensible to those who haven’t experienced it. For those who live on the far side of the planet, where…
A bird in the hand at O’Reilly’s
There’s a little bit of the “twitcher” in me. Some of you might understand what I mean by that; for the uninitiated it means that I…
Yarrabah – reality hits home in a place called ‘paradise by the sea’
As the crow flies, it’s only about 12km across Trinity Inlet from the bustling Far North Queensland tourist centre of Cairns to the Aboriginal community of…
Riding the ‘rails’ to Kuranda
Few travellers visit Cairns without making a trip to the rainforest village of Kuranda, about 34km up a largely winding mountain range from the city. Of…
Digging deeper at Mossman Gorge
Lush rainforest, water dripping from fern fronds, a gushing river over giant granite boulders and one of the world’s most ancient cultures combine to make a…
A Glass Half Full 