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
Top Posts & Pages
-
Instagram - BriarsTravelBeat
Meet Solomon Wiseman, pioneer, inn keeper and ferry master, after which this tiny town on a bend in the Hawkesbury River is named. He is the inspiration and main character of Kate Grenville’s novel The Secret River. I loved learning more about him and the area in Grenville’s companion book, Searching for the Secret River, which describes her research. And the ferry service he started is still going! #wisemansferry #kategrenville #hawkesburyriver @visitnswWhat’s around the next corner? Kayaking up Webb’s Creek, off the Hawkesbury River at Wisemans Ferry I couldn’t help but think of Kate Greenville’s book The Secret River. How remote this must have felt for the early settlers. Thanks to @hawkesburyhouseboats, who also hire kayaks and runabouts, I was able to explore the creek for a couple of hours in the company of ducks and a white-faced heron. So what’s around the corner? More of the same! #hawkesburyriver #ilovesydney #kayaking #astw_incAlways love this view of the Hawkesbury River from Hawkins Lookout before the descent into Wisemans Ferry. Twisting and turning more than 120kms to Broken Bay, the river was known as Deerubbin by the local indigenous people, meaning wide, deep water. So close to Sydney it offers an ideal weekend getaway. #wisemansferry #deerubbinSay hi to Bib and Bub, gumnut babies, found in the garden at Nutcote, the #sydney harbourside home of Australian children’s author and illustrator May Gibbs, which I passed on my recent walk from Taronga to Kirribilli. Now a beautiful museum, the home sheds light on May’s life and work. The home was also used in the film Ladies in Black as Magda’s harbourside house. #nutcote #maygibbs #ilovesydney #astw_incThe views of Sydney Harbour on the Taronga to Kirribilli walk range from vignettes to vast vistas. Such an easy an interesting walk. @sydney #ilovesydney #sydneyharbourFantastic #harbourwalk from Taronga Zoo to Kirribilli along the waterfront. So many beautiful parks, like Anderson Park, with these majestic #palms. #ilovesydney #astw_inc- My Tweets
Category Archives: Thailand
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
Postcard of the week – National Thai Elephant Day
I’m a little late, but March 13 is National Thai Elephant Day, so I thought I’d post this picture I took several years ago at Elephant Nature Park, a rescue and rehabilitation centre in Chang Mai, Thailand. The centre provides a … Continue reading
Posted in Postcards, Thailand, Travel
Tagged elephant conservation, Elephant Nature Park, elephants
3 Comments
Postcard of the Week – Pullman Phuket Arcadia Pool
I’m sweltering in Sydney today. It’s over 40 degrees Celsius outside and my air conditioner is struggling to keep up. While I am lucky enough to have a pool in my backyard, I couldn’t help thinking about the gorgeous main … Continue reading
Posted in Postcards, Thailand, Travel
Tagged Hotel pools, Postcard, Pullman Phuket Arcadia, Resort pools, Swimming pools
1 Comment
Stolen identity? Not this time.
I’m overcome with guilt. How could I have ever thought ill of the three lovely young girls? The problem is, when travelling you can become paranoid about thieves and scams. And so it is at Bangkok’s Chatuchak Market. Billed as … Continue reading
Posted in Bangkok, Thailand, Travel
Tagged Bangkok markets, Chatuchak market, markets, shopping, travel misunderstandings, travel scams
2 Comments
Bangkok back in business
According to this report from the Tourism Authority of Thailand, as of the 3rd March the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) has scaled back their protests in Bangkok, dismantling the temporary rally camps at major intersections in the city. This … Continue reading
Posted in Thailand, Travel, Travel News & Events
Tagged Bangkok, land of smiles, travel, unrest
2 Comments
Dreaming of a health resort – or ‘wellness retreat’
In my younger corporate days I used to watch older associates heading off to health farms once or twice a year. Back then I thought ‘what a waste of a good holiday’. I got all the rest and relaxation I … Continue reading
