Why Have the Same Holiday as Everyone Else?
One of my fondest travel memories was visiting a beer garden in Germany frequented by deer – we drank steins, they nibbled grass – it was great. So when I read that the John Forrest Tavern and its beer garden of friendly kangaroos near Perth, Western Australia was probably the best place to see kangaroos …
Did you know that dolphins are attracted to people singing? Neither did I until I got chatting to my friend and journalist Niki Waldegrave about her experience swimming with dolphins in Nelson Bay about two and a half hours drive from Sydney. Thankfully she was so thrilled with her day out with the pointy-nosed ones …
This summer I noticed a trend on my Instagram. A lot of my friends were standing next to the same animal. It was fluffy, had pointy ears, a better fringe than Marc Almond in the Soft Cell years and a lead around its neck. It seemed alpaca walking had become a thing, but not in …
Australia has some amazing animals, but my favourite has to be wombats. From the day I first read the book Diary of A Wombat I became obsessed. Their bucky-toothed faces, fat cuddly bottoms, those feet. The day I read about Sleepy Burrows Wombat Sanctuary near Canberra – a place where you wouldn’t just have a …
Its official name is Okunoshima but it’s better known as Bunny Island or Rabbit Island – a magical land just off the coast of Japan where over 1,000 bunnies run free, demanding snacks, cuddles, pats and selfies with the people who come to visit them every day. Yep, it’s as cute as you think. ‘Don’t …
When I went to Tokyo (for a day!) in June 2017 my number one thing to do was go to a hedgehog cafe. There were only two in town at that point and the queues were out the door – fast forward less than a year to my most recent trip in May 2018 and …
It looks like the lair of a Bond Villian, but Oceanic Victor’s floating HQ just off Granite Island near Victor Harbor, South Australia actually conceals something far more exciting – tuna fish you can swim with and sharks you can cuddle! It’s an easy day trip from Adelaide – as we discovered when we went …
Just outside of Adelaide, South Australia in a town called Gumeracha stands The Big Rocking Horse, Adelaide. It’s officially The Biggest Rocking Horse in the World, was voted the No1 Big Aussie Icon by Wotif – and, guess what…you can climb it. But scaling the BRH isn’t the only thing to do here, there’s added …
I love jellyfish. Well, in the confines of a tank that is – I’m not so struck with the concept of sharing actual sea space with them. So, I was super excited to hear that there’s a whole new exhibit dedicated to watching them risk-free coming soon to Birmingham’s National Sea Life Centre in the …
Goat Island is a marine reserve about 85km north of Auckland. It’s also home to New Zealand’s first clear bottom kayaks known as a Clearyak. Watching fishies while getting some exercise sounded awesome so we hopped in the car for the short 70-minute ride from Auckland to Goat Island ready to paddle. The Clearyak versus …
