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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Author Archives: Briar's Travel Beat
Talk to the animals these school holidays
Kids love getting up close and personal to animals and they can do just that at Mowbray Park Farmstay in Picton, just a 90-minute drive from Sydney. But this family owned farmstay in the lush Wollondilly Shire offers much more … Continue reading
Posted in Accommodation, Animals, Australia, NSW Southern Highlands
Tagged accommodation, family fun, sydney
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Grafitti Grannies let loose
Trains seem to attract graffiti and now it’s happening right before my eyes – over carriages, engines, and platforms. And no one is doing a thing to stop it. In fact the culprits, looking suspiciously like cheeky nannas, are being … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Museums, NSW Southern Highlands, Travel
Tagged family fun, sydney, Trains, travel, vintage steam train
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Corrugated Iron Capital of the World
Napier might be the Art Deco capital, but the tiny town of Tirau, in New Zealand’s North Island, is the self-proclaimed ‘corrugated iron capital of the world’. It’s a big claim for a little town – population 700 – but … Continue reading
Buttocks on the futtocks
Yes! I’ve got my buttocks on the futtocks*. Literally. I’m standing in the crow’s nest, or in this case, on a small metal plate, 15 metres up the mizzen (aft) mast of the timber sailing ship the Southern Swan. … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure, Australia, Sydney, Travel
Tagged family fun, sailing, sydney, travel
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Nudity in Outback Pub
There’s nudity-a-plenty at this family outback pub. But don’t let that put you off – it’s only of the artistic variety, from the likes of Clifton Pugh, Russell Drysdale and other artists of the bush. The walls of the Tooles Family Hotel in … Continue reading
Posted in Accommodation, Australia, Food & Wine, Outback, Tibooburra
Tagged accommodation, Food and Wine, outback, travel
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Koalas – Up close & personal
The cleansing fragrance of eucalypts in the koala enclosure is a pleasant relief after the whiffy odour of bird poo, though that’s a small price to pay for their cheerful chorus that echos among the trees at Featherdale Wildlife Park. Unfortunately, it’s illegal to hold … Continue reading
Ballooning in the mist
It might be the middle of winter, but getting up early and rugging up for a hot air balloon flight has its rewards as my son and I found out this morning on a flight over the Hawkesbury Valley with … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure, Hawkesbury, Sydney, Travel
Tagged family fun, Hawkesbury, sydney, travel
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Sensational Segway Adventure
For sensational family fun don’t get on your bike, get on a Segway and float above the ground. OK, it’s not quite levitating, but the Segway personal transporter does feel like it hovers above the ground rather than rides over … Continue reading
There’s a falcon in my seat
Imagine getting on a plane and finding the man sitting next to you is nursing a falcon – not a stuffed one, nor in a cage, but a real live bird resting on his arm. Unlikely if you’re travelling in Australia, … Continue reading
Abu Dhabi Doo – Fun in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, the capital and largest of the United Arab Emirates, is a wonderful introduction to Arab culture. With their national carrier Etihad flying from Australia to Abu Dhabi and on to England and Europe, it makes an excellent stopover or family holiday destination. Book … Continue reading
Briar's Travel Beat 