wildlife | 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

Oct

Should I swim with whales? An ethical debate

A few months ago, I jumped in the chilly waters to swim with whales, as a pod of over-excited humpback whales were tearing up the NSW South Coast on what’s known as the humpback highway.

Swimming with whales in Australia is still a fledging tourism activity – should we even be doing it?

This swim with whales is run by Jervis Bay ecotourism company Woebegone Freedive, and we also had whale scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta on board, and together, we teased out the ethics of whale swimming and interaction, for this feature in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers’ Traveller section.

For some whale background, every year, thousands of humpback whales migrate from the chilly waters of Antarctica to southern Australia, where the split around the continent – some going to the western coast, and others up the east coast, where they find their favourite creche to nurture and teach their babies about life on the humpback highway.

Interestingly, one of those creches is near Fraser Island, where I also spent my childhood. We never knew anything about whales, because by the 1960s, we’d killed most of them for a lucrative whaling industry.

Thankfully, Australia banned killing these marine giants, and the population has begun to swell again. Some scientists put the population at about 40,000, so now we can see them in places like Fraser Island, Warrnambool in Victoria and Albany in Western Australia which, ironically, was the site of Australia’s last whaling station. It now makes its money from tourism, as people come to see the majesty of the animals we used to slaughter.

The trip was hosted by Bannisters Hotels, which offers a stay-and-swim Mollymook Migration package https://www.bannisters.com.au/mollymook-migration/

To read my discussion about whether we should swim with whales, jump to https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/i-swam-australia-s-humpback-highway-but-should-i-have-20240917-p5kbb7.html

Aug

Wildlife safari in South Africa & best holidays on a budget

Spot the Big Five on a South African wildlife safari…and then really start seeing what the Greater Kruger National Park has to offer.

This week on The World Awaits podcast, I interview Jacques Smit of Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, who takes us on a tour of the fence-free reserve within the Greater Kruger area.

Listen via our website at https://theworldawaits.au
Via Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-53-safari-in-sabi-sabi-best-budget-destinations/id1689931283?i=1000663977425
Via Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/6qCYPTcIWmHDYnJ9yvjZg0?si=5409c5290cdd45e0

Take a birding tour, a walking safari, visit local communities; then soak up the luxury trimmings – think spa, sundowners and stylish villas. Jacques shares some great travel tips on the best time to go on safari, how to combine it with other attractions in southern Africa and what to pack. Maybe, not a bright red puffer (like I did on my last wildlife spotting trip, to see pumas in Patagonia, in southern Chile. See sabisabi.com

Also, the countries that give the best bang for your buck, according to Expedia. The Philippines is on the list, which I agree is a beautiful, budget destination often overlooked. And health or travel – which would you spend to spend your retirement nest egg on? See expedia.com

Jul

Whale swim in NSW south coast: with 3AW radio Melbourne

Can you imagine the sound of a pod of racing humpbacks? We’re in the thick of whale season, and Australia’s south and east coasts are pinging with cetaceous shenanigans. Last week, I even took a whale swim with ethical sealife tour operator Wobegone in Jervis Bay, on the NSW south coast.

Note that there are currently no whale swims in our state – still a relatively new experience in Australia – which is why I crossed the border, and donned the wetsuit in Jervis Bay.

I had a chat with Melbourne radio station 3AW today about swimming with whales, and the best place to see whales here in Victoria.

However, Victoria has currently spectacular whale watching – I did a ringaround before the interview, and my head is filled with stories of people looking out their windows at whales, seeing them on their morning walk, spotting them on the ferry… the big ones are definitely in town!

You can spot them right across Victoria’s south coast – from Portland to Warrnambool, on the ferry from the Bellarine to the Mornington Peninsula, on The Prom and then they turn north, to head up Australia’s east coast. It really is magical!

The whales’ annual migration from Antarctica to its breeding and calving grounds off the Australia coastline is now on, and we’ll see our biggest visitors around for the next six months.

My whale swim trip was hosted by boutique hotel Bannisters by the Sea in Mollymook, which is owned by British chef Rick Stein and features an exceptional, sustainable seafood restaurant. And to get there, keeping the sustainability focus, I drove to Mollymook in a Polestar electronic car.

LINKS

Woebegone Freedive https://www.woebegone.com.au/

Bannisters by the Sea https://www.bannisters.com.au/mollymook/

Polestar https://www.polestar.com/au/

Jun

Best things to do on the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria, Australia

In Melbourne, you’re either east or west holidaymaker. Mornington or Bellarine; pick your peninsula.

Never both – east is the Mornington Peninsula – a holiday hotspot close to my heart. It’s where I took my first holiday, at six weeks, and I’m still back there whenever I can shoot through from the city. Stylish and loaded with great wineries and restaurants, cafes and some of the state’s best hotels.

