Tim Richards - I, Writer

I, Writer
Tim Richards
Freelance Writer

Follow Me:
Patreon
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn

Africa & the Middle East

	How great thou are (and aren't) Traveller, 13 December 2025 [Five items by me] "Amsterdam too crowded, too seedy? Take a fast train to Utrecht. Only 25 minutes away, this Dutch city is a mini-version of its bigger neighbour with attractive canals framing the grand Domtoren, a 112-metre tower that survived the 17th-century destruction of its church. Local attractions include the fun Speelklok Museum, packed with fascinating musicmaking devices from before the age of gramophones..." Five items in a list of overrated and underrated destinations and attractions. Read the below sections online: Underrated destinations (my items are Utrecht, Netherlands; Transylvanian villages, Romania; Sofia, Bulgaria) Overrated destinations (my item is Istanbul, Turkey) Underrated and overrated food (my items are Amsterdam’s brown cafes, sandwiches in Central Europe)
	Aboard the Pride of Africa Wild & Inspired, 30 October 2025 "'Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.' Though I lack the pet dog to do it justice, this thought passes through my head as I reach the reception area of the Pride of Africa train, operated by Rovos Rail. At its Cape Town end, this 600 kilometre luxury train journey to northeastern Pretoria begins at an elegantly appointed lounge opposite the main railway station. A young man in a suit stands at its entrance, offering a tray of champagne glasses..." Describing a luxury train ride through South Africa, in an anthology of articles by members of the Australian Society of Travel Writers.
	This superjumbo’s premium economy gets a perfect score Traveller, 14 October 2025 "This insanely early flight takes off from Melbourne at 5.15am, so I find myself – true to form – at the check-in desk far earlier than I need to be. Despite the unholy hour, the staff member is cheerful and friendly, telling me I’m in for a treat with the airline’s premium economy class. I’ll be connecting at Dubai for an onward flight to London, so I’m looking forward to extra comfort on a long pair of flights..." Recounting the attractions of Emirates' new premium economy class on a flight from Melbourne, Australia, to Dubai, UAE. [Read the full article here]
	Turkish State Railways, Sofia-Istanbul Traveller, 11 October 2025 "Sofia Central station is a gleaming relic from the communist era, opened in 1974 as a modernist expanse of white marble and glass. With its fascinating ceiling of angled panels and a light sculpture resembling a tree made from steel lamps, it’s a suitably dramatic departure point for my exit from the EU into Turkey. At 6pm I head for Platform 5 to find the train ready for boarding..." Reviewing a nightly sleeper train service which links Sofia, Bulgaria, to Istanbul, Turkey. [Read the full article here]
	Sleep on it Traveller, 3 August 2025 "I’m looking at Charles Dickens, and the great author is looking back at me. After all my trips to London, I’m finally visiting the National Portrait Gallery near Trafalgar Square. Here you find portraits of the great and the good, and this 1855 portrait reminds me Dickens was a witness to the early days of the railways, and also a frequent traveller to Europe. Given that, I suspect he’d be envious of what I’m about to do. Equipped with a Eurail pass on my phone, I’m going to travel by train from London to Istanbul over six weeks, stopping off at cities along the way..." Heading across Europe from London, UK, to Istanbul, Turkey, via the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria; aboard a variety of trains including four sleepers. [Read the full article here]
	Parting is such sweet sorrow Traveller, 27 April 2024 "In the first week of the New Year I picked up a brand-new passport. Almost ten years had passed in the company of my old one, and it was time to renew. But as I delighted in the crisp, unblemished potential of my new passport, I felt an unexpected fondness for its slightly worn predecessor. We’d been through a lot together over the previous decade, and the assortment of stamps spread through its pages recalled the most memorable border crossings..." Discussing the fond memories prompted by an expired passport, of travels in Ukraine, Japan, Malaysia, South Africa, Liechtenstein, and Fiji. [Read the full article here]
	A Dream of Trains **The New Daily, 3 June 2020** "Locked down in my apartment in Melbourne’s CBD, I dreamt of trains. For the past decade I’ve increasingly written about rail travel, drawn more and more into a love of trains. It doesn’t matter what trains they are – luxury 'rail cruises' are impressive, but so to me is a berth in a weathered old-school sleeper car or a seat on any intercity train..." Discussing the delights of rail travel, with examples - including a train journey in Africa. [Read the full article here]
	Airline Review: Emirates Economy Traveller, 10 February 2020 "The Airbus A380 is my favourite aircraft, as even in economy class it gives an impression of space. The cabin is broad, the bins are high above our heads, and Emirates sets the A380's economy legroom at a quite reasonable pitch – so my knees are in no risk of colliding with the seatback in front of me. I'm also lucky in that the seat next to me is empty, a happy situation I call 'poor man's business class'..." Reviewing the Economy experience on a flight from Melbourne to Dubai. [Read the full article here]
