The Dookie Rail Trail: Cycling in North East Victoria

The Dookie Rail Trail is a hidden gem half an hour's drive east of Shepparton in north east Victoria. At not quite 5 kms (10 kms return) it is much shorter than the usual trails we ride. However what it lacks in length it more than makes up for in scenery and charm. Struck by bad weather on a recent cycling trip to Victoria we found ourselves at the beginning of the Dookie Rail Trail with a promised few hours of clear skies. We parked the car, unloaded the bikes and headed out to discover rural Victoria at its best.

The Great Southern Rail Trail

UPDATED NOVEMBER 2025

Running from the New South Wales border to Phillip Island in Victoria, Gippsland is one of those rare regions in Australia where the grass is green, the rivers full and the countryside bucolic. All this verdant beauty comes at a price though, and that price is rain - lots and lots of rain. David and I are fair weather cyclists. We first came to South Gippsland to cycle the Great Southern Rail Trail (GSRT) in November 2019. We got one perfect day, one okay day and two days of wet, windy weather. Instead of the whole trail, we managed little more than a third, but it was a magical third.  We came back in 2021 (and again in 2023) to fill in the blanks.  We both agree The Great Southern Rail Trail is the best rail trail in Australia.  The scenery is lovely, the towns are idyllic and the wildlife, especially the koalas and echidnas we have seen right next to the trail, is magical. 

A Tour of Ned Kelly Country: Following the trail of Australia's most famous bushranger.

Edward ('Ned') Kelly was born at Beveridge in Victoria in December 1854¹. He died at the end of a hangman's noose in Melbourne Gaol on 11 November 1880. In his short life he gained an enduring place in Australia's history as our most famous bushranger (outlaw). David and I got struck by poor weather on a recent cycling trip to Victoria and had to find something else to occupy ourselves for a few days. As it happened I was in the middle of a biography of Ned Kelly and since we were not far from Kelly Country we decided to do a tour of the places whose fame still rests of the legend of Ned.

Like many Australians the main thing I knew about Ned Kelly was what he is most famous for - making a stand against police at Glenrowen. Vastly outnumbered, he donned a suit of armour made from ploughshares before shooting it out with Victoria Police. It made him look like a medieval knight and earned him a place in Australian folklore.

The Silo Art Trail of North-East Victoria

Silo art has taken off in Australia. In March 2015 the small town of Northam in Western Australia engaged two artists to paint murals on the 'canvas' of the town's grain silos. Brim, a country town in Victoria, followed up with its own painted silo, then Ravensthorpe in Western Australia and then Patchewollock and Sheep-Hills (don't you just love the names) also in Victoria. Not to be outdone, towns without silos embraced the idea and painted water tanks and towers. Before long there were painted silos, towers and tanks popping up all over the country and a movement was born - a peculiarly Australian movement.

Today there is silo art in almost every corner of the country. With more than 100 painted silos, water tanks and towers across more than 7,500 kms, following silo art trails has become the ultimate Australian road trip.

Sculpture by the Sea 2019

Sculpture by the Sea is on again in Sydney. Set against the striking backdrop of the coastal walk between Tamarama Beach and Bondi, the annual sculpture exhibition converts the most die-hard critics of modern art into fans. I admit I am not a fan of modern sculpture but Sculpture by the Sea sets out to make world class art accessible and enjoyable to the masses (for masses - read 'me') and it succeeds. It is hard not to be impressed.

Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi is the world's largest free sculpture exhibition, with 500,000 visitors expected during the 18 days in which it is open.  In 2019 there are 111 sculptures exhibited by 140 artists who come from 18 countries.

The Best Rail Trails and Bike Paths in Australia - UPDATED Feb 2020

UPDATED IN FEB 2020

Have you ever imagined yourself on a cycling holiday, but not sure you can keep up the pace day after day, and absolutely certain you don't want to dodge trucks and other traffic while rediscovering your childhood bicycle skills.  Have I got the solution for you!

Lots of old and disused railways which once ran through the countryside are steadily being re-purposed as 'rail trails'. With tracks removed, bridges repaired, or diverted around, and tunnels made safe they make perfect corridors for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Since trains never handled anything other than gentle gradients they are generally flat and easy to cycle. Their routes are dotted with small towns whose populations are welcoming and, as rail trailers arrive so do small businesses like trail side cafes, boutique accommodation, and bicycle support services giving country Australia a tourism boost.

