It's so green it hurts my eyes. While most of NSW is currently bone dry, Dorrigo, on the edge of the Great Dividing Range, is a vibrant, emerald stripe. When it rains it gets even greener. And it rains a lot. People come here for the rainforest and the many walks and waterfalls in the... Continue Reading →
Italy's once beautiful Cinque Terre has been ruined by mass tourism. The buses and trains are bursting, pickpockets roam the trains, walking tracks are closed due to landslides that haven't been repaired and the charming towns are overrun with tourists. Locals look either bored or grim, tourists look harried and gelato costs a bomb. It's... Continue Reading →
Everything good in Central Australia happens at dawn. Whether it be walking, hot air ballooning, photography or just admiring the views, dawn in the desert is outstanding. Getting up is hard but once you are up it's worth it. For us it was tackling Kings Canyon, the set piece walk of the vast ochre wonderland... Continue Reading →
Sydney is known for its spectacular coastal walks but this is one of the best. All the icons are there (bridge, harbour, Opera House), as well as heritage buildings and lovely coastal forest with wildflowers in season and the odd bit of wildlife. This one is my personal fave - for me it is the... Continue Reading →
Walking while tipsy is generally not recommended. But in Austria it feels just right. The series of mountain huts dotted liberally in the alps is just what you need while hiking. And hiking is a good way to work up an appetite for Apfelstrudel served with lashings of cream and a schnapps. Don’t mind if... Continue Reading →
Beaches, check; ferry ride, check; coffee, check; wildflowers, check; wildlife (sorry - mostly big lizards), check and magnificent ocean and harbour views at nearly every turn - massive check. But Manly to The Spit is more than a checklist of Sydney icons: it has soul. For a start, it's not necessarily an easy walk. It's 10km one... Continue Reading →
A lot of un-nice things are said about The Shire in Sydney's south - complacent, white bread and insular. Well maybe, but when you take a look at the scenery, you kind of get why they are insular. Parts of it are bloody marvellous! One of my favourite parts is Royal National Park. You can drive, but why not... Continue Reading →
Mt Egmont (or Taranaki, depending on your age group) is an extinct volcano on the North Island of New Zealand, around a six-hour drive south west of Auckland. I've been there many times to do walks around the base, but only tackled in twice. It's one hell of a mountain. At a smidge over 2500... Continue Reading →
What do you do when the thought of adventure still grabs you, when you fancy getting out in nature for a walk but the thought of roughing it makes you break out in a cold sweat? Here’s the plan. Join a walking tour with a reasonable amount of hiking, and the incentive of a warm bed and cold... Continue Reading →
I've just come back from a regular pilgrimmage to Kosciuszko National Park. We normally stay at Thredbo, mostly because Perisher goes into summer hibernation, and well, Thredbo has a chairlift. We've stayed at lots of different Thredbo accommodation over the years, but keep coming back to Lantern Apartments, mostly because of their floor to ceiling views of Thredbo Valley. We did Merritts... Continue Reading →
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