	Markets of Durban roundtheworldflights.com, 30 January 2019 "Of all the markets we visit on our walking tour of central Durban, South Africa, the most memorable is the Bovine Market. As the name suggests, you come to this simple space within a low metal shed to eat beef – but not a standard cut. The women working here dish up cow’s head, served with steamed bread. It’s a traditional Zulu treat, and a popular one in this maze of markets at Warwick Junction. There are outlets for all sorts of food and clothing, scattered across different levels..." Taking a tour of the diverse street markets of Durban, South Africa. [Read the full article here]
	Memories of Mandela roundtheworldflights.com, 25 January 2019 "My one bout of bad weather in Cape Town comes on the day I’m sailing to Robben Island. But gloomy weather seems appropriate for a tour to a former prison. For it was on Robben that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years, after the freedom fighter was captured and tried by South Africa’s apartheid regime in the 1960s. Though the prison is now a museum, nothing much seems to have changed since the days it held political prisoners..." Describing a tour to Robben Island, the former prison island off Cape Town, South Africa. [Read the full article here]
	This Lively Hangout is a Mecca for Surfers **Traveller, 15 January 2019** "'Muizenberg is the epicentre of diversity,' says Daniel Blaauw. 'It's a really connected community. You'll always find a happy face, a friendly person to talk to, something interesting on the beach.' I can see what he means as we gaze at the beach, with its colourful huts and lively restaurants, which has made this suburb of Cape Town a magnet for surfers. It's a sunny weekend and surfers carrying boards head for the waters of False Bay..." Taking a stroll through the historic seafront district of Muizenberg in Cape Town, South Africa. [Read the full article here]
	A Great Place to See the Magnificent Seven **Traveller, 21 November 2018** "I don't know what's more startling, the open-mouthed lion or the dead zebra in the grass next to him. The king of the jungle is only yawning, but he has a terrifying set of teeth and will soon be sharing his kill with his brother. Two jackals are lurking behind the bushes, hoping to snatch a piece of the unfortunate zebra when the lions' backs are turned. It's the Circle of Life in operation, big time..." Spotting exotic wild animals in the Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa. [Read the full article here]
	Ten Places That Celebrate Nelson Mandela **Traveller, 12 July 2018** "The most famous inmate of this former island prison was South African freedom fighter and president Nelson Mandela, who was born 100 years ago this year. An excursion to this museum in Table Bay reveals the grim reality of his time behind bars. Visitors to Robben are taken by bus to key sites, including the lime quarry where political prisoners laboured, before a former inmate leads the way through the cell blocks. It's a fascinating insight into a heroic struggle..." Detailing sites in South Africa associated with the life of freedom fighter and president, Nelson Mandela. [Read the full article here]
	Cape Grace Review **Traveller, 2 July 2018** "Cape Grace is in a prime position for sampling the tourist delights of Cape Town, situated within the city's historic Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. This complex of shops, restaurants and entertainment wraps around docks and marinas, with great views of both the sea and Table Mountain. With its plentiful security staff, the waterfront is a safe space for a stroll and is often thronged with pleasure seekers, giving it a festive atmosphere..." Reviewing a luxury hotel at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. [Read the full article here]
	Cape Town to Pretoria by Train – Diamond Empires to Shanty Towns **Traveller, 18 June 2018** "A young man in a suit stands at the entrance, proffering a tray of champagne glasses. Beyond him, the 52 passengers on this two-night trip are settling in among the deep sofas, high ceilings and chandeliers, drinking bubbly and enjoying salmon or cucumber sandwiches. The day before, I'd been at this same station on a solo excursion to the city's south via the suburban train network, keeping an eye on my valuables and avoiding slashed train seats. Today's ride is clearly in a different class altogether..." Taking the luxurious Pride of Africa train from Cape Town to Pretoria, South Africa. [Read the full article here]
	The Real Westeros (and Beyond) The Sunday Age 7 May 2017 "The spectacular settings in Game of Thrones are shot at locations across two continents. Seek these out on your next overseas quest...." (This was originally a text box as part of a longer article in print.) Listing filming locations of the popular fantasy TV series Game of Thrones, including locations in Morocco. [Read the full article here]
	Top 10: Comedy Clubs Around the World Traveller, 7 October 2016 "The supposedly uptight island state may not seem an obvious stop on the laughter circuit, but since 2010 this weekly comedy night founded by Pakistani stand-up comedian Umar Rana has featured upcoming locals to great success. Masala alumni have gone on to success in international tours, so this is the place to spot Asian comic talents on the rise..." Listing great comedy venues in the USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Singapore. Available for republication (print only). [Read the full article here]
