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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Tag Archives: sydney
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
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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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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Sydney’s top pub grub
More than 100 reviewers ‘risked life and limb’ to visit over 500 pubs in New South Wales, says Keith Austin, editor of The Sydney Morning Herald Good Pub Food Guide, which was launched in Sydney last night. But only about … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Food & Wine, New South Wales, Travel
Tagged Dining, Food and Wine, Hotel food, Pub food, Pubs, sydney
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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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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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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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