This year we decided our summer holiday was not going to be spent fighting impatient crowds at the airport or tourist crowds in fancy resort towns. No, this year we were going to take it slow – slow down, slow time, and live in the moment. So what did we decide to do? A 14km return walk into the Victorian wilderness. Now stay with me here. It may sound strenuous – and trust me, it was – but what a way to get back to the essentials of life, … [Read more...]
The Art of Not Doing: The Red Centre, Northern Territory, Australia
In the eager pool of morning light there rises The Rock. It is perhaps the most iconic symbol of the implacable indifferences of inhospitable landscapes, its dimensions timeless, unsummarized. And I want to climb it. There is something in the Western mindset that arouses a near irresistible urge to climb a peak. We look up, we admire, and if possible, we act. It may be related to a primal impulse to conquer a headland, to be king of the … [Read more...]
Ozzywood: Extras at Ayers Rock
John M. Edwards lucks out on a lucrative commercial gig at Australia’s awesome Uluru (Ayers Rock)—but with one problem: he was not actually cast to be in it! Celebration of a nation! Celebration of a nation! Let’s make it great . . . In 88! Come on and give us a hand! --“Australian Bicentennial,” Mojo Advertising Co. I lucked out finally while on a much-needed “smoko” at the Alice Springs Abattoirs, where I worked for … [Read more...]
Outback Beyond: 6 Months in Australia
PART I: QUEENSLAND I landed with a thump on a Quantus long-haul flight, back when smoking was allowed and drinking encouraged, like a character out of a Bruce Chatwin novel. I was ineffably in error while reading my Lonely Planet guidebook on the plane--thinking that “Cairns” was pronounced with an “r” in it, when to local “Aussie” cobbers (not “Ozzies,” a common mistake both of Septic Tank Yanks [Americans] and Bloody Pomes [Britishs]), it … [Read more...]
The Paua and the Glory
New Zealand’s Prized Sea Snails John M. Edwards voyages to remote Stewart Island to capture one of New Zealand’s most expensive endangered delicacies: paua. Finding no “paua” on the menus of New Zealand’s North or South Islands, a dirtbag backpacker and “stringer” correspondent was forced to go to way remote Stewart Island in order to find and forage some for his own in the wild. At this island outpost on Half Moon Bay, he thus discovered … [Read more...]
Australia Adventures: A Bed In Bondi Beach
Dreaming of Sydney. Very few of my friends can say that they have traveled across the globe to one of the happiest countries in the world, second only behind Iceland. I'm talking about Australia, and I would have to say that I agree, wholeheartedly with that statement. When I first flew into Sydney, I couldn't help but notice the picturesque view of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. It is such a romantic city, yet it's so far away … [Read more...]
Dispatch: Kentucky Fried Moa
Bumbling into a Big Bird better than Popeye’s in a primary rainforest on a remote New Zealand isle, John M. Edwards raves, “Don’t mess with dinner!” Part I In Auckland, New Zealand, I was roosting in the common room of this crap budget flophouse, perusing my guidebook and gearing up to fly to Fiji soon despite a recent military coup, when the heated roundtable discussion of the relative cleanliness and cheapness of Kiwi backpacker hostels … [Read more...]
Exploring Kangaroo Island, South Australia
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 … [Read more...]
Local Insights with Kuku Yalanji Cultural Habitat Tours
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 … [Read more...]
Gold Mining and a Visit to Minelab’s Headquarters, Adelaide South Australia
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 … [Read more...]