Where to elope in the Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges
With COVID-19 wreaking havoc on the best-laid wedding plans, elopements have moved out of the realms of star-crossed lovers (think Romeo & Juliet, Angelina Jolie & Billy Bob Thornton) and […]
NOTEBOOK
Canter past Patagonian icefields. Sail the tranquil waters of Lake Como in Italy. Sip coffee in a Palestinian village. Listen to the ancient voices of Australia’s Arnhem Land. Climb the mountain paths of northern Albania. Let’s go!
Click & connect: on creativity in the COVID era
Recently, I teamed back up with photographer Jude van Daalen to talk about creativity in the COVID era, our collaborative project, ‘Together Apart: Life in Lockdown’ with Hobsons Bay City […]
A city sleeps: Melbourne moves into Lockdown #6
Last night, I walked through the heart of Melbourne as we went into our sixth lockdown. The city’s laneways rang with the sound of shutters going down as the city […]
Men getting married: best buck’s parties in the Yarra Ranges
You’d think it was a divergence from travel writing – writing about ideas for buck’s or bachelor parties – but this fun little story let me take a cruise through […]
Ten great car-free towns: from Hoi An to Hydra
Is there nothing better than a car-free town? I’m thinking those little hilltop towns dotted through Italy, the ancient marketplaces of the Middle East, the pedestrian zones of the otherwise […]
Winter in the deep north: Oulanka National Park, Finland
“What’s your favourite place in the world?” is a question often asked of travel writers. For a decade or so, the former USSR country Georgia was top of the list […]
Postcards from the edge: life in Melbourne’s Lockdown #4
It’s cold and rainy in Melbourne today, perfect weather for ducks and lockdown. We’re in what is shaping up as the last two days of a 14-day lockdown across Victoria […]
Camp Island the Great Barrier Reef’s newest private island escape, Queensland Australia
On a quiet Sunday afternoon in locked-down Melbourne, my beautiful daydream is of Camp Island, on the Great Barrier Reef. The little island is at the top of the Whitsunday […]
Reports from locked-down Melbourne
Melbourne is back in lockdown – it’s our fourth lockdown since the beginning of the global pandemic. On 1 one of our new regime, I had a chat with ABC […]
First look: new Next Hotel Melbourne
I love hotels. I love the time warp that hotels lead us into: suddenly, there’s a different view from the window, my toiletries all smell more exotic, I have far […]