About Briar
Briar Jensen is a Sydney-based freelance travel writer. Her blog covers travel tips, reviews, insights and inspiration, travel accessories and gadgets.
Follow me
- Follow Briar's Travel Beat on WordPress.com
Subscribe
-
Recent Posts
Instagram - BriarsTravelBeat
Outback #sunsets are something else! This one, atop windy Sunset Hill in Tibooburra, Outback NSW, finished in a horizontal blaze of bright orange, like a strip of tangerine peel on the horizon. We stayed and watched the night sky reveal layer upon layer of stars and followed the path of the Emu in the Milky Way as it rose up and across the sky.The colours of #outbackaustralia are so vibrant as to be unbelievable. This collage of silcrete and rusty ironstone splashed with quartz was snapped on the walk to Mount Poole Cairn outside Tibooburra in Corner Country, #newsouthwales It is one of the many historical stops on Sturt’s Steps, a new 1100km circular driving route through the region, with excellent interpretation. @sturtssteps #outbacknsw @cornercountryandoutbacknswA magnificent #eucalypt for National Eucalypt Day on March 23, which I’ve only just learnt about @eucalyptaus I’m too late to enter their photography competition but I did vote for #eucalyptoftheyear and look forward to the results.The colours of #outbackaustralia are so vibrant that when Australian artist Eric Minchin had an exhibition in the US of his outback paintings visitors asked why he painted the dirt red. They didn’t believe it was realistic, so on his next trip he took some dirt with him to prove his paintings were realistic. You can see examples of his work on the walls of the #tibooburra Family Hotel where more recently Roxanne Minchin painted a stunning image of the #dogfence Take a road trip in @cornercountryandoutbacknsw following @sturtssteps and you will uncover stories like these. #roadtrip- My Tweets
Top Posts & Pages
-
Author Archives: Briar's Travel Beat
Evocative Eucalypts
Did you know March 23 is National Eucalypt Day? I found out about it on Sunday, thanks to Helen Young’s Gardens column in The Weekend Australian Magazine. I was pretty excited, as I have come to love eucalypts, and have … Continue reading
Street Art with Heart on Bruny Island, Tasmania
I love solo road trips, because I can jump on the brakes whenever I see something of interest to photograph, assuming there’s not somebody right behind me of course. (Ask my hubby to pull over while he’s driving and by … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure, Australia, Road Trips, Tasmania, Travel
Tagged art, Beyond Blue, Bruny Island, garden art, sculpture, street art, Tasmania
2 Comments
Quarantini Cocktails – using rum from New South Wales distillers
Quarantini – I love this term, meaning a martini drunk in isolation, or more generally any cocktail enjoyed during quarantine at home during Covid-19. I think most of us who imbibe have been drinking more during ISO, especially initially, but … Continue reading
Posted in Attractions, Australia, Food & Wine, New South Wales, Sydney, Travel
Tagged Brix Distillers, cocktails, daiquiri, distillers, mojito, NSW Distillers, NSW rum, passionfruit daiquiri, rum, rum cocktails
2 Comments
Drive-through gourmet feasts supporting local producers in the Hawkesbury
Drive through gourmet feasts – didn’t think I’d hear that, but these strange (Covid) times have brought about some wonderful initiatives as businesses strive to stay afloat. Here in Sydney food venues are offering takeaway meals while farmers and producers … Continue reading
Tragic White Island Eruption
It’s tragic to hear that New Zealand’s White Island, an active marine volcano, has erupted with little warning, killing at least five tourists, with more still missing. It’s devastating news and my heart goes out to all those involved. White … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure, adventure travel, New Zealand
Tagged Guided tours, Volcano, White Island
2 Comments
Give A Crap on World Toilet Day 2019
As some of you know, I enjoy funny dunny signs. And as today is United Nations World Toilet Day I thought I’d share a few more. I recently came across these in Tropical North Queensland, Australia. I’m not sure if … Continue reading
Posted in Ethical travel, Travel
Tagged Australia, funny signs, hygiene, sanitation, toilet paper, toilet signs, Who gives a crap toilet paper, World Toilet Day
2 Comments
Graffiato – Taupo’s Street Art Festival 26-28 Oct 2019
Eleven artists, ten walls, three days. This is the formula for Graffiato, the Taupo Street Art Festival held over New Zealand’s long weekend from 26-28 October 2019. The festival has been running for nine years with 125 murals created … Continue reading
Posted in festivals, New Zealand, Taupo, Tourism, Travel
Tagged family fun, Graffiato, Graffiato festival, Graffiti, graffiti artists, murals, NZ Street Art, street art, street art festival
2 Comments
Ethical and sustainable travel – let go of the guilt
Learning more about ethical and sustainable travel brings on bouts of guilt about past indiscretions, however unintentional. Riding in a timber seat on an elephant’s back in Thailand years ago springs to mind first. It was part of a hosted … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Ethical travel, Sustainability, Tourism, Travel
Tagged Animal protection
4 Comments
Kakadu Bird Week 2019
Like me, most visitors to Kakadu National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory probably don’t come purely for the bird life. But it’s impossible not to be awed by the park’s proliferation of feathered friends, from a tiny, brightly-plumed azure kingfisher … Continue reading
Briar's Travel Beat 