Global Travel Writers: Articles

Vietnam War veterans work together to create a national museum

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:51:00 -0400

On the outskirts of Newhaven, Phillip Island, stands an unlikely visitor attraction, housed within a starkly industrial aircraft hangar. The National Vietnam Veterans Museum stands as a tribute to what can be achieved by a dedicated group of volunteers.

Not only those who served � and their families � will gain from visiting this sprawling collection; so will anyone who lived through those tumultuous years from 1962 through to 1972.

The Museum soon outgrew its first premises and ranges from documents � letters home, diaries, photos, maps and personal effects � to a Huey Cobra helicopter gunship, a Centurion tank and a Canberra bomber. Especially poignant are the tributes received from the Vietnamese-Australian community. And there�s even a caf� and a souvenir shop, so you can take home a teddy bear soldier or a model F4 Phantom fighter jet.

Walhalla's Golden Glories

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:41:00 -0400

The story of Walhalla today is largely the story of Michael Leaney, a deceptively boyish dynamo who has revitalised the tiny Victorian-era gold rush township, almost lost in the Great Dividing Range.

Twenty years ago Leaney bought a miner�s cottage as a weekend retreat in a ghost town bereft of visitor facilities. Since then he has completely rebuilt and reopened the historic Star Hotel, destroyed by fire in 1951. Leaney�s enthusiasm also helps drive the continuing restoration of the railway which once ran from Moe to Walhalla, and this year celebrates its centenary.

Two and a half hours from Melbourne, Walhalla became the last town in Victoria to hook up to mains power, in 1998. Mobile phone and TV reception are still severely limited in this deep, forested valley, and just ask Leaney about the high farce which can result when overseas tourists try to find their way in or out of here by relying on satellite navigation.

What is it about this remote community, whose population is still measured only in double digits? Perhaps Walhalla satisfies that deep-seated childhood ideal of a pretty toy-town of neat, square houses set alongside a stream which runs through a deep valley.

Divine Docklands

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:46:00 -0400

There is an old proverb that decrees it is better to travel than to arrive. Robert Louis Stevenson was a great adventurer who said �I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel�s sake�. As a career gypsy who earns a living out of travelling the oceans and lands of the world, who am I to dispute such wisdom? However, I wonder if I�ve found my match at the end of a coastal voyage that terminates at the swanky Melbourne waterfront precinct of Docklands.

Passing beneath the skyward reaching pylons of the Bolte Bridge and into Victoria Harbour with its waterfront promenade chock full of restaurants, bars and entertainment, as twilight falls upon the city backdrop, I quietly start swallowing my words. "Perhaps, after all, it is better to arrive", I ponder as we dock at Waterfront City Marina. Amid the tinkling of wine glasses and the heady restaurant aromas wafting across the dock, Docklands throws open its arms in an exuberant welcome.

Contact Fiona Harper to commission this article. Images are available.

www.fionaharper.com.au

Who pays the Piper?

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:27:00 -0400

The streets of Kyneton, less than one hour from Melbourne Airport, are lined with fine old Victorian-era shops and hotels, legacies of the great gold rush of the mid-nineteenth-century. In Kyneton�s Piper Street the vision, the drive and the creativity of a handful of people has created a dining and shopping strip as alluring as any in the metropolis.

Graham Jasper, in an earlier life a successful Melbourne architect, liked the town where he spent his early boyhood so much that he began to buy it up, building by building. His entrepreneurship, together with that of his wife Margaret - who pursues her passion for Persian carpets to the land of the Ayatollahs - has become a driving force on Piper Street.

From pizzeria with pizzazz to fine dining at Annie Smithers Bistrot and Star Anise, Piper Street has enough to keep gourmands, as well as shoppers, strolling up and down its time-worm flagstones all day. The grand old Royal George Hotel, a legacy of the coaching days, offers a sophistication seldom seen outside city limits. Browse the Persian carpets and Venetian glassware at Emporium, a restored cheese factory. Here too is your opportunity to admire the creations of local silversmiths Flynn Silver, whose Bradshaw series evokes the enigmatic rock art of Western Australia�s Kimberleys. Image gallery