West is the Bellarine Peninsula. It’s the little sister. Also with great places to eat and drink, with fantastic produce and glorious views. But it’s quieter, it’s more low key. Less corporate, more family-run.

The two peninsulas are connected by a ferry across Port Phillip Bay, so I took the trip from Sorrento on the Mornington side to Queenscliff on the Bellarine, complete with dolphins surfing in the ferry’s wake- how’s that for a great omen for the holiday ahead?

The results of my finds on the Bellarine Peninsula are packed into this story for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers’ Traveller section, where I find all the gold; from gold-leaf facials to gold-medalled wines plus wild beaches, wild pinot, wild seals and wild convicts: all just 90 minutes from Melbourne.

https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/nine-must-do-highlights-of-victoria-s-underrated-peninsula-20240610-p5jkii.html

I was a guest of Visit Geelong & The Bellarine. See visitgeelongbellarine.com.au

May

Travel in Australia: busting myths on 3AW

What travel myths do we tell international visitors about travel in Australia? That Perth is the world’s most isolated capital. That Brisbane is just a big country town? That Melbourne has the best coffee?

This week, I jumped onto 3AW Melbourne radio to chat with afternoons host Tony Moclair about these myths, which fellow travel writer Ben Groundwater exposed in his article for the Sydney Morning Herald/The Age newspapers, titled Seven big myths we tell tourists about Australia, busted.

Click below to listen, and tell me what you think!

What other great myths are there about Australia? That everything – from sharks to emus – wants to kill you. That we’re all blonde, blue-eyed and beach loving. That every meal is a shrimp on the barbie… What’s your favourite?

To read Ben’s article, click here.

https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/reviews-and-advice/seven-big-myths-we-tell-tourists-about-australia-busted-20240528-p5jh7u.html

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

Jun

Hiking in the Grampians National Park: Victoria, Australia

The new Grampians Peak Trail is a hiking route that spans 160 kilometers of terrain through the Gariwerd/Grampians National Park in western Victoria, Australia.

It’s an amalgamation of existing trails and 100km of new paths through the national park. Some parts can easily be walked by families with kids – I even spotted little ones in gumboots, doing a walk to a local waterfall – while other sections lend themselves to the more adventurous, with camping and hut stays on offer.

I chatted to Philip Clark of ABC Radio’s Nightlife program, about hiking through this beautiful part of Australia. You can click here to listen to the interview.

It’s also the cover story for this week’s Senior Traveller – have a look here!

And finally, a couple of links to get you planning your adventure along the Grampians Peaks Trail:

The official site for Parks Victoria, which looks after all the state’s national parks.

Grampians Peaks Walking Company supports hikers with drop-offs and pick-ups, food and water drops, maps and even gear hire.

Visit Victoria is the state’s tourism body, and has a good overview of the trail, as well.

May

Take a break: short escapes in Victoria, Australia

Take two days on the Mornington Peninsula or the Yarra Valley, or three days in the Grampians? What’s your choice for your short escape this autumn?

In the Grampians, three hours north-west of Melbourne, you should hit the track on the new Grampians Peak Trail (visitgrampians.com.au), which cuts north-south through Gariwerd-Grampians National Park. You don’t have to walk the full 160kms – that’d take 13 days, but bite off a day walk or a short, scenic walks to local beauty points. For the quickest panorama hit that’s accessible by car, watch the sun rise at Boroka Lookout.

Otherwise, cruise the wineries and beaches of the Mornington Peninsula, or head an hour north of Melbourne to the green, green hills of the Yarra Valley.

Click here to read my suggestions in the cover story in the weekend Traveller section, which runs in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.

Jun

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 for its beautiful mountains, fabulous food and warm welcome, along with perennial favourite Morocco, and I wouldn’t have lived in Egypt and returned each year if I didn’t love it.

However, a latecomer is Finland. I’ve long been curious about the country, and finally, after many visits to neighbouring Sweden (and, to be honest, hearing all their mean-girl jokes about Helsinki), I took the plunge and visited, mid-winter. This time, I had my then eight-year-old in tow and through UK travel company Exodus Travels, experienced a Finnish Christmas way off the grid in Oulanka National Park, about 800km north of the capital, on the Finnish-Russian border.

‘Remote’ is one way to put it. Beautiful, serene, fairy-like and perfect are some other words easily applied to our week spent in log cabins in the national park, where we cross-country skied, sledged, snowshoed and, crazily, someone threw a pair of reins in my hand and sent me off into the snowy wilderness with brace of huskies.

I wrote the story up for Holidays with Kids, just before this whole pandemic became a thing, and I’m so proud to share it with you.

Click here to take a look at the full story and the current edition of Holidays with Kids.

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