For those who like to go just a little away from the crowds, head north from Thailand’s busy Phuket to Khao Lak where you can swim, snorkel, cruise through mangroves or just flop-and-drop pool-side (cocktail optional). Here are a few options to get you started. 
California’s Palm Springs is hot – in more ways than one – but when the mercury is rising the best way by far to chill out is to find yourself a banana lounge, order a cocktail and chill out at one of the oh-so-cool pools. Here are a few of our favourites. Check them out on 9 Travel here
There’s a friendly low-key charm to this peaceful valley at the foot of the Victorian Alps, the perfect detour off the Hume Highway or a destination in itself. Vineyards and wineries specialising in sparkling Prosecco, back-country roads, old tobacco sheds entwined with wisteria and a strong Italian heritage are part of the region’s unique charm. Click on the link to see the full story from Australia & New Zealand magazine
Perhaps it’s Melbourne’s Italian heritage, perhaps it’s just the foodie obsession that seems to cut through everything the city does, but there’s some fabulous ice cream creations going down – Matcha Adzuki, Mango & Peanut Streusel – summer and winter. Double cone for me please. See the full story at Australian Traveller
South Australia’s Clare Valley is near and yet so far – far and away one of the most laidback vineyard areas in Australia. There are myriad ways to tap into its charms, but here are just seven. For the full story see Australian Traveller magazine
From colonial to cutting-edge, architecture in Australia has been an amalgam of foreign influence and response to environment since the earliest days. A capsule study for the journal ArtLife, provides an overview of that trajectory and offers an insight into how we are increasingly part of a world movement and yet determinedly Australian. See the full story here 
It’s tucked away, but the little town of Trentham has serious street cred. An award-winning French country-style restaurant, a ramshackle timber pub, design-savvy holiday stays, great bookstore, peppering of little cafes and a genuine community feel. They call this ‘cool country’, and that’s right in so many ways. See my story in the December/January edition of Australian Traveller
