Recently during a visit and exploration of the Barossa Valley in South Australia, I had the opportunity to sit down for a short chat with Margaret Lehmann at her home. She is one of Barossa’s food and wine pioneers, a champion of its preservation and was an integral part of the growth of Peter Lehmann Wines. Conversation invariably was about food and wine – over a glass of Semillon from Peter Lehmann appropriately called “Margaret”. With wine, one can explore in depth many facets of this always evolving industry – […]

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Kangaroo Island was originally uninhabited until an Englishman, Matthew Flinders “discovered” the island in 1802. Today about thirty percent of the island is preserved either as a National Park or wilderness area – and only about 4000 people live here. Most of the population is on the Eastern side of the Island. This is Australia’s third largest island and is located about 3 hours from Adelaide – 2 hours by road and then 45 minutes on the primary ferry service, SeaLink (people and cars). A trip can either be done […]

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Brothers Linc and Brandon Walker run Kuku Yalanji Cultural Habitat Tours located just north of Port Douglas in Queensland. They are part of the Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal heritage; they grew up here – they know the land, they know the ocean, they know the habitat and they have a strong relationship to their environment. Their ancestors have been here thousands of years and they are passing on their unique heritage through a variety of cultural and “way of life” tours. The brothers have been offering tours since 2002. They work […]

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One of my passions is gold prospecting, or as it is referred to in Australia, Fossicking. It is a healthy hobby as long as you don’t get to obsessed with making money from it! I can remember going out with my father from a young age to explore some of his favorite mining terrain in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. With all the trips we have made I am fairly certain we have spent more time and money on logistics and equipment then the actual price of gold […]

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Australia is a country that begs to be explored – not quickly but slowly over a number of months. In the absence of such time, shorter trips are fine but focusing on a specific part of the country rather than trying to see to much. The distances are great and the experiences diverse. So to is the culture, the weather and the natural landscape. After a number of trips to the country I’ve spent some time coming up with some of my most epic experiences (#epicOZ) I have personally enjoyed […]

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So where do old semi’s, trucks, road trains and other wheels of the road go to rest? If it is in Australia, most likely to the National Road Transportation Museum in Alice Springs – a small community located along the legendary Ghan train line about one half way between Adelaide in the South and Darwin in the North. When your focus is on large vehicles you need a significant amount of space! This privately owned museum is just outside of town on 2,000 acres of land. The museum and displays […]

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A day in the Daintree Rainforest with Nicholas Fox, proprietor of Daintree Safaris is an educational experience you will not soon forget. He has been guiding in this part of Northern Queensland for well over 20 years. Originally from the United Kingdom, but born in Madrid and schooled at a early age in Kenya he arrived in Queensland in his 20’s during a trip around the world. He never left! Part character, part dry humorist and certainly a full blooded naturalist – your eyes will be opened to the wonders […]

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Benvenuti a casa carboni! You open their door and are warmly greeted by the owners of this fine establishment – either husband or wife Matteo or Fiona Carboni. If you happen to glance to your right you are also warmly greeted by glowing comments that prior guests have hand written on the wall after taking one of Matteo’s culinary classes. And perhaps yet further still are the enticing aromas coming from the kitchen or possibly the freshly brewed smells of an Italian espresso. Matteo and Fiona appropriately met at a […]

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I have been to Queensland several times over the years but each time I’ve never had the chance to visit the Great Barrier Reef. It has been on my “bucket list” for a very long time. During my latest trip earlier this year I was fortunate to finally be able to visit this reef, certainly one of the planet’s most inspiring underwater and above water destinations. During my time exploring the reef I met an engaging individual, Nick Lynch. I’ve heard some interesting stories on my travels but several of […]

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Arrival You are on a 10-seater looking out of the window. The azure waters glisten out of the side windows with spectacular coral reefs coming into view as the plane steadily makes its way to a small island in the Coral Seal – in the far northern reaches of Queensland. This tiny chunk of land is named Lizard Island and was named so by captain James Cook in 1770 after he climbed to the highest point of the island to look for a passage through the coral; he so happened […]

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After traveling for probably a great distance as most of the guests have endured prior to arriving here – you walk into your cool room, with soft music playing to match the mood of the setting, and you realize you have arrived somewhere special. Your heart beat immediately drops a few octaves, you can feel your mood change instantaneously to a peaceful state and you wonder why you can’t capture this feeling and take it with you after you leave. What you are feeling is a “sense of place” that […]

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The Barossa Valley, when compared to the age of the European wine regions is rather young. However if you look deeper you realize there is a lot of “history” here. These are some of the oldest soils on the planet – the mountain ranges have been so well weathered they are now just gentle rolling hills. The Barossa is one of Australia’s earliest wine regions – having been founded not by the British but by German settlers in the early 1840’s. The region also boasts some of the oldest commercially […]

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I have spent the last few days exploring the Daintree Rainforest (the world’s oldest rainforest) from the ground; now it was time to see it from above the canopy level. Fortunately the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is located just outside of Cairns. This is one of the do not miss Daintree Rainforest experiences. 7.5 Km of cable opened in 1995 and now brings passengers from near sea level up to 545 meters at its highest spot. Cable cars are becoming more innovative these days – select cars have a glass floor […]

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We pulled out of the Alice Springs station at 1245pm sharp on the legendary Ghan train. The recent rain had passed and it was another cloudless warm brilliantly sunny day that this town is noted for this time of year. Harbouring bit of sadness because I am leaving the great Outback, I silently treasure my new-found experiences as we head south. These are memories created from watching the sunrise on Uluru, being introduced to the indigenous culture, soaking in the dry heat I so love, watching stars so vivid and […]

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The Cage of Death they call it. Sounds adrenaline stimulating and it is in reality when you are face to face with a beast that could snap your body in half without even half trying. But it is perfectly safe. You are surrounded by thick plastic – and the experience allows you unparalleled intimacy with crocs up close – within mere centimeters. The “cage” is suspended on an over-head monorail system and it can easily be moved over any of a number of pools – depending on which croc the […]

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