Em Jensen

The Best Kitsch Motels in Regional Victoria & NSW

The classic country motel is not only a nostalgic road-trip classic and often one of the few remaining untouched examples of the aesthetics of times gone by, but also a more affordable way to travel throughout regional Australia. Although there are many more hidden gems around and certainly a lot of renovated mid-century motels that are…

30 October 20244 minRead time

New South Wales

This Is My First Rodeo

The tiny outback town of Tibooburra, renowned for being the hottest place in NSW, hosts an annual gymkhana, bikekhana and rodeo each Spring. As a fresh-to-the-outback, former city-slicker, I had to know whether the rodeo experience lived up to my romantic yet uninformed idea of it: a blur of line dancing, cowboy boots and something…

16 October 20246 minRead time

Events New South Wales

Broken Heel’s Fiery Farewell (For Now)

When you think of a remote outback town famed for its history of mining and unionism, visuals of drag queens dancing on a giant stiletto float, parading down the main street probably isn’t what comes to mind. But in celebration of Priscilla Queen of The Desert’s ‘dirty thirtieth’ birthday this year, that’s exactly what you’d have witnessed…

11 September 20244 minRead time

Tasmania

Car Trouble, Island Treasure

To be completely honest I hadn’t planned to visit Maria Island. But after my car broke down in the tiny coastal Tasmanian town of Triabunna—which has no real drawcard other than being the jetting-off point for the ferry to Maria Island—I decided this must be the best way to kill time while I wait for…

26 August 20245 minRead time

New South Wales

An Outback Adventurer’s Guide to Tibooburra

In the very north-western corner of New South Wales, in an area aptly named Corner Country, is a place that seems to tick all the boxes of the classic, quintessentially Australian outback town—Tibooburra. Its tiny main drag features a ‘Corner Country’ store and servo, two pubs whose front beer gardens look out onto one another,…

5 August 202410 minRead time

New South Wales Pubs

Inside the Iconic Pub With the Tallest Bar in the Southern Hemisphere

The Black Stump Hotel, an unassuming pub in Merriwagga, New South Wales is shrouded in outback mythology and local folklore. There’s the tale of how the pub got its name; a woman named Barbara Blaine who burned alive in 1886 in the area, whose husband reportedly said “looked like a black stump”, or it could be because the surrounding area is known colloquially as “Black…

22 June 202410 minRead time

Food & Drink New South Wales

From Take Away to Tourist Destination: Niagara Cafe’s Revival Brings History and Brunch to Gundagai

Click on smaller images below to see them in full size. Along the Hume Highway between Sydney and Melbourne sits one of Australia’s few remaining original Greek diners; the Niagara Cafe. The cafe, which was established in 1902, was recently purchased by Sydney couple Luke Walton and Kym Fraser who spent a year restoring the…

20 May 20245 minRead time

Food & Drink History New South Wales

Milkshakes, Memories, and More: Bell’s Milk Bar in Pictures

On Thursday mornings the Indian Pacific train stops at the outback town of Broken Hill and travellers are invited on a tour; starting with scones, tea and coffee, milkshakes and spiders at Bell’s Milk Bar. A few local actors even dress up in fifties garb and perform a skit for the fascinated travellers, dancing to…

23 April 20246 minRead time

Victoria

Thriving Grampians Hub, Wild Misty Mountain, Affected By Bushfire

Wild Misty Mountain has sadly been affected by the recent bushfires in Pomonal. A Go Fund Me has been created to help raise funds for a rebuild. Please consider donating via the link below if you can. Donate Here In the midst of lockdown, Jemma, a classical singer from the Mornington Peninsula, found herself pining for…

17 February 20247 minRead time

New South Wales

A Visitor’s Guide to Broken Hill, the Silver City

Once optimistically dubbed ‘Australia’s answer to Vegas’ and the iconic hometown of cult classics like Priscilla, Wake in Fright and Mad Max, Broken Hill’s reputation well and truly precedes it. For only about 10 hours on the road from Melbourne, the Silver City is worthy of a road trip. Broken Hill sits on the edge…

16 March 20237 minRead time

Em Jensen

Subscribe to The Chinwag and get tips on the best restaurants, bars, travel ideas, and history from around Australia.