One morning in January 1942 as Masaitchiro Shimasaki was enjoying his regular breakfast cigar on the beach off his comfortable little home in then-American Samoa, he noticed something unusual glittering off-shore in the early South Pacific sun.
Melbourne's Laneways have become destinations for locals and visitors, They are colourful alternatives for music, art, bars, and restaurants. They are also places to stroll and to party. And their character changes constantly.
Join the dots between a witchdoctor, a centipede, exotic ostrich steaks, Victoria Falls and Dar Es Salaam, bizarre desert dunes and Smoke That Thunders and you will take an extraordinary trip by trains, planes and automobiles.
What's made up of more than 4,000,000 parts from 1,500 companies around the world, takes nine months to build at a cost of US$390m with seventy-seven having already been sold and one customer wants ninety?
For wine buffs the historic cellars of Seppeltsfield, in the heart of South Australia's Barossa Valley, are a very, very special place indeed. Because here visitors - wine buff or not - are surrounded by casks of port from every vintage since 1878.
We rode in ox carts and 'cyclos,' visited cat-fish farms and floating markets, sampled snake wine and exotic fruits, caught a rare, lithesome gibbon swinging from rafters above our heads, and more all the while gently cruising down the Mekong.
Aviatrix Amelia Earhart, Lae in New Guinea, an anti-freckle cream jar, Nikumaroro, Gargoyle House, a Lockheed Electra, TIGHAR and a host of conspiracy theories: join the dots to help explain her disappearance in 1937.
What ever it is about trains that attracts people - and it seems the older the trains, the more the attraction - Trainworks has struck gold doing it with the largest rail museum in the Southern Hemisphere.
The New South Wales Railways' Office of Mechanical Engineer was charged with creating a work of extraordinary opulence, a masterpiece, that, 111 years later is still the most luxurious railway carriage in Australia.
Komodo National Park comprises a number of islands, and is on the World Heritage List. Two of its largest islands, Komodo and Rinca, are the main habitat of the world's largest lizard, the Komodo Dragon.
As remote as it is, you don't need 4WD to get here: the road is sealed for the first 70km from Alice Springs, and is gravel for the next forty - a yob filter as regulars who enjoy escaping to Arltunga describe it.
The newest thing in cruise holidaying in America is in fact the oldest, with the re-launch this month of the 436-passenger American Queen, a sternwheeler that had been laid-up on the banks of the Mississippi River.
Once was a time when the prospects of a stay at an airport hotel sent shivers down the spines of even the most-seasoned travellers: pokey rooms, planes roaring overhead, rattling windows non-existent lounges or bars. Not any more!
All because like Brigadoon in the stage show and movie, for just one day of the year Bundanoon raises itself out of its early morning Highlands mist, and for that day becomes Brigadoon and all things Scottish.
We planned on what Le Boat calls it's "Scholars' Cruise", motoring upstream to Oxford and downstream to the rowing course at Henley.
Yarra Valley - Healesville
From camping, to hiking, having a beer or simply enjoying the finer things in life (like a perfectly brewed coffee or a tall glass of wine) there is simply no better place to be. Full Story
Venice - Hotel Danieli
In 1805 hotelier Giuseppe Dal Niel rented the palaces and converted them into a hotel, giving it his nickname Danieli, and later acquiring the buildings outright. Full Story.
England - London's Tower Bridge
Some 40,000 people cross the Tower Bridge every day – local pedestrians, motorists, cyclists and, of course, the multitude of meandering tourists. So next time you are visiting London make the Tower Bridge a must – and recall the Day It Stopped A President. Full Story.
Queen Elizabeth World Cruise
The softly-spoken Ed and Helen hail from Pennsylvania, and the only time Ed tends to raise his voice is when he talks about how they "got into cruising". Full Story.
Australia - Daintree Rainforest Jungle Surfing
Jungle Surfing the Canopy of the Daintree rainforest is a truly insane experience where your feet don't touch the ground. Full Story.
