About Briar
Briar Jensen is a Sydney-based freelance travel writer. Her blog covers travel tips, reviews, insights and inspiration, travel accessories and gadgets.
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I love a humorous toilet sign and saw some interesting ones in @tropicalnorthqueensland on a recent visit, including this one at @riley.crystalbrookcollection in Cairns. On #worldtoiletday it made me think how lucky we are to have toilets wherever we go in Australia, as 4.2 billion people don’t have the luxury of sanitation. Check out my blog post (link in bio) about how you can help by buying toilet paper from @whogivesacraptp as well as booking travel through companies that contribute to clean water in developing countries. There are some more funny funny signs in it too. #toiletsforall #responsibletravel #tropicalnorthqueensland #toiletsignsI love a hotel with character and the eclectic @so_auckland has it in spades. Ritzy communal spaces, comfortably elegant suites, a cheeky sense of style thanks to collaboration with @worldbrandinnz and genuinely cheery and engaging staff. A hip luxury Kiwi hotel. My story in the latest issue of @signatureluxurytravel (swipe left). #soauckland #signatureluxurytravel #hotelreview #nzmustdoHow good is this Cape York sunset? Taken from my accommodation at @capeyorklodge in Bamaga, the best quality accommodation option close to The Tip, the northernmost point of mainland Australia. And the great thing is, it is owned and operated by Bamaga Enterprises, which is a social enterprise that supports the community, so you know your dollars are staying within the community. #capeyork #bamaga #sunset_pics #exploretnqPearl farms always seem to be in picturesque locations, and this one is a stunner. Located on tiny Roko Island in the Torres Strait, they will pick you up from Seisia or Pundsand Bay on the tip of Cape York and transfer you to the island (a 20-minute boat ride) for a lesson on pearl production. The business is family owned and son Jason, a pearl technician, demonstrates how the pearls are cultivated, before giving us a sample of pearl meat (seasoned with salt and pepper). They also offer overnight accommodation in a couple of glamping tents, and who wouldn’t want to stay here with this view? Pity I was only on the day tour. @rokoisland @tropicalnorthqueensland #rokoislandpearlfarm #pearlfarm #capeyork #capeyorkpeninsula #islandvibesThere are always extra special moments in travel, and reaching the Tip of Cape York, the northernmost point of the Australian continent today was one of them. Thanks to @capeyorklodge for the tour from #bamaga to the tip, where you have the Arafura Sea on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other and the Torres Strait in front. #thetip #exploretnq #capeyork #capeyorklodge #hostedHow clear is the water at Fruit Bat Falls in Cape York’s Northern Peninsula Area? I could see little black tadpoles nibbling algae from the rocks and tiny fish swimming by. I swam across to the falls for a back pummelling under the falls and climbed to the top for a lie in a rivulet for a fresh water spa. Simply awesome. To get there you can book a tour with @capeyorklodge in Bamaga or hire one of their 4WDs and drive yourself, but I recommend the former, as the sign to the falls is not easy to spot when you are concentrating on driving through corrugations and sand drifts. #capeyorkpeninsula #thisisqueensland #exploretnq #bamaga- My Tweets
Author Archives: Briar's Travel Beat
Sydney’s QVB turns 120 – share your story to win
Since moving to Sydney 20-odd years ago I’ve come to love the elegant Queen Victoria Building, which occupies and entire city block. But like many of the shoppers and commuters that pass through her colonnaded walkways and underground passageways, I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in Attractions, Australia, New South Wales, Sydney, Travel
Tagged Architecture tours, Queen Victoria Building, QVB, QVB History Tour, QVB120, sydney, Sydney architecture, Sydney tours
2 Comments
Whale of a tale – on Australia’s Gold Coast
Sometimes the tale behind an image is as breathtaking as the image itself – this time literally so. I was enthralled by the image on the cover of the latest issue of Where* Gold Coast magazine this month. The juxtaposition of … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Australia, Photography, Travel
Tagged Blue Dog Photography, Gold Coast, humpback whales, photography courses, whales
2 Comments
Pack It! Part 2 – Five tips for buying travel packing cells
So after reading Part 1 Five reasons to use packing cells you’ve finally seen the light and decided to purchase some packing cells? Congratulations! But how do you choose the ideal packing cells (or packing cubes)? We all travel with different gear, … Continue reading
Pack it! Part 1 – Five reasons to use travel packing cells
Packing cells have changed my life. That’s a big statement, I know. But they have made my travelling life so much easier I wonder how I ever travelled without them. I just wish I had cottoned on to packing cells … Continue reading
Tai Chi with the locals in Bangkok
Apparently, tai chi is all about internal energy flow, but the only energy I’m channelling is nervous energy. How much of a goose (or perhaps that should be crane?) am I making of myself? But I don’t care. I feel … Continue reading
Posted in Accommodation, Bangkok, Thailand, Travel
Tagged Lumpini Park, Sofitel So Bangkok, Tai Chi
8 Comments
10 Travel-themed homewares
Just because you are stuck at home, doesn’t mean you can’t dream about travelling. Part of the joy of travel is reminiscing about past adventures and planning new exploits. So surround yourself with travel memorabilia as a reminder of holidays past … Continue reading
Postcard of the week – Glorious gum trees
Sometimes nature blows me away with its beauty. Like this magnificent gum tree, whose subtle colours were given a vibrant makeover by summer rain (actually a summer downpour that turned our walking track in a mini riverbed). Rain gives the … Continue reading
Posted in National Parks, Postcards, Sydney, Travel
Tagged gum trees, Ku-ring-gai Chase NP
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