Travel

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  Two families

  First published on my blog, February 2011

  Father and son dork out over the Air Pacific fleet. The planes are hulking in front of the hangar, hemmed by low jungle escarpment. “It’s a 747,” muses Dad. “Pretty new fleet.” “Yeah,” says son. “Considering how many 400s Qantas still has – ” Son interjects: “They’ve been flying longer Dad. No need to retire a perfectly good 400! They’re starting to though, to phase ...

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  Grapes of wrath

  First published on my blog, October 2008

  At Ostrog Monastary last night I ate a grape from a vine at Upper Cave Church. Prior to trekking up, I’d heard women pilgrimaged here to eat the grapes which are supposed to bring fertility. On seeing the vine, I nearly believed it. If ever there were a magic grapevine, this was it. Ostrog is a major Balkan pilgrimage site in Montenegro because of St ...

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  Dip in the Darling

  First published in the Courier Mail and The Daily Telegraph, March 2010

  It’s a hostile 43 degrees outside and even the locals are wilting. We’re at Broken Hill’s tourist information centre and having no trouble getting service. “Our quiet months are December, January and February,” says the representative. Ah, I think. You mean Summer. She needn’t dodge the obvious. Unlike most January holiday seekers who flock beachside to unwind, we’ve willingly turned toward the country’s centre, seeking a ...