i was 19 when i left australia for the first time, united kingdom bound. and i found i was a type of traveller i never knew i’d be. i got immersed . lost. i was delirious. passionate. gawping !. i felt alien. aware. alive. and, oh yes, instantly addicted ... to me, the united kingdom was like some huge walking history book. history having been to me, until this point, something so boring and far away that the fact that it actually happened was astonishing !. on the hmas “vict...

by david dale at the age.com.au every year around 370 tourists die in australia. the majority of tourists drown, are involved in car accidents or suffer heart attacks. ( lovely !). and whilst crocodile attacks and ‘outback disappearances’ get the most publicity, in july and august suicide becomes a significant cause of tourist death. more british people die here than any other nationality, but as a proportion of arrivals, male visitors from the philippines and females from italy ...

Despite a more than respectable showing in terms of tourism websites and beautiful natural attractions, until not long ago, most of the world just didn't know where Coffs Harbour was. Rather than basking in our rightful glory as one of the most liveable cities for it's size in the world, we were invariably asked by overseas visitors "Coffs Harbour ? ... where in the World is Coffs Harbour ?". Now, as our rapidly growing and beautiful area slowly gets the attention it deserves from those ...

I once had the misfortune to be seated on a very full plane next to a big, hairy man with a fear of flying. Being that Neanderthals are not in my target demographic, (and I women minus obvious upfront attractions were outside his ), we did not initially engage in conversation. Instead, big hairy man attempted to gain himself the attention of a more brightly-plumed member of the fairer sex seated across the aisle, and I happily immersed myself in my book. Then the plane took off . ...

    Rockmelon          Ute         Lollies         Block of units         Petrol station          

  The ‘Aussie’ weather barometer is cheap, easy to use, and works in all weather. They are located as ‘curiosities’ at various Australian tourist towns, and oddly enough, some visitors actually seem to take them seriously.   They consist of a board with a piece of string nailed to it.   (Yes, I’m afraid that’s it).   Underneath the string, however,   are the following instructions:       STRING ...

  It’s in Norway.     There is a town in Norway named ‘Hell’ .     The roads to Hell are not paved with good intentions. Just plain old bitumen.     Contrary to popular belief, return tickets are available.     Interestingly enough, there are cold days in Hell.     Occasionally, Hell even freezes over !.     (But that of course means a m...