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A Cape to Adventure

Cape York is one of the most enduring 4WD destinations in Australia. Roderick Eime jumps into a showroom condition VW Touareg for the ultimate road test to the top.


A Province Divided

UNESCO Peace Messenger Choi Don-Gul explains the meaning of the traditional Korean Sam Jae symbol, denoting co-operation between heaven, earth & humans

Exploring Korea’s border province of Gangwon-do


A road trip through Cajun Country

Bald cypresses in the Bayou, deep in Cajun Country

Exploring the bayous and byways of French Louisiana


Albany comes of age

Sunset over Albany

Western Australia's oldest town becomes a city


All that glitters is probably gold in Kanazawa

The world's first gold-plated house (above); a quiet courtyard garden (right): trying on a golden Noh mask (right)

There’s an unusually large amount of gold in Japan's east coast city of Kanazawa


America at Barge

Locks on the Lehigh Canal at Easton, Pennsylvania / Lehigh Canal

Within easy reach of America’s eastern cities, you can drift back to a gentler era, turning the clock back to the dawn of the industrial era, before the sparks and steam of the railways replaced the gentler motions of water pouring into locks and mules plodding along towpaths.


America, the ultimate road trip

Cruising the Interstates, negotiating Tinseltown’s spaghetti junctions, raising the dust in the Mojave Desert....images made familiar by the silver screen. What is the reality?


Arkaroola - Rocks of Ages

Dry gorge in  Arkaroola Mt Painter Sanctuary / Mt Chambers Gorge

Discover the story behind the oldest landscape on the planet


Beached on the Batavia Coast

Geraldton's unique banded lighthouse

Western Australia's sparkling Batavia Coast, running north from Perth to Geraldton, is now more accessible than ever


Big Skies, Big Fish, Big Plans

Eyre Peninsula emu

Rub shoulders with millionaire fish farmers and other larger-than-life denizens of the Outback around the rugged coast of South Australia’s little-known Eyre Peninsula


Bogong mountain high

Bogong High Plains

Within another year this dusty ribbon of gravel will become another busy touring route for weekend warriors, when the last stretch across the high plains is tar-sealed. Now is the time to experience the magic...


Broome - the fabled port of pearls

One of Broome's weathered faces

Broome, in the north-west of Australia, is about as far away from Sydney and Melbourne as you can get without a passport.


By EOS along the Great Ocean Road

Along the famous Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia

Test-driving a gutsy Volkswagen EOS convertible along Victoria’s Ocean Road is a real challenge.


Camels and Country Kindness in Cunnamulla

Willy Cooma, "The Camel Man" (above); Kayaking on the Warrego River (right); Turnworth Bore, a spa-in-the-making (above)

The sign at the town entrance tells it all: “Welcome to Cunnamulla, settled in the Dreamtime.” Aussie towns don’t get much older than that. Nor do they get much more welcoming and community-spirited.

 


Catatonic in Catalonia

The "Little Yellow Train"

French Catalonia takes the lead of the Spanish Catalonian heartland


Civilised Seisia

Having sailed along the coast of Arnhem Land, traversing the Gulf of Carpentaria and into one of the most remote towns on the Australian coast, Fiona Harper hungrily anticipates a return to civilisation, dropping anchor at Seisia on Cape York, Queensland.

 


Colours of Gujarat

Gujarat is the land of the Mahatma - the birthplace of Ghandi - and the only place on Earth where you can still see the Asiatic Lion, says Karen Halabi.


Cotswold Gold

Arlington Row, Bibury

Exquisitely manicured, the halcyon Cotswold villages of Painswick, Broadway, Bibury and Bourton-on-the-Water could easily be stage sets.


Cycling Savai'i

The local photographer of Lolomalava village is as colourful as his photographic subjects

A cycling trip around Samoa's "big island", overnighting at some inexpensive and supremely relaxing beach resorts.


