Backpacker Barbecue Guide

For traveling Australia What do backpackers eat? I know, I know, it’s the question which keeps you up at night. Oh, it’s not? I wish you told me that earlier. Anyway… To those who have never experienced the van life, they may imagine a scraggly type, in boho genie pants, ornate with Thai motif, sharingContinue reading “Backpacker Barbecue Guide”

Snapshot: Rottnest Island

Short look + read photograph collections from places I’ve loved enough to capture. Rottnest Island, WA, Australia Rottnest Island is a popular tourist destination located 18km from the Australia mainland via a short ferry ride from Fremantle, Perth. The island has over 22km of cycling tracks, which link spectacular pristine beaches – kick back andContinue reading “Snapshot: Rottnest Island”

Snapshot: Tunxi Old Town

Short look + read photograph collections from places I’ve loved enough to capture. Tunxi Old Town, Anhui Province, China Tunxi Old Street is one of China’s the best persevered, with its traditional buildings, of the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE), Ming (1368-1644 CE) and Qing (1644-1912 CE) dynasties, showcasing Hui style architecture, well adorned with ornamentation.Continue reading “Snapshot: Tunxi Old Town”

Times of Travel: Mt Kosciuszko

The cold was bitter and spiteful, the type you only know when you’re stood on the side of a mountain in winter. The wind whistled around objects, penetrated every warren, and licked up unwelcomingly around my exposed fingers, as I struggled with zips and mismanaged setting up my splitboard. I was standing just off theContinue reading “Times of Travel: Mt Kosciuszko”

Snapshot: Vancouver

Short look + read photograph collections from places I’ve loved enough to capture. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada On Canada’s west coast, Vancouver is a sprawling metropolis, bustling with a diverse, multi cultural demographic and Canada’s largest Chinatown, with the highest population density of anywhere in Canada. Its easily navigated via the elevated tracks of theContinue reading “Snapshot: Vancouver”

Snapshot: Melbourne

Short look + read photograph collections from places I’ve loved enough to capture. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Melbourne, on Australia’s southern coast, with a population on 5 million, is the largest city in Victoria and second most populous in Australia. It’s been an active settlement of the Aboriginal people for over 40,000 years, before being colonisedContinue reading “Snapshot: Melbourne”

Snapshot: Hongcun Village

Short look + read photograph collections from places I’ve loved enough to capture. Hongcun Village, Anhui Province, China Together, with the nearby town of Xidi, Hongcun Village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its well preserved medieval Chinese architecture. Photographs by © Darius the Mate What is life without community? I would loveContinue reading “Snapshot: Hongcun Village”

Snapshot: Xidi Village

Short look + read photograph collections from places I’ve loved enough to capture. Xidi Village, Anhui Province, China Together, with the nearby town of Hongcun, Xidi Village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its well preserved medieval Chinese architecture. Photographs by © Darius the Mate What is life without community? I would loveContinue reading “Snapshot: Xidi Village”

Times of Travel: Liffey Falls

Type: Hike, out and backDistance: 8km (6km + optional 2km)Time: 2 – 3 hours Difficulty: EasyLocation: Liffey Falls State Reserve, Tasmania Liffey Falls track is a short, easy walk, following an old 1900s logging tramway, in Liffey Falls State Reserve, Tasmania. It’s a 45 minute drive (50km) from the centre of Launceston, the closest cityContinue reading “Times of Travel: Liffey Falls”

Times of Travel: Mt Ruapehu Crater Lake

Distance: 10km+Elevation gain: 1,072 metresTop elevation: 2,672 metresTime: 5 – 7 hours Difficulty: moderateSummer conditions: December – MayWinter conditions: June – November Location: Mt Ruapehu, Tongariro National Park, North Island, New Zealand This overview encompasses the Crater Lake hike, from the Whakapapa side, focussing on my experience during the winter of 2017. The summers hike,Continue reading “Times of Travel: Mt Ruapehu Crater Lake”

Times of Travel: Mt Ruapehu De-icing

My knees vibrated like fragile branches under the weight of a squirrel. I ascended the ladder cautiously on our first training run. I was panicking like the fattest pig on slaughter day. Out of my comfort zone from the word “go”. Deep breaths, deep breaths. Squeal. Since when do pigs fly? I perched, frozen inContinue reading “Times of Travel: Mt Ruapehu De-icing”

Times of Travel: Mt Ruapehu

Hike, ski, live and be free! How often do you get to ski down the side of an active volcano? No, this isn’t the new James Bond film. Whether you’re an adrenaline junkie or avid photographer, keen to get some postcard ready snaps, this majestic mountain, as seen above in front of the picturesque ChateauContinue reading “Times of Travel: Mt Ruapehu”

Times of Travel: Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Type: hike Distance: 19.4km Time: 5 – 8 hours Difficulty: moderate (summer) Peak season: November – May Location: Tongariro National Park, North Island, New Zealand Covering 19.4km of the Tongariro National Park – New Zealand’s oldest national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site -, is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, which used to be knowContinue reading “Times of Travel: Tongariro Alpine Crossing”

Times of Travel: Preface

For the last five years, I’ve been travelling, living and working abroad, with my longtime partner in crime – the Bonnie to my Clyde, NeversayNOmad. Together, we’ve toured and explored a modest amount of countries in the continents of Europe, Australasia, North America and Asia, with an endless list of amazing places still left untappedContinue reading “Times of Travel: Preface”