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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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
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Category Archives: Hawkesbury
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
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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Postcard of the week – Hawkesbury
I was eagerly anticipating the television mini-series of Kate Grenville’s bestselling novel The Secret River, a story of conflict between the First Australians and early European settlers, which recently aired on the ABC, both to see how the story played out … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Hawkesbury, National Parks, Postcards, Sydney, Travel
Tagged Australia, Cowan Water, Hawkesbury, Hawkesbury River, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, sydney
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Gift an experience: 10 Sydney experiences to inspire, excite and thrill
Can’t think of a gift for that special someone? Then give them an experience they will remember long after the Christmas tree has dropped its needles. Here are ten Sydney experiences for the grandkids to the grandparents, the adventure-lovers to … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure, Animals, Australia, Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Segway, Sydney, Travel, Travel Accessories & Gadgets
Tagged animal parks, family fun, Hawkesbury, jet boating, sailing, Segway, sydney, travel
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Sandstorm of Fairytales & Fables in Windsor
The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Narcissus, Gollum, Icarus and other fabled creatures have come to life under the shady jacarandas, oaks and pepper trees on the banks of the Hawkesbury River at Windsor, in Sydney’s northwest, for the 2nd Hawkesbury … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Hawkesbury, Sydney, Travel
Tagged family fun, Hawkesbury, sand sculpting
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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
4 Comments
Pick me! Bite me! (Hawkesbury Farm Gate Trail)
‘Bite Me!’ screams the shiny red gala as I pluck it from the tree. I oblige, crunching into the crisp white flesh, juice dribbling down my chin. The flavour is far sweater and fresher than any store-bought apple I’ve tasted recently, … Continue reading
Posted in Food & Wine, Hawkesbury, Travel
Tagged Farmgate, Food and Wine, Hawkesbury, travel
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Sleeping with pioneers
I love it when people are passionate about what they do, and there are plenty of passionate people in the tourism industry. But there are some people whose personal commitment outshines others and Joyce Stepto is one of them. For a start, she … Continue reading
Posted in Accommodation, Hawkesbury, Travel
Tagged accommodation, Bed and Breakfast, cancer, Hawkesbury, travel
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Welcome to Briar’s Travel Beat
Hi and welcome to my travel blog. Here I’ll be sharing travel tips, reviews, recommendations, insights and experiences, plus other titbits that don’t make it into my mainstream articles. Destinations will include Australia and overseas, but there will be a strong focus on … Continue reading
Briar's Travel Beat 