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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There’s something visually reassuring about lighthouses. While a warning of danger from the sea, they are like a white sentinel of safety when viewed from onshore. This is Norah Head Lighthouse on the NSW Central Coast. You can stay in the lighthouse keepers’ cottages here, and what a view! #lighthouse #lovensw #centralcoastnsw @norahheadlighthouseHow gorgeous is this little Italian restaurant @achefsecrets on the waterfront at Berowra? It occupies a tiny boat she’d built in 1898. Sitting on the deck today with a gentle breeze watching the vehicular ferry come and go was a pleasant way to enjoy Friday lunch with Gaye Jensen. The food was super fresh, beautifully presented and utterly delicious. #restaurantaustralia #visitnsw #modernitalianOne for the #bookcommunity It was recommended I visit @harryhartogbookseller by a valued friend this week while I was at Macquarie Shopping Centre in Sydney. Wow, what a fabulous #bookshop with lots of space, interesting displays and stunning window dressing. Not to mention helpful and personable service. They also have a #secondhandbooks section out the front, where their sign is held up by these repurposed books. There are other stores in around NSW, Queensland and ACT so check out their website for details. Do you have a favourite bookshop?Stunning images at Wildlife Photographer of the Year, currently on display at the National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour, Sydney. I was blown away by the work of young photographers, but all images are amazing, which is to be expected as they are the best of 48,000 entries. On loan from London, the exhibition closes on 28th January, so visit soon. @nhm_wpy @sea.museum #wildlifephotography #australiannationalmaritimemuseum #photographyexhibition- My Tweets
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Category Archives: Australia
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
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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
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
Wonderful Western Sydney
Lately I’ve been touring Western Sydney, gathering stories for articles, and I’ve been blown away by the diversity of experiences and attractions available for every age group and type of visitor, from thrill seekers, to nature lovers and history buffs. … Continue reading
Toe-tapping retro fashion fun in the Blue Mountains
Love retro fashions? Like a bit of toe-tapping on the dance floor? Enjoy lingering with friends over delicious regional food and wine? Then you’ll love the Roaring 20s Festival. Held in Sydney’s Blue Mountains this year’s event takes place on … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Events, Fashion, festivals, Food & Wine, New South Wales, Sydney
Tagged Blue Mountains, Blue Mountains Vintage Cadillacs, Charleston Challenge, Charleston for Charity, Charlotte Smith Collection, Charlotte Smith Fashion Collection, Dress up, fashion, festivals, Food and Wine, Hydro Majestic, Hydro Majestic Long Lunch, Plate Up, retro fashion, roaring 20s, Roaring 20s fashions, Roaring 20s Festival, vintage cadillacs
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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
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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
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Do Sydney’s Great North Walk one leg at a time
Fancy tackling the Great North Walk from Sydney to Newcastle, but don’t have the time to do the full 260km in one thru-hike and/or a bit nervous of getting lost along the way? That’s exactly how I felt. Billed as Australia’s … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Events, Great North Walk, Hawkesbury, National Parks, New South Wales, Travel, Walking
Tagged Day hikes, day walks Sydney, Great North Walk, national parks
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Event: Sydney Tomato Festival Royal Botanic Garden
Love tomatoes? Then mark the Sydney Tomato Festival in your diary for this weekend 20-21st February 2016 – to be held at The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. I didn’t realise Sydney had a Tomato Festival, so I’m disappointed to know I’ve … Continue reading
Postcard of the week – Outback recycling
I love this shot of a battered XXXX Gold beer can attached to a fence in the middle of the Australian outback. I hope someone enjoyed consuming its icy-cold contents before it was re-purposed to dangle like an earring on … Continue reading
Posted in Accommodation, Adventure, Australia, Northern Territory, Outback, Postcards, Road Trips, Travel
Tagged accommodation, Kings Creek Station, outback, Quad biking, XXXX Gold
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