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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Loved meeting the inspiring women getting their hands dirty and doing what they love for my story on Passionate Producers for @greatersydneyliving mag. Organic flowers, cheese and vegetables, many delivered to your home. Grab a copy Greater Sydney Living mag when you do your next shop. #passionateproducers #greatersydneyliving #freshproduceTurn the volume up and listen to the awesome sound of Vanuatu’s water music. These are the women and girls from Leweton Cultural village in Vanuatu. Using just their hands in the water, these girls evoked the sounds of a waterfall, boiling water, a big swell hitting a stone wall in a cyclone and landing a big fish ashore. The sound was hypnotic! I could have listened all afternoon, but it is exhausting work for them. Wow, what a privilege to watch this. @vanuatuislands @mindfoodmag #vanuatumoments #watermusicFierce young warriors in full ceremonial dress ‘captured’ us on arrival at Leweton Cultural Village in Vanuatu, escorting us into the meeting ground where we were able to convey we had come in friendship. Then we were welcomed with cultural lessons, ceremonial dances and their amazing ‘water music’ (more on the latter in next post). Vanuatu @vanuatuislands #mindfoodmag #vanuatuculture #vanuatumomentsCheck out my digs at @ratuaislandresortandspa made up of two vintage teak cottages transported from Java and Sumatra, one for the bedroom and one for the bathroom, linked by a patio. The worn and weathered timber evokes years of stories and the simple, rustic furnishings work perfectly. Swipe left to see the views from each room. The last photo is the view from my bathroom!!! #spoilt #vanuatumoments #mindfoodmag #ratuaislandresortandspaSwimming with horses is a thrilling experience! 🐎 From @ratuaislandresortandspa we rode bareback out along a sandbank, slowly sinking deeper and deeper into the water, then we turned and the horses swam through the deep water back to shore as we held their manes and floated above them. Amazing! (Only the horses who like swimming do this activity.) Check out the clarity of the water!!! #vanuatumoments #swimmingwithhorses #ratuaislandresortA cooking class may not be top of mind on a holiday in Vanuatu, but spending a few hours at @papayalococookingschool you’re guaranteed to have a fantastic time learning to cook some island dishes for lunch, served with delicious sangria. The effervescent Marcus kept us entertained with endless stories (while partner Stoney tried valiantly to keep us on schedule) as we grated cassava for local dish tuluk, wrapped dolmades, and made tortellini. This energetic pair also offer a couple of rooms if you fancy getting off the grid, staying by the beach and enjoying their amazing food. Scroll through the images to see their ‘swimming pool’ and add a cooking class to your Island holiday. @vanuatuislands ##vanuatumoments #cookingclass- My Tweets
Tag Archives: national parks
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
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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Bottoms up to Kakadu Bird Week 14-21 October 2015
A bums-up salute from magpie geese greeted us at Mamukala Wetlands last month as they scrabbled to stretch their necks to the bottom of the billabong in search of juicy bulbs. It was a comic display and one that was … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, bird watching, birds, Kakadu Bird Week, Travel News & Events
Tagged Australia, Kakadu, national parks, Northern Territory, travel
1 Comment
Postcard of the week – Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
With Parks Week starting on Monday 9th March this week’s photo is from Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, just 25km from the centre of Sydney. Covering 15,000 hectares the park offers both bush and water-based activities as it surrounds Cowan Water … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, National Parks, Postcards, Travel
Tagged boating, family fun, hiking, kayaking, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, national parks, New South Wales, Refuge Bay
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