The 230km Bogong Alpine Way in Victoria's High Country is now completely sealed and is set to become one of Australia's most sought-after touring routes, taking in Falls Creek, Omeo, Dinner Plain, Mount Hotham, Bright and Mount Beauty.

A quieter alternative to Phuket’s teeming beaches and frenetic night life, Khao Lak offers a laid-back, back-to-nature beach holiday. If high-rise hotels, girlie bars, night-clubs and sarong shops aren’t your thing, and all you want is somewhere to laze by the beach and some soft adventure, you’ll love Khao Lak.

It may be 30 years since the first Mad Max movie burst onto the screen, but the landscape around Broken Hill and Silverton has probably changed little. And as film director George Miller prepares to return to film the recently announced Mad Max 4, the outback towns seems set to cash in on its stardom again. Meanwhile, there's plenty to see and do, from art galleries galore to the Miners Memorial that dominates the skyline of Broken Hill.

Enroute to Europe and got five hours or more to kill between flights?  Don’t just sit at the airport bored stiff.  The city of Frankfurt is only 15 minutes from the airport by train, and a great city to explore on foot, so here are five ways to fill in a five-hour stopover at Frankfurt.

Throw out any old and faded ideas that the Blue Mountains is all about cups of tea and chintzy B&Bs. The Blue Mountains is an adventure playground on Sydney's doorstep; if you want to throw yourself of a cliff for the very first time there's no better place to do it.

Australia’s collection of national parks encompass the best of our national landscape, a landscape so diverse and so varied that you could spend years exploring it and still discover something new.  We take a look at 10 of the best spots to go to beat the summer heat.

Taking a boat trip down the Li River in Guilin as it meanders between towering limestone peaks is one of the world’s most beautiful river journeys. It’s every Chinese landscape cliché rolled into one ever changing landscape so utterly beautiful and timeless that it leaves you speechless.

Hamilton Island has been one of Australia's favourite holiday playgrounds for decades. But new developments mean even return visitors are finding lots more to do than they remembered. The Whitsundays' first 18-hole island golf course will open on neighbouring Dent Island soon, the Reef View Hotel has had a major facelift and then of course there's the luxury qualia resort (our research had to include a spa treatment there, of course).

It's 20 years since the Berlin wall came tumbling down on November 9, 1989.  To mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall, Berlin will be celebrating with a range of events and exhibitions throughout the city, but we also take a look at what's new in East Berlin.

On Rue Balguerie, in the former French colony of Akaroa, near Christchurch, is one of New Zealand's quirkiest and most inspiring works of art. Josie Martin has turned her house and garden into a "Garden of National Significance"...but to all who visit, it's much more than that. Monster mosaic creations of people, furniture, pirate ships, musical instruments and more have been a labour of love for this artist, who is as colourful as her creations. This is a place that leaves you smiling. But why "the Giant's House"? That's something to find out when you get there!

Prague is one of the most wonderful cities in Europe, but it’s also one of its most expensive. There’s not much you don’t have to pay for in Prague, but the good news is there are lots of free attractions in and around the city if you know where to look and when to go.

Chiang Mai is northern Thailand's bustling hub. Whether you want to explore the markets, the jungle, the temples or the spas, there's truly something for everyone. Stay in hip modern hotels, visit an elephant camp, or venture inside a tiger's cage!

Riding a motorbike, bicycle or cyclo through Vietnam’s vehicular mayhem is not something worth contemplating in any other Vietnamese city, like Hanoi or Saigon, where just making it across the road in one piece is cause for jubilation, but Hue hums to a different beat, especially on National Duck Killing Day. 

Driving the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island means you are in danger of soon running out of superlatives. Snow capped mountains are never further than 30km from the ocean, and the scenery is rugged and untamed.

