Smoke fills the air. Not the smoke of a volcanic eruption, but the cookfires of hundreds of family huts.​ It was 1986, and I visited Tonga on an Earthwatch expedition. Our task was to map the growing fields identifying the types of vegetation–taro, plantains, papaya, and coconut made up some of the target crops. Our direct observation used ground-t...

Critically acclaimed musical Girl from the North Country will be the first new international production for Australia since the New South Wales Government announced the return of live theatre to the state. A modern masterpiece written and directed by Conor McPherson (The Weir, The Seafarer) and with music and lyrics by Bob Dylan, Girl From The Nort...

The Art of Staying at a Historic and (Possibly) Haunted Hotel Britain – the county where the first purpose-built inn (the Old Bell Hotel at Malmesbury) dates back to year 1220 - is full of historic places to stay. We Brits often tend to take them for granted, very much unlike, say, Australians (and I am a carrier of both British and Australian pass...

I am on a 30-foot motor boat cruising along the Daintree River in Australia's Far North Queensland. The sun has started to set, bringing relief from the 36-degree heat of the day. A colony of bats glides across the purple and orange sky and in the rainforest frogs, insects and birds croak and chirp as they herald the approaching night. Suddenly, a ...

Sydney's CBD is a vibrant urban space, even after dark, and with the formation of new precinct YCK Laneways on York, Clarence and Kent Streets, now's the time to explore the city's thriving nightlife. Overseas visitors who can't get here yet may want to think about early next year, in the Australian summer; it's not too soon to book. Destination NS...

The Australian state of Victoria is launching a startling array of new premium hotels, restaurants, experiences and events this year, in time for the anticipated increase in visitors in 2021-22. Some of these were announced earlier but have been delayed by the pandemic. Now, all are raring to go. Meanwhile, the state capital Melbourne is tipped to ...