Swooping Magpies: Surviving the Mad Magpie of Toogoolawah!

Talk to an American or a Brit or almost anyone else about Australia and the conversation inevitably comes around to animals. Not the cute ones, like koalas and wombats and baby kangaroos, but the ones out to get you - the deadly ones.  There is no denying this country has its fair share of dangerous creatures. Google 'the most venomous snakes in the world' and there are bound to be a few Australian natives on the list. Then there is the world's most deadly bird, the beautiful but very cranky cassowary; one of the world's most dangerous spiders, the Sydney funnel web; the lovely to look at but deadly to touch blue ringed octopus and the infamous Irukandji jellyfish. The funny thing though is that nobody ever mentions the animal Australia is most afraid of, the creature which sends grown adults into paroxysms of dread with a single flap of its wings, the springtime terror of southern skies - the Australian swooping magpie.

Pinnacles and Stromatolites: Ancient formations and living fossils on Western Australia's Coral Coast.

The Pinnacles Desert and the stromatolites of Lake Thetis make a great day trip for anyone with even a vague interest in what the earth may have looked like in primordial times. The Pinnacles may be as old as half a million years, while the stromatolites show life as it was at the dawn of time - 3.5 billion years ago. Bored to tears by geology in high school, I found the Pinnacles Desert and the Stromatolites of Lake Thetis fascinating.

No one knows quite how long ago the eerily, striking natural structures of the Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park, Western Australia were formed, but today they draw 250,000 visitors every year. Pillars of time-warn limestone, some several metres tall, jut out of the surrounding sand dunes like a petrified, paleolithic garden. Every structure seems to have its own unique, weather-beaten shape.

The stromatilites of Lake Thetis are babies by comparison. While the organisms you see are estimated to be only 3,500 years old, they are living descendants of the earliest life-forms to appear on earth - literally living fossils.

Hutt Lagoon, Western Australia: A pink lake you can drive to.

Hutt Lagoon near Port Gregory on Western Australia's Coral Coast is a brilliant effervescent pink - or at least parts of it were on the day we visited. I have been chasing pink lakes for a while now and I finally found one which is easily accessible. You might remember, last year David and I went all the way to Esperance on Western Australia's far south-east coast looking for pink lakes and sunbathing kangaroos. We lucked out on both scores. You can read about our search at Esperance: Pink lakes and kangaroos on the beach. This time we hit the jackpot. Hutt Lagoon was a bright shiny pink, just sitting there waiting to be instagrammed.

El Questro Station Bungalows: The best kept secret in the Kimberley.

The Kimberley in Western Australia is one of the last true wilderness areas of the world. I wanted to go there forever. David was not so keen! Being a wilderness, the Kimberley is a little short on reasonably priced, mid-range to luxury accommodation - the kind we usually stay at.

There are generally three types of travellers in the Kimberley. Those who pay a small fortune (think upwards of $2000 per night) to stay at an all inclusive resort, those who join a tour (all the tours involve camping) or those who have kitted themselves out with monstrous four-wheel drives. This last group sometimes camps and sometimes travels with an equally monstrous caravan. They have a rudimentary knowledge of how to fix things if they break down. They know how to pitch a tent, unhitch a caravan and cook on a campfire. They can ford rivers and 'lock diffs' (Does anyone know what that actually means?). None of these things are in our skill sets - and - David doesn't camp, full stop, end of story. He refuses even to contemplate the idea.

Mantra Geraldton on Western Australia's Coral Coast

David has a golden rule when it comes to holiday accommodation. Find the best place in town and stay there - who can argue with that - and so we found ourselves at Mantra Geraldton on the Coral Coast of Western Australia. This was meant to be a quick stop over on our way further north but Geraldton turned out to be a hidden gem. Four and a half hours from Perth by road, it is the last large town for more than a thousand kilometres. It has a 'leaving civilisation' kind of feel to it. You want to stay somewhere nice because it might be a while before you get the luxury of good accommodation again.

The Abrolhos Islands with Shine Aviation: Stunning snorkelling and the bloody story of the wreck of the Batavia.

A few hours before dawn on 4 June 1629, the Dutch East India Company ship the Batavia, struck Morning Reef off the Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia. The Batavia was neither the first nor the last ship to come to grief in the treacherous waters off Australia's uncharted and unforgiving west coast but the tragic fate of her survivors has ensured she is the best known.

Emma Gorge in The Kimberley: There is something you need to know!