Harley Heaven

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:53:00 -0400

by Philip Game

At first glance the hell-raising Harley-Davidson ethos doesn�t quite fit with the family holiday ambience of the Mornington Peninsula. This, after all, is the sort of place where families set up shop at their favourite beach each summer, year after year. Along the inland roads, boutique wineries flourish like the grapes on the vines themselves. But those winding, scenic roads are ideal for wind-in-your-hair motorcycle touring, letting a local worry about take care of the driving and the navigating � especially with so many wines to be tasted along the way. You�ll need those saddlebags to carry home a few more bottles�

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Rising Star

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:32:00 -0400

Ballarat�s transformation from nineteenth century gold rush town to bustling cosmopolitan city has given it an urbane yet laid-back feel. Grab a seat at one of the lively sidewalk cafes, admire the artwork at one of the city galleries, or drop in for lunch at a number of eateries featuring local produce and cool climate wines to see the change for yourself.

Wine makers, chefs, restauranteurs, microbrewers, cafe owners, produce growers and others are revolutionising the city�s food and wine scene, which was rather lacklustre for some time.

With a rich and at times turbulent history, Ballarat is best known as the site of the Eureka Stockade and for the discovery of the world�s largest deposit of alluvial gold. The city that flies the blue and white Eureka flag with pride boasts a rich history, wealth and grace.

However, today the grand old city is playing catch up � and fast � giving visitors more reason to stay and explore after experiencing popular local attractions, including Sovereign Hill and The Eureka Centre. Yep, change is certainly in the air.

Misty mountains gourmet

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:12:00 -0400

While almost every Australian has at least heard of the Great Ocean Road, just inland lies the heart of Victoria�s prosperous grazing and dairying country. Here, in the fertile volcanic plains, innovative locals, many of them dairy farmers, ex dairy farmers and children of dairy farmers, have turned their hand to producing some of Australia�s best fruit, meat and dairy products, including top quality cheeses, gourmet ice cream, chocolate, wine, boutique beer, luscious strawberries and smoked eel. In the process, the little known townships of Camperdown and Timboon are fast gaining a reputation for their gourmet fare.

This article runs to approximately 1200 words but can be tailored to individual editorial requirements. Images available.

Dog Gone

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:03:00 -0400

Planning a holiday, but don�t know what to do with the furry family member? For many, dogs (and cats for that matter) are part of the family and more and more owners are including pets in their holiday plans. �In fact many people plan their holidays around their pets,� says Lisa Goldsmith, marketing manager with online booking engine Pet Stayz. Not to mention the high cost of kennels, pet stitters, and the distress of leaving your best canine buddy behind. Thankfully, growing numbers of accommodation providers have heeded the call, offering animal friendly stays at hotels, motels, B&Bs and self contained holiday homes throughout Australia.

Echuca, historic river port on the Murray

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:27:00 -0400

At Echuca, where the Campaspe and the Goulburn run into the mighty Murray, floods �and drought � have always been a way of life. The pioneers who built Echuca's massive red gum wharf knew they had to allow for a river which even in a normal year rises and falls 7.5 metres with the seasons. During the summer months paddle steamers were tied up in rows, awaiting word of the first rise in the river for skippers and crews to abandon the town's 79 pubs, getting up steam to be off to compete for far-away cargoes.

The Port of Echuca was then Australia's largest inland river port, working a hundred vessels a week. It still does a roaring trade: six surviving paddle steamers still chug around bends in the river, whistles screeching, steam spurting, as they have done for over a century now.

Melbourne Marvels

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:09:00 -0400

SYDNEY can be likened to Australia�s reputation for wine � bold, brash and sunny. But south of the Great Divide is what could be described as �the other Australia'. Melbourne is where you�ll discover a more subtle, urbane Australia where the people, the food, the grape varieties and even the fashions are seemingly at odds with the rest of the country. In Sydney the mood is eternally sunny, the fashion casual chic and Chardonnay the drink of choice. In Melbourne the feel is definitely more European; locals decked out in black sip lattes or a glass of local Pinot Noir in one of the city�s charming wine bars, trams trundle through Melbourne�s glorious tree lined streets and boulevards and the locals are equally as passionate about football as the arts. Take a wander down Melbourne�s back streets and through its funky inner city villages to uncover some of the country�s best shopping.

This article runs to approx 2000 words but can be tailored to suit individual editorial requirements. Images available.