Cycling Tasmania

The village of Strahan, on Tasmania's rugged west coast, is gateway to the awesome Gordon River World Heritage Area

Cycling Tasmania's rugged west coast is a real challenge - in contrast to the gently rolling hills of the island's east coast


Darling River Run

Darling River campsite at Kinchega / Outback mailbox

Never a dull moment on the long, dusty road which follows Australia’s largest river, even when the drought-stricken Darling is little more than a string of stagnant pools.


Desert Sands

Camel riding in the desert (above); A street in Hofuf (below); Digging for desert roses (right)

Saudi Arabia is a country of vast distances and huge expanses of desert, where ancient forts and citadels dot the landscape.


Don't Climb

This is Uluru, not any old rock in the centre of Australia. The world's largest pebble (that's official) was, until 17 years ago, universally known as Ayers Rock, named for the boss of the white discoverer, Gosse. It’s the world's largest cleanskin monolith


England Raises the Bar

Fresh local berries, picnic at Berkeley Castle, UK

Country England has never been so good.


Follow That Eagle

Bearfence Mountain / Rural Virginia

What better summertime drive than to follow Virginia’s Appalachian parkways through some of the finest countryside in the eastern United States?


Fortifying yourself

A quiet corner of Nizwa Fortress

On the "Fortress Trail" in the Sultanate of Oman


Fourwheeling Fiji

On the rugged inland "roads" of Viti Levu, near Navala village

Four-wheel drive is the best way to tackle the rugged inland of Fiji


Fourwheeling Oman

Zammal ('Snake') canyon, in Oman's Wadi Bani Awf

Offroad in Oman reveals a stunning landscape of rugged mountains, lush green valleys and tortuous rock formations


French Confection

Rent a farm cottage somewhere in Normandy, Brittany or the Loire, then spend the next week exploring towns and villages harking back to William the Conqueror.


From the Sublime to the Magnificent

Statue of JS Bach in his birth town of Eisenach, in the former East Germany

Explorations of Bach country, in the former East Germany


Gasp… splutter… cough…

Sulphur mine labourer / Ijen Crater, East Java

Quick, wet your shirt and cover your mouth!


Gentlemen, start your engines...

The passengers have clattered downstairs to the ferry’s dimly-lit hold, squeezing back into dozens of cars, trucks and vans which have spent the journey packed into line, front to back. Now… not exactly the chequered flag, but the ramp has lowered into place, the crewman waves each vehicle forward in turn. We accelerate up onto the ramp, out into the daylight, clattering ashore onto virgin territory.


Geordie Land Re-invents itself

Central Exchange Buildings has one of finest shopping arcades in the country (above);  The Angel of the North sculpture symbolises the new look region (right); Newcastle's Grey Street has been voted ‘best street in Britain (below)

Newcastle, "capital" of north-east England, has for the fourth consecutive year been nominated as the country’s favourite city-break destination


German Humour is no laughing matter

The cloisters of Wartburg Castle, Erfurt

A road trip through the new Germany


Going around the loop in New Zealand’s South Island

The scenic Waimakereri River becomes a raging torrent after heavy rains

A loop trip from Christchurch taking in the South Island’s two main mountain passes takes in some of the world’s finest high-country scenery


Great Alpine Road: a road for all seasons

Victoria's touring route for all seasons


Great Ocean Road

Twelve Apostles / Surf beach, Great Ocean Road

Experience one of Australia's most dramatic landscapes: a cliff-hanging scenic drive around Victoria's southwestern coastline on the Great Ocean Road.


Harley Heaven

Two on a Harley

Pull on your leathers to explore the Mornington Peninsula, ‘Melbourne’s backyard’, suggests Philip Game


In Kutch's clutches

Desert camp at the Sharad Utsav Festival (above); Entrance to the Pragmahal Palace, in Bhuj (right)

The human fabric of the remote Kutch region of Gujarat provides a dazzling spectacle.


Life IS art in Japan’s Hida district

A tree-lined canal in Takayama

Japan's Hida region is Japan's heartland


Misty mountains gourmet

The lush dairy country inland from the Great ocean Road is milking its rich natural assets for the benefit of the hungry visitor. The official name is Corangamite Shire - Sheriden Rhodes simply says its delicious.


