This is my first post on this rebranded site – The Andy T Channel. Ta-dahhhhhh! Actually, I don’t really expect anyone to read this – as I haven’t posted in a long time – but that’s okay. This post is really just to get the ball rolling again, as I intend on breathing life into…
The Tasman Sea rushed in intermittently, making entry into the cave difficult. I’d decided it was too dangerous for kids, until, upon closer inspection, I grabbed them one at a time and hoisted them into the sepia darkness. Unwary Chinese tourists fell into the waist high water and I helped one to her feet. Her…
Long When I heard the world’s longest experiment was just down the road from my house, and it was free, I had to take a look. Located in the physics building at the University of Queensland, the experiment is one of Australia’s lesser known quirks. This surprised me, given it’s been running continuously for 92…
I get a little nostalgic when I think of Cangas de Onís in northern Spain, partly because of its ‘puente’ or ‘Roman’ bridge, which arches impressively over the River Sella. I’m often drawn towards old bridges, as they’re typically pretty, offer views and provide a link to the past. Cangas de Onís was also nearly…
When I think of a city hall, I think of Gotham City that resides in Batman’s fictional land of injustice. In Australia these places are a rarity and my hometown of Brisbane contains the country’s only city hall to reside in a capital city. A city hall, I discovered, differs from a town hall in…
Eager to try out my new OZtrail camping gear, the family and I hit the road for a weekend away in Rathdowney, which is part of Queensland’s gobsmackingly beautiful Scenic Rim. Being high summertime, the campground looked a bit parched as we rolled along a dusty road into the Bigriggen Park campground. Thankfully though, Bigriggen…
A foliage-covered monolith sweeps towards the wastelands, where the sirocco drinks from quiet hills and breathes life into dust. Above parched hues of gold and lustier green, houses are perched theatrically, their backyards plummeting towards the tombs of desperate prisoners and the damned. At eventide, their whitewashed walls burn like salt crystals and Ronda’s gorge…
There’s a lane not far from my home which I often walk down. It’s a pleasant, 80 metre shortcut through the backstreets of Ashgrove, Brisbane. During the day it’s frequented by school kids, bike riders, pedestrians and bush turkeys, which often descend on it in a spasmodic flurry from neighbouring fences. At night it’s a…
Sounding like a cross between a bull, a deep belch and a boiling kettle, camels are creatures unlike any other. Over the years, I’ve had a few close encounters with these seemingly uncouth beasts – on a week long trip through a cyclone, and on a three day desert tour where my camel bolted and…
After experiencing the merciless sun, dust and parched hills of southern Spain, I decided to head north in search of my favourite colour – green. It was here that I discovered a land of lush meadows, jagged mountains, stews, cider and Celtic culture. It was also here that I discovered I was much happier. So…
As the plaque tells us, ‘its story began in an ancient, cold sea’. Today, the tessellated pavement lives on a mysterious shoreline at the bottom of the world. Some weed, double-crosses and an island I stood on the edge of Pirates Bay – a dark sea that lapped the shore like black sludge, dragging seaweed…
I had the unfortunate experience of visiting Seville’s Real Alcázar (royal palace) in late July, when the city was a flaming inferno of pain and torture (it really was). However, I’d also heard very little about it prior to my visit, which made my experience all the more memorable. I soon discovered – even while…