*
Anantara Resort in northern Thailand is doing its bit to save the
country's elephants, bringing the gentle beasts, their mahouts and even their
wives to live in the resort's elephant camp where feed, insurance, vet bills and
a wage for the mahout are all taken care of. This is a story that will touch the
hearts of readers everywhere. Plenty of good supporting images available.
* a museum with a
difference?
Tortured faces sculpted into the walls of the entry tunnel are the first thing
visitors see. The pain of drug addiction. The emotions of danger, fear,
suffering. Here in the Golden Triangle, where once the opium poppies grew, a
government-run museum educates people about drug use and its history.
* in-depth
features on the Australian War Memorial, National Portrait Gallery and
ZooVenture behind-the-scenes tour at The National Zoo & Aquarium in
Canberra are available - or maybe an editor would like a feature on Canberra as
Australia's Heart, in time for Australia Day?
Only in Canberra can we see so
many of Australia’s faces, follow so much of our history and see so many icons
of the past and present, including Phar Lap’s heart.
* think
there's nothing to do way out back in Broken Hill? Then think again. I can give
readers the lowdown on things to see and do in town (from the Pro Hart Gallery
to the 1950s style Bells Milk Bar), near town (like the sculptures of the Living
Desert Reserve and a tour of the base of the
Royal Flying
Doctor's Service)
and out of town (from the ancient rock art of Mutawintji, to wetlands cruises on
the River Lady and a step back in time at the nearby Historic Woolshed in
Kinchega National Park, or a visit to the realm of Mad Max II in the
almost-a-ghost-town of Silverton).
* in the new world of
water politics, I can provide an article on
the Ramsar-listed wetlands of the Coorong in South Australia, setting of the famous Australian novel
"Storm Boy."
* voted in one survey as Australia's
best island and the fifth best in the world, Kangaroo Island has three publicly
accessible lighthouses where visitors can stay in former light-keepers'
cottages, now refurbished as heritage accommodation. These shining lights make
for a travel feature with a difference.