Winter in New South Wales, Australia for me resembles spring or autumn – often even summer. Accustomed to temperatures on the United States’ Eastern Seaboard so brutal they kill, it’s refreshing to walk around outside in Sydney and its environs during the deepest, darkest wintertime months without fighting to stay alive in the ice. Where [...]

When first we travel to a well-known destination, we arrive fully loaded with pre-existing notions of its sights, its people, its character. Before I stepped foot in Sydney, Australia I expected the city to be shiny and modern, stuffed with museums and restaurants and buzzing with people-filled sidewalks, much like many major cities back home [...]

The first time I traveled to Sydney, Australia, I strolled through the Royal Botanic Gardens expecting nothing but flora. Instead, I got some pretty shocking fauna. Looking up into a towering tree, I saw dozens of large, round black things the size of bowling balls hanging down. A native fruit, perhaps? No. A nearby sign [...]

Who are the people behind the home page? As travel bloggers we often have a real curiosity about our blogging buddies. Trying to get to know people through tweets filled with shortened URLs and hash tags leaves but a few letters available to actually convey thoughts. Blog comments offer a lot more room for socialization; [...]

I could take a bus, but that would be boring. Heavy grey-black clouds hover in the sky, promising to soak me. It doesn’t matter. This day, I have decided, I will, for the first time since I traveled to Australia, explore the town immediately next to mine. A beach pounding with surf is just a [...]

I have never encountered squeaky sand before today. Never even heard of it. The New England sand on the beaches that I’m accustomed to is brown and sharp. Walk across it for a couple of hours and it begins to feels like broken glass. Strolling on the powdered sugar sand in other parts of the [...]

Since travelling to Australia a few days ago and planting myself in New South Wales, I’ve quickly come to notice that this country is full of nature that I am not going to waste. Getting outside in Australia is synonymous with living Down Under, I think. Unexpectedly, my first day of exploring the outdoors in [...]