Profiles of Our Main Contributors

Philip Game has been an active travel writer since 1992, but an enthusiastic traveller since his sixteen-year-old hitch-hiking treks around his native Tasmania. As an expatriate resident in the United Arab Emirates, he had the unique opportunity to explore the desert tracks of eastern Arabia. He has lived and travelled widely in the USA in 1995 and more recently in Britain, and is a Member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers.

Glenn A. Baker  is an Australian-based writer/broadcaster specialising in music/the arts and travel.  He was a three time recipient of the BBC's Rock Brain of the Universe title in the mid 80s and won the inaugural Australian Travel Writer of the Year Award in 1995 and again in 2000. He is a Life Member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers. In the words of former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating: "He can vividly conjure up images and feelings of periods which remind us of episodes in our own lives - like a kind of cultural photographer."

Tricia Welsh is a career journalist, specialising in travel and food for more than 20 years. She has written about elephant polo in Thailand, tea-tasting in the Sri Lankan highlands, hot-air ballooning over the Nile Valley, camping under the stars in the Kimberleys and cruising the icy waters of the Antarctic. She has lived in London, Greece and Germany, and has travelled to all seven continents, but is happiest with sun on her back, finding any excuse to leave her Melbourne home each winter for the northern hemisphere, a tropical island or the Outback.

John Borthwick is a travel writer/photographer, freelance author and editor of some 16 travel books, including his collections, 'Chasing Gauguin's Ghost' and 'The Circumference of the Knowable World'. His articles and photos appear regularly in The Australian, Holidays For Couples, Sun-Herald, Herald-Sun, Sunday Herald-Sun, Travel Vacations, Luxury Travel, South China Morning Post and others. He maintains an extensive image library on a large number of destinations. John is too modest to add that he has a PhD in travel writing and is a connoisseur of the world's top surfing spots. John won the "2005 ASTW Travel Writer of the Year - Destination story under 1000 words"

Roderick Eime has spent his life as a freelance photojournalist covering such diverse fields as motoring, sport, lifestyle, entertainment and now travel. With tertiary qualifications in journalism from the University of Queensland, he is a member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers and has also served as an elected member of the committee. Rod claims to prefer the road less travelled, but is occasionally spotted in five star resorts and retreats.

Sally Hammond describes herself as a 'travel junkie', explaining that she travels to support her 'habit'. She is an award-winning food and travel journalist and has written many guides, directories and cookbooks. Her travel writing is regularly published in leading newspapers and magazines in Australia and abroad. Sally's latest book, "Playing Chopsticks" is out now from New Holland.

Graham Simmons is a travel writer/photographer, based in Byron Bay, and a Member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers. He started travel writing in an attempt to get away from himself. It didn't work. He now says that "travel is a cure for which there is no known disease". Browse or search his online photographic portfolio.

Karen Halabi: Karen Halabi says she has either written about travel or edited other people's work for much of her career.
A seasoned editor, journalist, sub-editor and photographer, with a love of travel and an extensive 25 year background in consumer and trade magazines and newspapers, she has edited three Australian travel magazines, been involved in the redesign and relaunch of one of them, and been deputy editor of a Sydney newspaper, Sydney Weekly. Currently freelancing as a photo-journalist, Karen specializes in providing stories and images on a wide range of international destinations to a diverse range of publications. She has written for Pol, Vive, The Herald Sun and Sunday Times, Vacations, TravelAway, Escape, Quorum, Travel Trade and Sydney Weekly.

Thomas E King: Thomas E. King is Executive Editor of Media East Pty Ltd, a 32 year old international editorial agency providing commissioned (only) illustrated features on prime leisure destinations and select golf travel venues to an established client network of mass circulation and specialist publications in Australia and Asia. He specialises in writing about Asia with a concentration on India, a country he has visited nearly 30 times.

Sheriden Rhodes: was named the 2002 Australian Society of Travel Writers/Air NZ Travel Writer of the Year (Trade/Industry). Sheriden specialises in the business of travel - covering the travel trade, business travel, aviation, cruise, hotel and MICE sectors. She has a passion for writing about what makes the travel industry tick, as well as its personalities. Sheriden has worked on leading travel industry titles - Traveltrade NZ, Traveltrade Australia, Travel Week, mice.net and OAG Flight Guide (Asia Pacific).

AUTHORS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS: GAB: Glenn A Baker;  GS: Graham Simmons;   JB: John Borthwick; KH: Karen Halabi; PG: Philip Game;   SH: Sally Hammond;  SS: Susan Storm; SR: Sheriden Rhodes; RE: Roderick Eime; TW: Tricia Welsh; TEK: Thomas E King.