The New Year is not too far away, which means it’s time to outline my travel plans for 2016! Yippee! This year has been record breaking for me personally – I was packing my bags to take off somewhere every couple of weeks (and somehow getting steadily worse at doing so). This year, I made…
There were lots of moments during my recent holiday back home where I was tempted to stay. My time spent living outside the country caused me to fall back in love with it. Being home brought me into close proximity with things that I once took for granted and now missed – time with my…
For the last few mornings, I have woken to the indignant clucking of my mother’s chickens. My bedroom at home is adjacent to their coop and they are creatures who rise with the sun. If they have not been released into their enclosure by at least seven in the morning, they have no qualms in…
Flat chat, Pine Gap, in every home a Big Mac And no one goes outback, that’s that. “Power and the Passion” – Midnight Oil I had never been to the outback. I lived in Australia for twenty five years and not once did I ever get in my car and drive out to see the…
My good friend Hope, a veteran expatriate, will be sharing her experiences of living abroad. She will be writing about her experience of adjusting to a foreign culture, and how you can encounter difficulties even when you speak the language. Hope is deeply passionate about books and the written word – you can read her…
In 2011, Lonely Planet surprised the majority of Australians by whacking Newcastle, a small city 150km north of Sydney onto its top ten cities list. “Duh,” said the 300,000 odd strong population of the city. “We’ve been telling you all for years.” I was lucky enough to grow up half an hour away from Newcastle…
Damn it. Just missed it. When people find out where I am from, they firstly challenge me on my accent. After I have firmly convinced them that I am indeed Australian, we discuss how much they would like to visit my country someday. It is a place that seems to rate quite highly on many…
“You’re not from around here,” the shop attendant said, as she swiped through the UK-themed novelty birthday cards I had purchased as a lark for my friends. “No. I’m not,” I sighed. “I’m Australian.” “I love Australia!” She gushed, handing me the receipt. “I’ve been there five times.” Which was wonderful to hear, but still,…