It’s that time of the year again, Melbourne Cup, when the nation stops for a horse race. Held on the first Tuesday in November since 1861, the Melbourne Cup is one of the world’s richest races. But some 3,065 kilometres away in tropical Palm Cove Far North Queensland, there’s an altogether different race, the 21st anniversary…

Port Douglas, or simply ‘Port’ as it’s referred to by locals, is a chilled resort town about 60 ks north of Cairns. It’s perched on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef with the rainforest-clad mountains of the Great Dividing Range tumbling down to the jade-coloured Coral Sea. Huge palm trees line the road leading…

Sydney has had a few monikers over the years, but perhaps none so evocative as The Emerald City with its shimmering harbour, golden beaches and dazzling architecture – new and old. This particular name comes from the David Williamson play (newly coined at the time) ‘Emerald City’, referencing that other great Land of Oz, the…

Another crowd-pleasing if quirky Sculpture By The Sea along the spectacular Bronte to Bondi coastal walk – the world’s largest free to the public sculpture exhibition. Two kilometres of cliff top paths with 100 sculptures from around Australia and across the world with some 500,000 visitors over 18 days. You need to get there early…

There are a couple of ways to reach Cooktown, some 326k’s north of Cairns. There’s the inland sealed route that takes you up from the tropical rainforest coast to the dry tableland ranges and the inland outback of Cape York. It’s around a 4-hour comfortable drive on a two-lane ‘highway’ that takes in some spectacular…