It may sound strange, but there is a unspoken code among riders on the trail that will stand you in good stead on your next horse riding adventure. Whether you’re a beginner rider or just haven’t ridden out as part of a group for a while, you may not be aware of the etiquette that […]

Australia To truly capture the essence of the Australian bush and its colourful social life, you must attend a rural race meet before they become extinct. I grew up in rural Queensland, Australia on the pancake flat plains of the Darling Downs near a town called Dalby. My father and mother were the proud owners […]

Last time we were on safari in Kenya’s heart land, the Maasai Mara, we got our fair share of unseasonal rain and afternoon storms. Personally I love the excitement of a brewing storm on horseback, when your horse prances underneath you, the wind whips and lashes at your face and the thunder bangs overhead – […]

Argentina I was lucky enough to be taken to an amateur race meet known as a ‘Cuadrera’ in the province of Corrientes, which lies in the north of Argentina. Most of Corrientes is swathed in knee-deep water meadows with sandy, white bottoms and paddocks rich with grass. Corrientes has over 350 species of birds, which […]

“When a horse jumps, the sparks of love are born; when lightning strikes, it can take the legs from right out under you. A blessing of a novel from one of Australia’s finest writers.” Drusilla Modgeska I just finished reading Foal’s Bread by Gillian Mears as recommended to me by a friend. I thoroughly enjoyed […]

I’m a lover, collector, wearer and admirer of hats. As a resident of our sun-burnt country it would be foolish not to don a hat when outside and with a fetish for all things with a brim my collection spans from many years. My husband and I have a wall in our house dedicated to […]

Mobile Menders This article appeared in salt magazine, a Sunshine Coast lifestyle publication.  words & photos kate johns The screaming child clings protectively to his mother’s back, wrapped in a dirty patterned shuka. The child’s hair is dreaded together with ochre-coloured mud. He wears no clothes except for a red beaded necklace below his belly button […]

Can you imagine a time where mates were called Clancy and Banjo? The rivers shimmered with gold, and whiskey and tobacco were traded from bullock carts on the river flats;  your life’s possessions consisted of a mountain pony equipped with saddle, bridle, oilskin, stock whip and swag. Work was chasing cattle up rocky-edged mountain spurs […]

My incredibly talented husband, Steven, took this profile shot of a Mongolian man smoking his hand-made rollie (tobacco and newspaper) while watching a wrestling match as part of the Naadam Festivities in Khatgal, Mongolia. I love this photo – it gives me tingles every time I see it! This Masai mzee (mzee is a swahili […]