conservation | GlobalSalsa: travel writer Belinda Jackson

Jun

How can we protect Africa’s wildlife from poaching? Go on safari! The World Awaits podcast

How can we protect Africa’s wildlife from poaching? Go on safari! Australian author Tony Park is my guest on The World Awaits travel podcast this week, chatting about safaris in southern Africa, where he lives on the edge of Kruger National Park, and his whodunnits all have a strong conservation theme.

We’ve teamed up with Tony and publisher @macmillianaus to give away five copies of Tony’s latest novel, Die by the Sword, to be released on 29 July!

To win:
Follow @theworldawaitspodcast on Instagram or Facebook
Like this post https://www.instagram.com/p/DKlUKNIp654/?igsh=NHhkZHEwMGYzNTlw
Tell us in the comments below where you’d like to travel to next, and tag your favourite travel buddy!

“Southern Africa is very hard to describe; for many people, you get bitten by something, or you breathe something in, and you become hooked,” says Tony.

Speaking to us from his home just north of Kruger National Park in South Africa, Tony shares his vast experience about going on safari in southern and east Africa. From the Kruger to the Kalahari, we’re taking self-drive safaris on a budget, which regions are better for different wildlife and wildlife poaching.

“The best way to tackle poaching is to uplift the communities and the people, who feel that their only option is to turn to wildlife crime,” he says. “So the best thing for wildlife is to visit Africa.”

Tony has published 22 novels set in southern Africa; his 23rd, Die by the Sword, is out at the end of July, and like all his novels, it has a strong environmental and wildlife conservation angle. You can read more about his 23rd novel, with a synopsis and behind- the-scenes author notes at https://www.tonypark.net/sword.html

T&Cs: Australian addresses only. Winners announced on the podcast on 26/6/2025 and notified by email.

#theworldawaits #podcast #travel #travelpodcast #southafrica #wildlife #conservation #africa #africatravel

Sep

The World Awaits: Bali and memorable wildlife encounters

On this week’s episode of my travel podcast The World Awaits, we discover how to have the best wildlife encounter (best for you, best for the wildlife), and is Bali really all it’s cracked up to be? Also, sip your way around the world at these leading wine destinations and find out how you can while away your time (for free!) at the airport. What an episode!

My co-host Kirstie catches up with award-winning wildlife photographer and journalist Rachelle Mackintosh to chat about the powerful impact of seeing wildlife in their domain. She shares hair-raising tiger encounters, talks of her obsession with sighting whales, and explains how you can ensure you’re doing the right thing by the wildlife experience you book, ⁠https://faunographic.com/⁠

I chatted with Bali-based author and travel writer Penny Watson, who moved to the Island of the Gods in the midst of the pandemic. Penny talks about how not to be an absolute loser when you visit Bali, and how to spread the love. We’re talking Kintamani, the waterfalls of Munduk, Amed on the east coast and Lovina in the north – basically anywhere beyond Ubud, Kuta and Canggu – for access to local businesses, ceremonies, and a connection to the Balinese people. She’s also just released her new book, Wilderness, which you can order here⁠ pennywatson.com.au/books⁠

Also, here’s the link to Alex the Flemish Giant bunny at San Francisco’s airport, take a listen to Belle’s chat with ABC radio Melbourne, talking about how to while away the time in airports around the world,

And a big shout out to our producer ⁠Alaisdair Leith⁠ for his zen-like patience, and to you for listening! Don’t be afraid to subscribe to The World Awaits via your favourite podcast wrangler or at ⁠theworldawaits.au⁠

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/episodes/Episode-12–Bali-and-memorable-wildlife-encounters-e28n42p

May

Hotels reborn: 10 historic buildings that are now luxury hotels

Where are you sleeping tonight? In a prison cell? A castle? A monastery. A jam factory? I’m talking about rooms inside buildings that have been reborn as hotels – buildings that may otherwise have fallen into irretrievable disrepair, or worse.

Traveller cover photo The Interlude @ Pentridge Prison

This weekend, my cover story in the Traveller section of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers is about hotels whose buildings have served a previous life – I rounded up 10 across Australia and abroad, with an extra serve of five Australasian hotels on the side. I looked at hotels as far apart as London, Peru and Turkey, which have been train stations, palaces, even a state Department of Education. Some, like the Las Casas de la Juderia, in Seville and London’s St Pancras Renaissance, were from recent travels. Some, like The Interlude here in Melbourne’s Pentridge Prison complex, are only just about to open. All are close to my heart.

Sometimes, it’s the location or the beauty of a building that lures developers to imbue it with renewed life. Other times, it’s the building’s backstory that a visionary can weave into its incarnation, to be reborn with new purpose.

“Heritage is the art of saving what is useful and beautiful, but also updating it for modern use,” says Terry Fripp, of Kerry Hill Architects, whose projects include Perth’s much-lauded COMO The Treasury, formerly Western Australia’s historic State Buildings.

It’s the ultimate act of recycling: reusing existing resources while also giving back, in the form of hotel restaurants, bars, spas and event spaces that are, for the most part, accessible by the public.

Click here to read my story on the 10 great hotels reborn, with another serve of five Australasian hotels on the side.

or see https://www.theage.com.au/traveller/inspiration/10-historic-buildings-reborn-as-stunning-luxury-hotels-20230512-p5d7vp.html

Aug

How to respect the Reef

Recently, I was up on Heron and Hamilton Islands on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, which is constantly in the news for being beautiful, but also for dying.

In my regular series in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age’s Traveller section, I chat with experts about travellers’ conundrums, and this trip sparked a column on how to respect the Reef.

The expert is Andy Ridley, creator of the global Earth Hour movement (which asks individuals and businesses to switch off their lights – in the house, in skyscrapers, on the streets – for just one hour). His newest project is Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef, a network of individuals, organisations and businesses working to conserve the Great Barrier Reef and reefs around the world.

His steps to respecting the reef include:

carbon-offsetting your flights
using reef-friendly sunscreen
visiting the Reef responsibly – using eco-accredited tour companies, not touching coral
and promoting the reef: if you see damage, report it. If you find beauty, tell the world.

To read the full article, click here

To become a Citizen, sign up at citizensgbr.org

Jun

scUber dives into the Great Barrier Reef

It’s been a big week on the Great Barrier Reef, with the launch of the world’s first ridesharing submarine, appropriately named scUber.

Uber has teamed up with a baby sub named Barry, for a month of dives to explore the Great Barrier Reef – currently hovering around Heron Island, off Gladstone, it moves up to Cairns this coming week.

Fancy a seat? They’re $1500 a pop, book on the app.

If you think it’s just a publicity stunt, you’re right. Queensland’s tourism board has teamed up with Uber to highlight the health of the reef, to encourage people to come and see it for themselves. Hopefully, they’ll learn to love our marine icon – the world’s largest living thing – and therefore help protect it.

You can read more in my news story for the Sydney Morning Herald’s/The Age Traveller section, there’s even a competition to win a seat on the mini submarine. Click here to check it out.