Falls Creek Cycling - The Historic Huts Trails.

Location - The Victorian Alps, Australia
Distance - About 40 kms return - you can easily make this longer or shorter.

Terrain - Mountain bike trails - not suitable for road bikes.

Difficulty - Moderately difficult, especially if you return via the Bogong High Plains Rd.

Highlights - The lovely scenery along the aqueducts combined with a sense of total isolation.

Map and Info - click here 

Cycling the Bennetts Trail: Bright to Wandiligong, Victoria

Distance - 11 kms round trip with an optional extra few kms along The Diggings Track

Terrain - Very slightly undulating, sealed, separate path the whole way

Difficulty - Really, easy

Highlights - Exploring the old gold mining area in Wandiligong.

Map and Info - Finding a map of  Bennetts Trail has defeated me. I am beginning to think that such a thing does not exist. However the trail is simple to follow. Just head out of Bright along Coronation Avenue and you can't go wrong.

The Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail

The Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail runs for 83 kms from Wangaratta to Bright, in Victoria. Add in a couple of side trips and you can cycle for 106 kms - all on off-road sealed paths. This has to be Australia's premier rail trail. David and I first cycled part of it with our then young sons in 2003. Since then we have returned again and again. If you want an easy, scenic introduction to long distance cycling or just some pleasant half day rides, the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail is perfect.

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, A.C.T - The best place in the world to see a platypus.

UPDATED MAY 2020.

In December 2019 several platypuses were evacuated from Tidbinbilla in the face of approaching bushfires and severe drought. They were cared for at Sydney's Taronga Zoo. Three have now been returned to their natural habitat at Tidbinbilla.

My search for the elusive platypus is over. I have finally found the best place in the world to see these shy little creatures and, like the whales we saw in Sydney recently, it turns out they are almost in our own backyard.

Floriade and Tulip Top Gardens

UPDATED 2020

COVID-19 Note: 

Floriade 2020 has been moved from Commonwealth Park to  various locations throughout the suburb and city. You can find them on the Floriade Map

Tulip Tops Gardens will not open in 2020.

It is spring in the southern hemisphere and spring means tulips. There are some wonderful tulip gardens to explore. Two of the best are Floriade and Tulip Top Gardens. Floriade, in Canberra, bills itself as Australia's 'biggest celebration of spring'. Tulip Top Gardens, just north of Canberra on the Hume Highway is less well-known but with its beautiful display of blossom trees it is just as stunning.  Now is the time to visit!

Whale Watching in Sydney with Captain Cook Cruises

What is that saying?- 'Sometimes the best things are right in front of you.'

A few months ago David and I went to Alaska. We live in Sydney, Australia so it was a long, long way to travel. Right at the top of my list of things to see was whales.  After sixteen hours in the air, four or five more hanging around at airports, then three days and nights on a car ferry we did see whales; briefly and in the distance. Not seeing whales close-up, the way I had imagined we would, was an object lesson in 'managing my expectations' - something I often tell other travellers to do but have never really mastered the art of myself.

Skyrail Rainforest Cableway: Cairns to Kuranda

Far North Queensland conjures up images of white sand beaches, coral and tropical islands but not far back from the coast you will find one of the oldest continuously surviving tropical rainforests on the planet. Barron Gorge National Park is home to a World Heritage listed tropical rainforest, and there is no more stunning way to see it than from above - on Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

Hartley's Crocodile Adventures

Hartley's Crocodile Adventures is 40 minutes north of Cairns in Far North Queensland. We have just boarded a boat for a twenty-five minute lagoon cruise. The murky water is swarming with massive, prehistoric-looking monsters: saltwater crocodiles, the largest living reptiles on the planet. The safety briefing is short, sweet and sparks a muffled chorus of nervous laughter.

"If you look under your seats you will find there are no life vests. The reason is obvious."

Several crocs notice our presence and swim silently toward us. Luckily our boat has a solid, unsinkable feel to it.

Cycling in Sydney: The Harbour Bridge, Barangaroo and Blackwattle Bay

Location - Sydney, Australia
Ride - The Harbour Bridge, Barangaroo and Blackwattle Bay
Distance - Approx 25 km round trip
Terrain - Mostly separated bike path with a few short on road connections. Sealed for the full distance.
Difficulty - Flat and easy.
Highlights - The views of Sydney's beautiful harbour.

The Alaska Marine Highway - Alaska by car and ferry.

They do things differently in Alaska. Look at the photo again. Yes -  those tents really are set up on the back deck of a ship. This is camping out Alaskan style.

We are on board the M.V. Columbia for a 61 hour journey to Juneau, the only mainland US capital you can't reach by road. The Alaska Marine Highway is a system of inter-connecting car and passenger ferries which run from Bellingham, just north of Seattle, to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands on the far south-western tip of the state.