1. Heading South,
about an epic round-Australia
rail journey, is out
now from Fremantle Press - learn about it here.
2. Ultimate Train Journeys:
World, a selection of the best rail
experiences, is out
now from Hardie Grant - read about it here.
Follow me or the publishers on
social media for more details.
Ten Most Recently Published
Venturing into the imaginary
town of Twin Peaks The Post, 7 April 2024
"The words of Special Agent Dale Cooper pass
through my mind as we head out of Seattle on a
tour devoted to the legendary television series Twin
Peaks. At the wheel of the vehicle is tour
guide David Israel, echoing Cooper in the outfit
of an FBI agent. To our surprised delight he’s
accompanied by James Grixoni, a young actor who
appeared in the third season of the show and who
sometimes leads these tours. My wife Narrelle and
I are in the back seat, looking forward to
visiting the locations of the quirky drama..."
Exploring filming locations associated
with Twin Peaks in the hills east of
Seattle, USA. [Read
the full
article here]
Nine must-do highlights of
Fremantle Traveller, 5 April 2024
"Housed in the sprawling former A-Shed on Victoria
Quay, Gage Roads Brew Co is a beefed-up version of
a beer hall, its lengthy interior scattered with
different bars and dining areas: from
restaurant-style tables to comfy low sofas. The
result is a surprisingly warm vibe, especially
when packed with punters having a beer and a bite
with friends. Big steel tanks line one side,
producing a range of house beers along with ginger
ale and cider..."
Listing nine great attractions to be
enjoyed in Fremantle, Western Australia. [Read
the full
article here]
The ride stuff Traveller, 10 March 2024
"'We all did justice to the good things, and as we
washed them down with bumpers of sparkling Krug
whilst we sped along at the rate of thirty miles
an hour, agreed it was the fastest living we had
ever experienced. Then to bed in luxurious
couches, where we slept the sleep of the just.' In
June 1869, the New York Times correspondent 'WS'
was living it high on the rails as he rode
westward from Nebraska to California on the first
trans-American railway. However, long-distance
rail travel across America is not always so
pleasing over 150 years later..."
Detailing the pluses and minuses of
travelling via Amtrak trains across the USA.
"
Ah, the joys of travelling across Europe by rail with a
Eurail pass! Hopping aboard regional services
without any need of a separate ticket, and using
sleeper trains as a substitute for hotel rooms.
There’s nothing more fun than a rail pass, but
many Australians will be surprised to learn that
it’s possible to travel that way in our own
eastern states. Here’s how..."
Explaining the rail passes and fare
caps available in New South Wales,
Queensland and Victoria, Australia.
Fact meets Game of Thrones
fantasy on this walking tour in Croatia Explore, 3 March 2024
"The result is a delightful maze, dotted with
restaurants and accommodation. And oozing with
history, which Toni is well placed to navigate.
The former teacher with a master's degree in
history leads people through the winding paths of
the old town, explaining its complicated back
story. As our group wanders its beautiful
laneways, he pieces together its historical jigsaw
- from Roman times, through rule by Venice and the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, to today's
tourist-friendly city on Croatia's Adriatic
coast..."
Learning about the complex history of
Split, Croatia, on an engaging walking our.
On the right track: History on
wheels as 'hoods revealed Explore, 5 February 2024
"'Please be careful of the pebble-stone paving,'
says our guide Nuno, as we wait to board a
bright-yellow tram. Welcome to Lisbon. If there's
anything more symbolic of the Portuguese capital
than its crazy paving and its compact
timber-framed trams, I can't imagine what it is.
No, wait, it's the decorative tiles on the walls
of its buildings, which I'll be seeing plenty of
today. For I'm joining the Beyond the Tram No. 28
tour, which uses those trams as a delivery vehicle
to the historic Graca district..."
Investigating heritage neighbourhoods
of Lisbon, Portugal, via tram and on foot.
"While we wait – my taste buds tingling in
anticipation – Karmela runs me through the basics
of štrukli via a handy diagram depicting its
preparation. Just jotting that down makes me
hungry, even more so as I’m surrounded by štrukli
admirers in the attractive surrounds of the
restaurant’s courtyard, with its picturesque stone
wall and shady trees. Though to tell the truth, my
fellow diners are rebels of a sort – as La Štruk
daringly ventures beyond classic štrukli to
produce modern variants containing ingredients
such as walnut, honey, apple, roasted capsicum,
and even (gasp) truffle paste..."
Exploring delightful food and drink on
a walking tour in Zagreb, Croatia.
This heritage sleeper train will
take you from Melbourne to wine time Traveller, 23 January 2024
"I’m standing on an overgrown platform at the
unlikely sounding locality of Muckleford, watching
a train glide past. First come three chunky
locomotives (“Y-class” for the technically
minded), then a varied collection of heritage
sleeper carriages, a lounge car, and a dining car.
This, in total, is the Winelander – the
moving heart of a rail cruise staged by 707
Operations, the latest in its series of weekend
train expeditions out of Melbourne..."
Catching a heritage train to the
goldfields region of Victoria, Australia. [Read
the full
article here]
Ban bucket lists: What the
experts want from travel in 2024 (section about
train travel) Traveller, 6 January 2024
"My new year travel resolution is to continue
avoiding air travel wherever a practical surface
alternative is available. Though I have to leave
Australia by air, I’m trying to stick to trains
and ferries in other continents – which has proven
to be a great pleasure in Europe and North
America..."
Contributing a section concerning rail
travel to an article about travel in 2024.
"Seated at an outdoor table at a restaurant called
Wild Sage, we’re being served a marvellous dish as
the first instalment of our food tour of
Sydney’s Barangaroo district. It’s a soft
taco with lobster, coleslaw, grilled pineapple,
chilli salsa and smoked aioli, and it’s delicious.
As our guide says, it’s a good example of the
diversity of dining in 21st century Australia.
Barangaroo seems the perfect place to sample that
up-to-date cuisine, as the newest neighbourhood in
the harbour city..."
Sampling the culinary delights of
Barangaroo in Sydney, Australia.
Archive
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Please contact me by email
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