Off the map in the "Land of the Free"

Old wooden houses line the Loue River, in the village of Ornans

A journey of exploration through Franche-Comté, France


On Basque Time

Espelette is the chilli capital of France (above); Pierre Oteiza has revived the dying breed of le porc Basque (right); Hams and smallgoods fill the window of La Maison du Jambon, Saint-Etienne-de-Baigorry (below); Typical dwellings in the river town of Bayonne (below right).

A gourmet tour through France's Basque Country reveals more than just sensory delights


Ordeal by Firewater OR Blotto in the Grotto

Ba Vuong pours a mean brew of firewater, in her village long-house (above); A thatch-roofed raft serves both as a boat and a sun-shelter

A serendipitous trip through the four southern provinces bordering Hanoi is a true voyage of discovery. The only thing that will slow down the traveller is being constantly plied with the local firewater


Out Back of Barcoo

Any bites?

The Outback is a state of mind, not simply a line on the map, and western Queensland proves the point.


Outback nature-feast

Brolgas take an after-dinner stroll along a bush track (above); The labyrinthine rock formations of Beal Bluff (right): a Major Mitchell cockatoo flies low over a waterhole (below)

Visitors to SW Queensland in the Australian outback are invariably stunned by the richness and abundance of nature-treasures.


Paradors, Spanish paragons

Plasencia / Cangas de Onis

From the bean stews and mountain cheeses of Asturias to the cured ham and virgin olive oils of Extremadura, the Paradores offer an introduction to the best of Spain.

 


Playing Polo

This article details of the amazing Silk Road, its history and its fascinating route today and includes information on accommodation provided, local food and cuisine, things to do and see.


Range Roving

Old machinery at a shearing shed.

With its astonishing landscapes and fascinating history, South Australia’s Flinders Ranges is just begging to be explored.


Roads to Damascus

A journey through the surprising Mediterranean country of Syria


Rocky Coast to the Edges of Land's End

We could be in Brittany, or Wales, or any other Celtic country. But here when someone or somewhere is prefixed Pen-, Tre-, Treg- or Trew-, you could be nowhere else but Cornwall.


Ruta de Plata, Spain's Silver Road

Roman theatre, Merida / Roadside bull

A two thousand-year-old touring route crosses the heart of Spain


Seaside towns of South Australia's South East

Historic roadside inn, Robe, South Australia

The seaside towns of South Australia’s South-East cling to a sun-scorched coast, a shadeless landscape of low limestone crags, dunes and lagoons.


Secret Sands

There's a handful of beaches in north Queensland that are everything you'd expect from this part of the world - except there are no crowds.


So far, Dhofar

Gnarled frankincense trees dominate the landcsape of Dhofar

The rugged Dhofar region of southern Oman


Southern Comfort

This article details travel through the South of Italy, the discoveries, staying in agriturismo farm stays and includes information on accommodation provided, local food and cuisine, things to do and see.


Surviving the Outback

Flinders Ranges, Outback South Australia

The Outback sets its own priorities. If you get it wrong out here, you may not see home again. Is the easy availability of camper vans and guidebooks creating a false sense of security?


The Poachers' Trail

Rural scenery is part of the Poachers Trail

Got a couple of days to spare? Wind down unearthing the ACT's rural riches.

 


Tibet's Wild East

East Tibet: A young lady of Derge, resplendent in her finery (above); The Muya Golden Pagoda, in Tagong (right)

The Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Ganzi, now a part of China’s Sichuan province is the homeland of the Khampa people. The atmosphere here is totally relaxed – hardly a Chinese soldier is to be seen, the visitor can wander freely without having to worry about permits, and images of the Dalai Lama are found in the most surprising places.


Utah - Wide open, spacious, dramatic

The splendid panorama of Bryce Canyon

In a spectacularly scenic part of America, Utah really stands head and shoulders above the rest


Water Worlds

Guard at the Step Well of Patan, otherwise known as the Queen’s Step Well (above); Inside (at the bottom) of the Adalaj Vav Step well, an elaborate carved muti-level structure used as a water catchment (right)

The ancient water temples of Gujarat are architectural marvels that have something in common with the pyramids


 

 
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