Global Travel Writers: Articles

Aground off the Pilbara coast

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:07:00 -0400

Living onboard a cruising yacht is a remarkably satisfying experience, offering the rare opportunity to be totally self-supporting. Daily life revolves around keeping the ship safe, the complex essential systems operating and the yacht moving towards its destination. Oh, and there�s plenty of sundowners on arrival, usually beneath an unashamedly scarlet sky as the sun disappears over the horizon. Arriving at an anchorage late afternoon, its not unusual to run into cruising buddies who we may not have seen for months, but who immediately invite us to join them on the beach to share a cold beer or two as soon as our anchor is down and secure.

But there is a frustratingly accurate saying amongst these same yachties: there are those who have run aground and those who soon will. As I found out just a few months into our Australian circumnavigation.....

Please contact Fiona Harper to commission this article or others along a yachting theme. Images are available.

Bernier Where?

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:18:00 -0500

As white man's diseases starting spreading through Australia's Aboriginal population at the end of the nineteenth Century, the government decided to establish remote hospitals for those suffering from venereal disease and leprosy. Back in 1909, the islands of Bernier and Dorrier offshore from Carnarvon on the mid-west coast of Australia were sufficiently remote to make them entirely suitable for the purpose. While Carnarvon today is a thriving regional hub, visitors to Bernier Island can now camp under exquisite wind-sculpted dunes that are, presumably, much as they were a hundred years ago.

Contact Fiona Harper if you'd like to commission this article. Images are available.

Falling in Love with Sea Lions in the Abrolhos

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:46:00 -0500

They say the best holidays are those with an element of romance. They also say that sometimes the best romances are those that end with the holiday, leaving nothing but happy memories. That's the kind of romance you get when you fall for sea lions.

The sun rising over the sandy cay of Pelsaert Island in the Abrolhos Islands on the mid West Australian coast, revealed water so clear and transparent we could distinguish the grains of sand from the crushed shell on the seabed. Not a breath of wind disturbed the surface of a sea that was glassy all the way to the hazy horizon. Emerging on deck to this surreal scene, two very inquisitive sea lions hovered on the surface, seemingly waiting for us to come and play. As curious about us as we were about them, one of them wrapped his flipper around the anchor chain and just hung there gazing up at us with enormous brown eyes. I wanted to jump in the water and give him a great big hug, so loveable and adorable did he appear.

Contact Fiona Harper if you'd like to commission this article. Images are 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.

Sand-sational

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:36:00 -0400

Plenty of beaches are contenders for having an amorous allure, but Whitehaven Beach has something special. Located on the uninhabited Whitsunday Island in far north Queensland, Australia, Whitehaven beach is recognised as one of the world's most beautiful beaches. Featured in the famous Qantas advertisement with the children�s choir, it has talcum-like sand (certified as 98 per cent silica) which squelches between the toes and true romantic seclusion.

This article runs to approximately 2000 words but can be tailored to suit individual editorial requirements. It also features Nha Trang, Vietnam, Bondi, Sydney, Wollongong, NSW, Patong, Phuket and Broome, WA.

North Star Shines in the West

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 02:31:00 -0500

The scene is almost beyond belief. True North is anchored in the pristine waters of UNESCO World Heritage-listed Shark Bay, 500 kilometres north from Perth along the stark, shipwreck-littered Western Australian coastline. A huge loggerhead turtle pops up to see what's going on while a squadron of bottlenose dolphins cruise serenely past in search of food and frolic. A delicate brocade of velvet clouds adorns the far horizon of an otherwise cloudless sky.

One of Australia's newest, purpose-built expedition cruise yachts, True North, is superbly equipped for this, its home ground and has already racked up an impressive array of state and national tourism awards including the most recent, the coveted Australian Tourism Association (ATA) award for best adventure tourism product.

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Buccaneers of the Northwest

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 03:48:00 -0500

When English pirate-adventurer William Dampier visited the rugged northwest coast of Western Australia in 1688, little did he realise that 140 years later, the 1,000 or so islands off the coast would be named after him. The Buccaneer Archipelago, with its stunning range of scenery (including the mid-sea "Horizontal Waterfalls", isolated beaches and pockets of rainforest) is one of the world's great cruising experiences.

New Brooms through Broome

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 04:34:00 -0500

When the new owners of the renowned Cable Beach Resort installed the world�s largest crystal Buddha statue in the resort�s new Buddha Sanctuary, they maybe unconsciously signalled �new directions� for this fascinating town. Other new developments include the opening of Matso�s Brewery-Caf�, and the redevelopment of the Town Beach precinct. But most of all, Broome is a place to just �chill out�, and take in the heady ethnic mix that makes up one of Australia�s most colourful towns.

Beached on the Batavia Coast

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 21:16:00 -0500

The opening of the new coastal road between Cervantes and Jurien Bay at last makes access to this emerald coastline, the site of many early Dutch shipwrecks, relatively easy. The fine architectural heritage of the city of Geraldton, gateway to the Coast, is now complemented by a lavish new marina. With the final stretch of the road north from Perth now completed, motorists are at last able to follow the coast all the way from Perth to Geraldton

This story runs to about 1,200 words, but word count and format etc. can be tailored to editorial requirements.

Albany comes of age

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 21:32:00 -0500

Western Australia�s oldest town, pre-dating Perth by several years, was at last proclaimed a city nine years ago (in 1998). This funky yet sophisticated waterfront settlement, formerly a major whaling base, surprises all who visit. Nearby are the colourful mountains of the Stirling Ranges National Park

This story runs to about 1,200 words, but can be tailored to editorial requirements.