Janine Becker

The Sawyers Hill Rest House near Kiandra in Kosciuszko National Park, has a long history of being destroyed and rebuilt, as well as some other interesting misadventures… It was originally built between 1910 and 1915 as a shelter for coach travellers who used the old Kiandra road. It was strategically…

The Snowy Mountains are as gorgeous as ever, and ready for visitors! Yes, the fires have affected parts of the Snowy Mountains and Snowy Valleys regions, but Jindabyne and surrounds are open for business! The roads are open and there are lots of quality accommodation providers such the Jindy Inn…

At 690,000 hectares, Kosciuszko National Park is the state’s largest and attracts over 3 million visitors each year. It stretches 150km from the Victorian border in the south, to west of the ACT’s Namadji National Park. It is named after Mt Kosciuszko which is Australia’s highest mountain at 2228m. It…

Cooma (‘Kuma’), established in 1849, derives its name from the Aboriginal word coombah, variously meaning “lake,” “sandbank,” “one,” or “big swamp.” The town grew during the nearby Kiandra gold rush in 1860 and was proclaimed a municipality in 1879. In 1981 it became part of Cooma-Monaro Shire. The local Ngarigo…

Did you know that the tiny Snowy Mountains town of Dalgety, near Jindabyne, was named in 1904 as the site of the nation's future capital? Many other country towns in New South Wales were considered on the basis of location, water supply, fuel, climate, topography e.t.c. I have also read…

On 21 March 1931, the Southern Cloud aircraft took off from Sydney’s Mascot Airport bound for Melbourne. The plane, with its eight souls on board, did not arrive at its destination. Its disappearance was Australia’s first commercial airline disaster and remained a mystery for 27 years. The plane was one…

When Australia became a federation in 1901, there became a need to establish a national capital. Both Sydney and Melbourne would have liked the honour, but in 1908, the site where Canberra now stands was chosen (despite Dalgety being a strong contester!). The traditional owners of the land on which…

I lived in Kings Cross in Sydney for 7 years – the most densely populated postcode in Australia at the time. On days off, I would often walk through Potts Point, around Woolloomooloo, and into the Botanic Gardens. Without fail, as soon as I found myself ‘in the trees’, I…

You haven’t lived until you’ve tried the amazing dairy products from Tilba Real Dairy. Their milk is second to none, their double cream is divine, and their vintage Bredbo black garlic cheese is to die for! Nic and Erica Dibden started their herd of Jersey cows 18 years ago, with…

We certainly got a surprise when we ‘stumbled’ across this healthy lace monitor specimen while hiking into Bittangabee in the spectacular Ben Boyd National Park on the unspoilt Sapphire Coast of New South Wales! Luckily, we had the fearless park ranger Wendy with us, who rightly advised us to give…