Have you ever been to Emma Gorge? Only an hour's drive from Kununurra in Western Australia's Kimberley region, it is one of the easiest gorges to get to and one of the prettiest - but there is something you need to know. Before you start imagining yourself floating alone in a perfect rock pool under the southern sky, revelling in the warm waters of the Australian outback (it never gets cold in Australia - right!) consider this. Emma Gorge Pool is deep, very deep - and it is in a gorge. The red rock cliffs surrounding the water hole are 65m high - much of the pool never sees the sunshine. All this means that stunning as it looks, Emma Gorge Pool is cold, very cold - icy is a word which comes to mind.

Whales in Paradise - Whale Watching on Australia's Gold Coast

Every year from April to November humpback whales turn the east coast of Australia into a whale migration super highway. In the southern hemisphere's summer humpbacks gorge themselves on krill in the waters off Antarctica, then as winter approaches they head north on a 10,000 kilometre journey. The females give birth in the warm sub-tropical waters before returning to their feeding grounds in Antarctica. This makes Australia's east coast a world class venue for whale watching. Combine that with a near perfect winter climate and south-east Queensland must be one of the best places on the planet to see these magnificent creatures.

Willie Creek Pearl Farm and the Perfect Pearl.

Have you ever heard the expression, 'you don't choose the pearl, the pearl chooses you.' At first blush it sounds like just another advertising slogan - except this time it's true. On our first trip to Broome in Western Australia, way back in 2004, David gave me an Australian South Sea Pearl. Out of hundreds of pearls on display, that pearl was the one I fell in love with. It remains my most treasured piece of jewellery. A single, tear-drop shaped white pearl on a simple gold chain - I wear it everywhere.

David decided to buy it for me when he saw me admiring the pearls in the showroom of Willie Creek Pearl Farm.  With not a lot of time to see the sights of Broome on this trip, the one thing we did not want to miss was a return to Willie Creek and its tour of how these exquisite gems are produced.

Zebedee Springs and Chamberlain Gorge: Disappointment in The Kimberley.

Even on the best trips it is inevitable that at least one thing won't quite live up to expectations. On our recent trip to the Kimberley in Western Australia, there were two: Zebedee Springs and Chamberlain Gorge. Zebedee Springs because, to quote my mother-in-law, the world and his wife were there, and Chamberlain Gorge because it was Chamberlain Gorge and not where we set out to go - Explosion Hole.

Amalia Gorge: Would you go swimming with a crocodile?

"A freshwater croc lives in the pool there."

With these less than comforting words ringing in our ears we set off for a late afternoon hike to Amalia Gorge. I should add that the very nice lady on the information desk did say this particular freshwater crocodile wasn't dangerous - unless we annoyed him. I don't know what you would do but I wasn't about to take any chances. We came to the Kimberley region of Western Australia for the scenery, not to become reptile lunch. If you are swimming in a rock pool and come face to face with a prehistoric monster of gargantuan proportions how exactly do you ensure that you don't annoy him? So much for taking a dip at the end of our walk - cross that one off the list!

Berkeley River Lodge: A wilderness resort in the Kimberley, Western Australia

There are few places left on the planet where you can visit an untouched wilderness. Berkeley River, on the far northwest coast of Western Australia is one. Beyond the outback, the landscape stretches from one horizon to the other without a single sign of human habitation save Berkeley River Lodge - and perhaps a lone sailor sheltering for the night in the safety of the river mouth.  Access is by light plane from Darwin or Kununurra and supplies arrive by barge. There are no roads in or out.

Vivid Sydney: The world's best festival of light.

Billed as the world's largest outdoor 'art-gallery' Vivid Sydney never disappoints. Vivid is a festival of light which draws tourists from around the world. With famous landmarks like the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge bathed in ever changing light patterns, Vivid draws us into town year after year.  If you live too far away to make it to Vivid this year, plan a trip for next year because Vivid just gets better and better!

10 Australian animals you have never heard of and where to find them.

Think of Australian animals and you might conjure up images of cuddly koalas and cute kangaroos, or perhaps venomous spiders and deadly snakes, but have you ever heard of a quokka, a dugong, a pademelon or an echidna. Alongside their more famous cousins Australia has a plethora of lesser known marsupials and other animals which no-one has ever heard of. They are just as cute, just as interesting and, like all things Australian, just as unique. I have compiled a list of my favourites with a few hints on where you might find them in the bush.