Fact #1: some national capitals are lame. Fact #2: some purpose-built national capitals are even lamer. Not so Canberra. Sure, the administrative heart of Australia teems with politicos, bureaucrats, lobbyists and cub reporters but it is not all dull parliamentary machinations in the Garden City. For visitors with a day or more to spare, Canberra … More

Seafood tacos. Pulled pork. Sliders and onion rings. Any number of deep fried ice-creams from the 80s. Whether it’s being dished from the hatch of a food truck or placed on the pass of a pop up laneway restaurant, the hipster food revolution has certainly hit Melbourne right in the sweet spot. Harking from the … More

Is the casino culinary scene in Australia on the verge of a cataclysmic paradigm shift, whereby it begins to, at last and finally, mimic the best of the best in Las Vegas (or, indeed, the best of the best in Melbourne and Sydney)? Is it possible that in the foreseeable future local epicures will wine … More

What can an ostensibly trite and dull statistical measurement like population density tell us about a particular country? Well, quite a lot, as it turns out (demographers everywhere celebrate!). Take Australia, for example. Big country, very few people. While a city like Manila has over 43,000 people per km2 – a figure that boggles the … More

Fancy a little fresh air while in the land Down Under? No worries. Oz and epic hikes go together like Vegemite and butter on toast. Take a look at ten of the best, from short walkabouts to rangy, cross-country expeditions. Larapinta Trail, NT – Photo credit 10. Australian Alps Walking Track (VIC, NSW, ACT) Distance: … More

Can you recommend some good weekend getaway destinations within relative close range of Melbourne? Thank you, Frank A., Birmingham Phillip Island – Photo credit Good question Frank and one with a litany of answers. One telltale characteristic of every world class city, of course, is a plethora of spectacular short trip targets within a few … More