Travel Writer

Born with a travel itch at the end of the world

Born on an island at the end of the world, I have spent over two decades in global orbit, evading the destiny of staying in Tasmania ‘for the term of my natural life’. That was the fate of thousands of convicts sent there in the early 19th century.  Islands are natural prisons. Those born on them need to break out now and then! As a globetrotting reporter and travel writer, I picked the right job to satiate my travel itch. 

Like An Arctic Tern I migrate between the hemispheres. Generally, I travel between Australia and France once a year. I also spend weeks, sometimes months, on the road. For this reason, I consider my suitcase my true pied-à-terre, and most recognisable landmark.  Despite my need to escape, I am irrepressibly drawn back to my beautiful wild, island planet. Covid put paid to all of that … and kept me locked out of Australia for many long months.

Just as Alice fell down the rabbit hole, so do I to Tasmania

Returning to Tasmania still evokes feelings similar to those of French captain, Bruni D’Entrecasteaux. On sighting the island’s shores for the first time in 1793, during his voyage on La Recherche, he exclaimed: ‘It would be vain for me to attempt to describe my feelings when I beheld this lonely harbour lying at the world’s end, separated as it were from the rest of the universe- ’twas nature, and nature in her wildest mood.’

There was, and still is, something incredibly compelling about Tasmania’s wild beauty, as is the case with many remote islands. And I feel it is our most important challenge today, to preserve every bit of that natural inheritance. This collision of island life with natural beauty has made me somewhat of an islophile … for as much as I need to get away, I also need to return to my little island haven. I also suffer from islomania … I’m very attracted to wild island life, thus my Borneo guides and recidivist visits.

Up, up and whoopee! … Curing the innate travel itch

Please join me on my travels, and spontaneous strolls, as I discover the wonders of the world. Usually, my travels take me far and wide, from California’s national parks to Tasmania’s sacred wilderness areas. Or into the heart of Borneo, encountering the island’s forager tribes and otherworldly jungle flora and fauna.

Come walk with me, if you dare! (Walk and occasionally bike, boat, hike, jog and train). My forays are as multifarious as my interests: cultural, historical and bookish, epicurean, arty, architectural. Very often too they are green. Deep green. If I infect you with a deep desire for unrestrained global roaming, then I have achieved my aim …  Of passing on my travel itch to others! Surely, it’s one of the best possible contagions to pass on.