China - Thames Town
The only thing that’s askew is that this ever-so-British-looking Thames Town, that’s complete down to a traditional fish and chip shop and street signs showing High Street, Oxford Street, Queen Street and similar, is anything but British. Full Story.
England - Oxford Castle
Holidaymakers looking for the out-of-the-ordinary can today do time in the one-time cells of what was once one of England’s toughest prisons, a hell-hole housed within the 5-metre thick walls of the country’s historic Oxford Castle. Full Story.
Tasmania - Kempton
KEMPTON’s not one of those places that springs quickly to mind when planning a motoring holiday in Tasmania, yet the little community has had the welcome mat out since the mid-19th century. Full Story.
Spain - Barcelona
While there's no danger of running out of things to do in Barcelona, there is a serious risk that you'll be so overwhelmed by the number and variety of the city's attractions. Full Story.
Malaysia - Langkawi
The Curse of Mahsuri goes back to a time none can put an exact date to, but which historians believe was probably around 1820. Full Story.
Prague - New Year's Eve
Sparks shower nearby revellers; laughter and squeals of delight fill the air and we expect to hear screams of pain too, but they must be drowned out by all the fun. Full Story.
How To Be A Good Travel Flyer
Here are some tips on how not to be one of those who drive fellow travellers to the point of rage and temporary insanity. Full Story.
England - Charles Dickens
From when he was a young boy Dickens had a fascination for ghosts which culminated in arguably his most famous novel, A Christmas Carol in which the skinflint Ebenezer Scrooge changes his ways after a visit by three spirits. Full Story.
Skiing in Korea
Unlike Australian and New Zealand alpine resorts this picture-postcard winter playground has a vast indoor water park, Peak Island, that’s about a two-minute walk from the Dragon Hotel. Full Story.
NSW - Newcastle
Amongst historical nearby attractions is Fort Scratchley that formed an integral link in our defences against potential invasion, whose canons were Australia's only ever to fire in anger. Full Story.
Italy - Umbria and Tuscany
Perugia is the capital of Umbria about halfway between Rome and Florence and it's Perugina chocolate factory makes the world-famous chocolates called Baci – Italian for "kisses". Full Story.
Vietnam - Mekong Cruise
This captivating cruise is aboard the stylish 62-stateroom AmaLotus that’s owned by Australia's APT Touring, and which began her Mekong career only in September this year. Full Story.
Ubud Writers and Readers Festival : Writers Festivals as a Travel Experience
The 2011 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival offered a cultural smorgasbord, or Rijsttafel, as a banquet is called in Indonesia. It was a whimsical fusion of colours, flavours and styles from Indonesia, Australia, and all the continents on the globe. Full Story.
The Antarctic Peninsula
Can't get enough of David Attenborough's Frozen Planet - then why not get off your butt and head straight to the Antarctic Peninsula. Antarctica's treacherous, spiny tendril is an odd but irresistible location. Full Story.
Savannah - The Future Ship Lost In Time
Costing nearly US$50m which came from the US Atomic Energy Commission, Savannah quickly ran into trouble over the size of her crew – and their pay. Full Story.
Indonesia - Travelling Green
Near the Udayana University between Jimbaran Bay and Nusa Dua where the environment provides the right vegetation for larvae, pupae and butterflies for at least 80 species and allows 50 species of birds to flourish and fly. And there are five species of land snails and the occasional squirrel. Full Story.
Geelong Wine Region - Toast to the Coast
The Geelong Wine Region is part of the Port Phillip Wine Zone in the State of Victoria. It's a cool climate wine region with a similar terroir to the famous French wine regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy. Full Story.
Italy - Erice, Sicily
Located on top of Monte San Giuliano, Erice has a long history stretching from Ancient Greek to modern times. Much of its remaining historical architecture is from the Norman period and, strategically located, it has spectacular views to the east and south across Sicily. Full Story.
Sicily - Valley of the Temples, Agrigento
On a cloudless Mediterranean summers day, you look towards the Temple sitting at the top of a barren rock strewn pale faced ridge and, with the azure sky as a backdrop, marvel at the ingenuity of the ancient Greeks. Full Story.
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New Zealand Travel Stories
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