After picking up the caravan in January with a view to doing longer Aussie trips including the big lap, the next step was to spend a week away to get used to it and test things out. I chose the Northern Beaches of Sydney for the week in February as it's a comfortable 3 hour drive from home, and gave me a fantastic opportunity to catch up with Sydney friends, family, and colleagues. Living in Sydney for over 20 years, and in the Northern Beaches (Dee Why) for more than 10 of t

With a short trip to Adelaide planned for January I decided it was the ideal time for my first visit to the Yorke Penninsula. Knowing I only had a free week the drive across from NSW was done in two days, with overnight stays in Wagga Wagga NSW and Mildura VIC. In Wagga Wagga I'd booked the International Hotel and was initially disappointed to find out the onsite restaurant at the time was closed, however, on the opposite corner is the Farmers Home Hotel which was perfect for

10 Highlights from Kangaroo Island, South Australia

I loved my visit in August, and I didn’t expect to visit Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre in 2025. In fact, it may not have been on my travel...

When I heard that Lake Eyre, which is normally dry, would have the most water in decades in 2025, it inspired a two week road trip from New South Wales (NSW) to outback South Australia (SA) in August. I’ve been into the outback before but not self-driving, and not outback SA. Coming from NSW, I was excited about driving across remote parts of NSW, Victoria, and SA, to explore the Flinders Ranges and Lake Eyre. Driving NSW to SA Day 1, we left Goulburn for a lunch stop in Temo

I flew into South Africa early July to commence a month long series of safari adventures in South-Central Africa and East Africa. It was my second safari focused trip to Africa and I'd love to go again. I thought my first trip would be my 'once in a lifetime' safari trip and it did not disappoint! I explored a number of amazing camps in Southern Tanzania, and was very excited about the opportunity to go again. On both trips I travelled with friends from Argentina who are Afri

My trip to Broome and the Kimberley region in North-West Australia in May 2023, was booked during the COVID-19 pandemic, during one of the days when I was desperate to travel and looking through my wish list! The Kimberley region had devastating floods a few months before my tour dates, and some tours were put on hold a few weeks after we finished due to extreme weather. Fortunately the plans for my tour went smoothly including perfect weather, for which I am extremely gratef

It was an absolute pleasure to visit K'gari (formally known as Fraser Island) and The Fraser Coast in September. K'gari is the name given...

I love everywhere I travel, as everywhere is beautiful for different reasons, but the breathtaking beauty of the Whitsundays is in a...

Visiting Phillip Island had been on my list for some time and it did not disappoint. The coastline is pristine and there are so many...

I flew into Phuket in October 2018 for my first trip to Thailand, staying for 2 weeks at the Wyndham Sea Pearl Resort. I had some concerns about the weather as it was the end of the wet season but I was incredibly lucky, although there were a lot of storms, every day I'd planned to be travelling was perfect! 1) Phuket Elephant Park & Phuket Elephant Sanctuary Although I wanted to see elephants in Thailand I wanted to make sure I was supporting elephant friendly organisations.

Patagonia is the end of the world - well the end of the ‘civilised world’. Encompassing the most southern areas in Chile and Argentina it...

Ventus Australis is a new ship for Australis that launched late 2017, the maximum capacity of the ship is 210 passengers and they have...

When we visited Scotland (my first trip) in the last week of February 2018 we knew it could snow even though we were on the brink of spring. However, nothing could have prepared us for the unprecedented weather that came while we were there - with Scotland at one stage being on a red alert for the first time in history! After landing in Aberdeen we drove to Stonehaven for lunch and over the next few days in the highlands we saw some beautiful scenery, that initially only bec

I had the privilege of spending 3 weeks in Ireland in August and September 2017. Passionate about travel I always love the destination but Ireland was every bit as pretty and dramatic as I hoped it would be. We were very fortunate with the weather and enjoyed fantastic view after view as we drove around. The winding roads were much smaller than I'm used to particularly in the coastal areas. I am glad I wasn't driving as I have no idea how people can drive so quickly when they

If I had to describe my experience of South America in one word, it would be ‘breathtaking’. I knew I would enjoy my first trip to this incredible continent but I couldn’t have anticipated how the natural beauty of the region would astound me on a daily basis. I was captivated by the landscape, the vibrancy of the culture and the passion of the local guides for their local areas. Travelling with two friends over 3.5 weeks April/May 2017 we were fortunate that there were less

I stayed at the Ramada Resort Dunsborough in the Margaret River region on my first trip to Western Australia, which I hope will only be the first of many. I knew Western Australian would be beautiful but it quickly surpassed my expectations. My sister travelled with me and we flew from Sydney to Perth in February of 2014. We picked up a hire car in Perth and drove down to the resort after stopping for lunch in Perth. Having grown up in Australia we are used to beautiful beach