Lake Gairdner, in the northern reaches of South Australia’s Gawler Ranges, is the fourth biggest salt lake in the country.  It’s immensely impressive, a vast empty expanse of sun-baked white hot salt that stretches from horizon to horizon under a huge cloudless cerulean sky, the shoreline a deep blood red. It’s not something you see every day, but then again, the Gawler Ranges is not an everyday type of place. So far, Australians don’t seem to have discovered the Gawlers, one of Australia’s oldest mountain ranges, but I'm sure they will soon.

Warm smiles and the beat of traditional (and sometimes not-so-traditional) music are among the memories you'll take home after a visit to the Solomon Islands. This is a place where tourism is still in its infancy, and the diversity of the culture is rich. We visit Santa Ana, Uepi and Ngella islands and snorkel in the Marovo Lagoon, once described by James A. Mitchener as the eighth wonder of the world. A short visit will leave you wanting more.

Forget the economic doom and gloom. You don’t have to be rich to enjoy the best of Vienna. Here’s 10 great ways to get the best out of one of Europe’s most beautiful cities for free or next to nothing.

There are few places in the world so alluring than the legendary city of Timbuktu.  And cruising the Niger River by traditional pinasse to get there is one of the world’s great adventures.  But be warned; if you like your creature comforts, glamorous black tie dinners at the captain’s table and five-star cabins, this trip is probably not for you. 

The Injalak Arts and Craft Centre is the heart of Gunbalanya, an Aboriginal community (also called Oenpelli), near the East Alligator River in Arnhem Land.  I take the guided tour called Two Dogs Dreaming with guide Garry Djorlom to sacred sites and rock paintings that link together to tell a Dreamtime story.

Tufi is renowned as one of Papua New Guinea's top diving and snorkeling spots, and I'm already hooked when I discover Fabian's village guesthouse...and feel like Robinson Crusoe. Whether it's a village stay or a canoe down a river to a nameless waterfall, Tufi offers a rich experience.

In these tough economic times, nothing beats a genuine travel bargain.  And while it might be tempting to jump at the super cheap airfares on low budget airlines, there’s plenty of hidden costs attached, plus the hassle of getting to and from the airport to your hotel. For real flexibility, and real cost savings, there’s no better way to travel in Europe than by train, particularly if you buy a rail pass in Australia before you leave home. First class travel for half price - now that's a bargain in anyone's language.

Tasmania’s northern coastline is one of its best kept secrets. From the boulder-strewn beaches of the north-east, this great drive across the top of the island travels through beautiful rainforest, some of the state’s best wine producing areas and past pretty fishing villages to the wilderness of the west coast.

After a closure of nearly two years and a multi-million dollar redevelopment, Fitzroy Island's only resort has reopened - and it was worth waiting for. This Great Barrier Reef island is a getaway with coral gardens right off the beach. It's a great spot for families, as is Dunk Island Resort. We visit both.

The best views are those you've had to work for, and the view from the Grand High Tops in the Warrumbungles near Coonabarabran is one of the best. It's tough five hour climb, but the views are worth it. It's just one of the highlights of this great national park in central western New South Wales.

From the tropical Queensland village of Mission Beach, take a drive back to Cairns the long way around and you'll come across several great attractions. First, outside Innisfail, is the fabulous folly of Paronella Park, a romantic castle built by a Spanish immigrant in the 1930s and now one of the unique attractions of the region. Then you will come to the stunning new Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walk in Wooroonooran National Park. This elevated walkway - 40m high and 340m long - through the rainforest canopy leads to a 37m high observation tower overlooking the North Johnstone River gorge.

My boyfriend’s a bikie. Not your big-bellied, long-haired, scruffy-bearded, tats-and-black-leather type of bikie; more your built-for-comfort-not-for-speed type of bikie that likes to spend Sundays on his classic old Ducati visiting wineries and seaside restaurants. I'm an Audi TT convertible type of girl, and the idea of spending a week in the pillion seat riding across the country from Adelaide to Sydney is not high on my let’s-do-this-on-our-next-holiday list. Come along for the ride on a brand new Harley Davidson Electra Glide.