As a European virgin, visiting Slovenia was a lot like falling in love for the first time. I walked around in a dopamine haze, high on Baroque architecture, wildflowers and half-pissed on exotic grape varietals. From the cobblestone streets, to the castles, to the market square populated with fairytale produce, I couldn’t get enough of [...]

Did you know that a new country was created at 12.01am on Saturday 9th July, 2011? After two civil wars spanning 50 years and the death of over 2 million people, the Republic of South Sudan has formed. What were they fighting about? Ostensibly, religion. The north is primarily Arab and Muslim and the south [...]

I love freelancing. I love walking downstairs in the morning, making a cup of coffee and switching on my computer. I love wearing my pyjamas until noon and listening to my music while I work. I feel much more peaceful when I work from home. I nap when I’m tired, I make fresh salads for lunch and I [...]

On my recent visit to Norfolk,  I was lucky enough to get a behind-the-scenes peek at the accommodation options. The major highlight of nearly every place was the view from the rooms; verdant hills, pines and glistening blue water. The main trend on the island is toward self-catering options so the rooms come complete with [...]

I have a long history of insomnia. Seriously. I have suffered from it ever since I was seven (coincidentally, the year my parents separated). Yes, Parents, it is Your Fault. The slightest whisper of anxiety will keep me awake counting incomplete tasks, petty grievances and, when truly desperate, the amount of people I have slept with [...]

If you have 100 ngwee, you would have one kwacha. The kwacha is one of the world’s most inflated currencies. Currently $1 AUD = 5, 161.40 ZMK. To give you some idea of the immense purchasing power of the kwacha, 25, 000 ZMK will buy you 15 minutes of glacial dial-up internet access; an exchange that [...]

They twirled and gyrated like demented dervishes, their tattered grass skirts flailing to the throbbing beat of the coarse wood and skin drums beaten methodically by apparently captive men at the centre of their circle. Barely concealed by shreds of river grass and rough shell necklaces, their long-exhausted, pendulous breasts swung in full rotations as they [...]

For a place that is only 8kms x 5kms wide, there’s a surprising amount to do and see. Here are the unmissable five: 1. Swim at Emily Bay A local named Wayne told me he decided to move to Norfolk Island after his first swim in Emily Bay. Golden sand, clear, calm water in a [...]

Police officers in Slovenia get asked this question a lot. There are so many brown bears in this small Balkan nation that they export them to other European countries to help them repopulate their wilderness areas. Funnily enough, the little girl population is inversely pegged to the bear population, while porridge consumption remains suspiciously stable. [...]

When I booked a two-night stay at The Hermitage Lodge in the Hunter Valley for a special price of $500 (it’s normally $700), my internal monologue muttered, ‘It had better be good …. mutter, mutter, mutter’. I tend to think of things in terms of rent and that’s almost a whole weeks’ worth at Chateau [...]