"The suburbs of Delhi, India seem like a strange place to find the throne of King Louis XIII of France. Though it’s not a throne in the strict sense; it’s a replica of a grand combination of chair and toilet that the monarch had made in the 17th century. Ever a busy man, the monarch used it to attend to his courtiers and, er, other royal business at the same time..."

"'All the world’s a stage,' wrote William Shakespeare, but he might as well have said 'All the world’s a beach.' Through Asia, Australia and the Pacific there are beaches of every type, hosting every attraction. Whether you’re after a rest, a meal, a party or a spot of retail action, there’s a sandy shore out there for you. Here’s a selection of the best..."

Detailing a number of fine beaches in Australia, Asia and the Pacific.
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"Leaning across the railings, I can see a long, low wooden structure shaped like a miniature house, with a pitched roof and a timber deck. It’s all charmingly amateur in appearance, a pleasing contrast to the austere and ornate parliamentary buildings. I discover later that it’s no coincidence that the cats set up home here; until the 1950s the Parliament kept a group of cats in residence to combat rodents within the buildings..."

"I've only recently watched the movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes, so I'm understandably unnerved to discover a giant bust of a chimpanzee in bushland on the edge of Melbourne's suburban sprawl. A minute before, I was strolling across neat lawns behind the McClelland Gallery, admiring a gold-faced statue of Dame Joan Sutherland. Now I'm following a narrow track through native trees and things have taken a more primal turn..."

"Finding a good cup of coffee in Hobart used to be a harder task than sighting a Tasmanian tiger. However, thanks partly to a gang of Tassie-born baristas drifting back to their home town after stretches at the espresso machines of Melbourne, the coffee of Australia’s second oldest city has improved immensely in recent years..."

"'He shot through like a Bondi tram!' It’s fading now, but this colourful expression was part of the Australian idiom for many decades, meaning to depart at high speed. Whether Sydney trams were ever that fast is another question; but since the city’s tramways were closed in the 1960s, there’s been little chance to find out. There is, however, one exception..."

Exploring inner-city Sydney by light rail, from Paddy's Markets to Jubilee Park.
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Images available.

"The star exhibit of this Depression-busting style was the Manchester Unity Building, which gave much-needed work to labourers as it was swiftly constructed in 1932. Within its foyer there's a collection of grand ornamentation; one frieze depicts an Aboriginal man carving a canoe while being watched by a kangaroo..."

"Thanks to animators over the years, the leprechaun has become a well-known figure; we can all recall his buckled hat, beard, pipe, beguiling accent and pot of gold. 'Everyone who comes in here gives the same description,' says Mark. But he’s here to put me straight on the little people and their many other mythical colleagues. Despite the name, it’s actually a museum devoted to all of the island nation’s rich folklore..."

"'He was like all troublemakers - they were disenfranchised, angry young men with no jobs, no future at all, they were the bottom of the pile," says Terry Cunningham, as we chat in McCarthy's Hotel, an atmospheric old pub in Fethard, deep in Ireland's County Tipperary. The particular angry young man we have in mind is John 'Red' Kelly, a poor local tenant who stole two pigs in 1840 and was sentenced to transportation to Australia..."

"Suddenly the machine opens up and I have a rush of freedom as I zip around the open space, becoming ever more confident over the rougher patches of ground. My comeuppance happens in the next zone we traverse, a beautiful wetlands area of ponds and gum trees, in which the tour's designers have inserted some mild hazards - log bridges, minor obstacles and small hills..."

My writing has appeared in newspapers, magazines and websites around the world. I'm also an author for Lonely Planet Publications' travel books.

I'm available to write on any subject, and also undertake business writing jobs such as proofreading, editing and copywriting.

Learn more about my published work and writing services.

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• Aerohaveno, Tim's travel blog
• Aerohaveno Nights, a guide to Australian accommodation
• Travelroads.com

postal:
Tim Richards
507/225 Elizabeth St
Melbourne VIC 3000
Australia

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