	Airline Review: Emirates Economy Traveller, 18 December 2015 "The system's programmers had fun shaking up the usual menu options, with categories including Middle Earth, Film Club, Disney Classics and Arabic Cinema. The TV collection contains tired comedy stayers such as Big Bang Theory, along with Modern Family, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and dramas such as Fargo, The Code and The Fall..." Reviewing the economy experience on a flight from Dubai to Frankfurt. Available for republication (print only). [Read the full article here]
	A Boy and a Coin Traveller (The Age & Sydney Morning Herald), 17 October 2015 "The small boy shyly held out a coin to us, neatly reversing the tradition of baksheesh, whereby visitors would tip locals for providing services. We had to laugh at the gesture. We'd just come from Cairo, the world capital of baksheesh, a busy, ancient, exciting city where the timely exchange of loose change helped everyone get through their days. Things were different here on a quiet hilltop in western Syria, in the spring of 1994..." Reflecting on the tragedy of the Syrian civil war, and happier times two decades before. Available for republication (print only). Images available. [Read the full article here]
	Lost in the Old Port of Muscat The Sunday Age, 1 March 2014 "Here and there I can spot old fortifications the same colour as the hills, as if their turrets have sprouted from the bare rock. The most spectacular martial remnant is the remains of a fort built by the Portuguese after conquering Muscat in the 16th century. There are the graceful lines of Islamic art here too, in the modern shelters along the foreshore, their domes criss-crossed by geometric patterns; and the beautiful patterned blue minaret of the mosque at the centre of the corniche..." Exploring the souq and alleyways of Muttrah, the port district of Muscat, Oman. Available for republication (print only). Images available. [Read the full article here]
	Flight Test: Qantas Premium Economy Traveller (The Age & Sydney Morning Herald), 28 February 2015 "Situated upstairs behind business class, premium economy proves much more comfortable than economy. In many ways, it's similar to business class, with tables and video screens hidden beneath fixed armrests, which then swivel up as required. The seats are wide enough to comfortably seat me and my wife, both people who struggle with the tight conditions in economy. The seats are firm, but there's plenty of legroom..." Reviewing the premium economy experience on a flight from Melbourne to Dubai. Available for republication (print only). [Read the full article here]
	In the Heat of the Night **The Sun-Herald, 1 February 2015** "I hadn't thought to pack a suit jacket for a destination where the daily maximum routinely passes 40 degrees in summer. In these temperatures, shorts and T-shirts were what I had in mind. However, it's a jacket I must find, if I'm to enter the Royal Opera House Muscat for tonight's performance. Opened in 2011, this cultural institution was a personal project of Oman's ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said..." Attending a night of noisy entertainment at the Royal Opera House Muscat, Oman. Available for republication (print only). [Read the full article here]
	High Life in Oman **The Age & Sydney Morning Herald**, 1 November 2014 "When you peer over the lip of an infinity pool in our part of the world, you're usually looking at a scenic jungle or a wide blue ocean. Maybe both. Not at Jabal Akhdar, 2000 metres above sea level in the Al Hajar mountains of Oman. Within eyeshot of pool's edge at the new Alila Jabal Akhdar resort, opened in May, there's almost no greenery at all. Instead, I'm looking down into a spectacular gorge which drops more than 400 metres between bare rocky slopes..." Reviewing the impressive new Alila Jabal Akhdar resort in Oman. Available for republication (print only). Images available. [Read the full article here]
	Postcard: Turtles Hatching in Oman **The Sun-Herald, 7 September 2014** "I'm standing beneath the brightest full moon I've ever seen, on the easternmost point of the Arabian Peninsula. The sand beneath my boots is soft and yielding as I turn to look over the Indian Ocean. Somewhere over there, a long way away, is Australia. And in the waters between are green sea turtles, heading this way to lay their eggs. The place is Ras al Jinz, on the coast of Oman, one of the few places in the world that sea turtles visit all year round..." Observing turtles in the wild from a beach in Oman. Available for republication (print only). Images available. [Read the full article here]
	First World Problems: Luxury Guests' Gripes in the World's Worst Cities **Fairfax Traveller, 12 August 2014** "'No man is an island,' wrote the Elizabethan poet John Donne. But this may not be true of hotels. Every traveller knows that accommodation can be either a reflection of the city around it, or a refuge from its challenges. A hotel can seem like an embassy from another world – with a carefully orchestrated serenity aided by decor, light, sound and even scent. Nowhere is this contrast stronger than in the world’s 'least liveable' cities..." Contrasting travellers' online hotel reviews with cities they're visiting in Africa and Asia. Available for republication (print only). [Read the full article here]
	The Omani Road Less Travelled Issimo Magazine, 2 August 2014 "I have Robert Frost’s famous poem on my mind as I stand on the ramparts of Nakhal Fort in Oman. From the sand-coloured walls of this old fortification, the edge of the city of Muscat is on the horizon, a collection of low pale buildings dotted with greenery. As inviting as it is, however, I’m turning my back on the capital and heading inland with a small group aboard a 4WD vehicle, toward stark mountains, vast sandy deserts and deserted beaches..." Investigating the dramatic landscapes of this Middle Eastern nation. Available for republication (print and Web). Images available. [Read the full article here]
	Flight Test: Oman Air The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, 7 June 2014 "An early lunch is served an hour into the flight, with a choice of chicken, seafood or a vegetarian dish, each served with rice. I snag the last serve of chicken. It doesn't look like much, but turns out to be surprisingly tasty. In fact, it's delicious and thankfully much spicier than you expect airline food to be, which I attribute to the Thai catering staff at our point of origin..." Reviewing the economy class experience aboard the Middle Eastern airline. Available for republication (print only). Images available. [Read the full article here]
	A Line in the Sand **The Sunday Age, 5 January 2014** "I'm sitting inside a Bedouin tent as the pestle strikes the metal mortar, making it ring. The man in traditional robe and headdress crushing roasted coffee beans by an open hearth is Abu Khilim, and the ringing sound tells his neighbours it's coffee time. It's a tradition practised for generations in Wadi Feynan, a dry rocky valley within Jordan's Dana Biosphere Reserve. There are goats bleating outside the tent, and it feels like we're lost in the wilderness..." Detailing an unconventional environmentally-friendly hotel in the desert of Jordan. [Read the full article here]
	The Rum Run The Sunday Age, 13 October 2013 "They may have swapped camels for jeeps, but our drivers don't believe in keeping things tame. As we tear across the desert in convoy, with some passengers perched on seating on the vehicles' open trays, they zigzag from one sandy track to another. Both speed and excitement builds, as new vistas open up around us. Strangely, these vast rocky mounds seem familiar, and then I realise why - I'm being incongruously reminded of the backdrops of classic Hollywood westerns..." Tearing through the breathtaking desert landscape of Wadi Rum, Jordan. Available for republication (print only). Images available. [Read the full article here]
	Between Rocks and a Holy Place **The Age, 20 April 2013** "Like Moses, I'm standing atop Mount Nebo, hoping for a glimpse of the Promised Land. Though he never reached it, at least the prophet had good viewing weather: according to the Bible, he saw 'the whole land... as far as the Mediterranean Sea'. From the lookout, all I can see are dry, stony hills and a dusty horizon. So I step inside the adjacent museum, an attractive structure of rough stone walls, next to a church built around the remains of a 6th-century Byzantine basilica..." Musing on the intersection of art and archaeology in Madaba, Jordan. Available for republication (print only). Images available. [Read the full article here]
	Escape for Artists in Morocco Retreat The Age, 22 May 2012 "While popular uprisings have shaken the Middle East over the past year, the relatively unaffected North African kingdom of Morocco has remained a destination for Western travellers. It's in this country's remote desert hinterland that Melbourne woman Karen Hadfield has established an artists' retreat, within the village of Tissardmine near the Algerian border..." Interviewing the creator of a remote artists' retreat in Saharan Morocco. Available for republication (print only)
	Petra: Attractions Carved in Stone Arabia Travel, February 2006 "There is noise from the horses and people, but also beauty: strains of reds and purples running through the walls above and around you. You walk on, tiring, then suddenly there is a glimpse of something different. You turn the final corner to see the graceful lines of the Khazneh - the Treasury - carved out of the rockface dead ahead. In the morning sun the facade glows a subtle reddish brown. It's a stunning sight..." The secrets of stunning Petra, Jordan, an ancient city carved out of the desert rock. Available for republication (print and Web).
	Exploring the High Road to Damascus The Canberra Times, 7 April 1996 "Aleppo (Halab to the locals) has all the air of intrigue appropriate to the Arab world's northernmost city. Claimed to be the oldest settlement in the world, it has been part of every empire in the Middle East. Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks and French have all ruled here at one time or other, creating layers of history." The little known but spectacular attractions of Syria. Available for republication (print and Web).

Travel: Africa
& the Middle East

I'm a member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers. This page contains examples of my travel writing, organised by location. Each entry includes a sample paragraph, and indications of available rights.

I also have a selection of high-quality digital images available, depicting a variety of international locations.

If you'd like to republish one of these pieces, or would like a new piece written about the same location, please get in touch via the contacts below:

Archive
All articles in this archive are available for republication (fee to be negotiated). Articles can be rewritten to meet your style or length requirements. Please contact me by email with your query.

articles by subject:
Travel
Arts
Life
Science & Technology
Pets