Editor’s Letter
KATIE GOSS
Editor
I have loved learning from travel for as long as I can remember. Whether it’s learning by taking free walking tours in European cities, learning through taste on multiple winery tours (as Carolyne Jasinski enjoyed on her Great Southern summer sojourn on page 24) or by stepping foot inside ancient sites to learn about different cultures.
There’s no denying that travel represents an incredible opportunity to broaden our minds and knowledge, and as a travel magazine we are in a unique position to do just that. When we started putting together this issue of Journey Beyond, we knew we wanted to adopt a new approach to further educate our readers about Australia’s Aboriginal cultural heritage. Which is why in this issue, and in coming issues, you will see the use of the traditional Indigenous place names (implemented in consultation with Blackfisch) to recognise and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture.
It is a move we are proud to take, particularly as Journey Beyond’s diverse range of outback tours and train experiences take travellers into the heart of traditional and sacred lands.
One such place is Arnhem Land (Miwatj), where you might go for the ‘pinch me’ landscape moments but leave having laid eyes on 60,000 years of Indigenous heritage, as Natasha Dragun writes on page 64. Another is Western Australia’s famous Horizontal Falls (Garaanngaddim), page 38, of which the majestic and unusual natural phenomenon was created by the writhing actions of a female Woongudd Snake, according to the Traditional Owners of Dambeemangarddee Country. Knowing whose land you are on is just the beginning of a journey to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples history and cultures.
In this issue, we also take a different approach to sharing some well-known destinations, such as exploring the question ‘why does Lake Eyre (Kati Thanda) flood?’ (page 54), and uncovering the fascinating and broad musical history of America’s iconic Mississippi River (page 44).
I hope these stories and the entire issue capture your spirit and desire to explore and learn from the incredible world around us.
On a day-trip, a short getaway or a long adventure? Share your #JourneyBeyond with us on Instagram – we love nothing more than gawking at travel pics.
Contributers
NATASHA DRAGUN
Having spent a decade living in some of the planet’s most populated cities (Beijing and Jakarta among them), Natasha now loves nothing more than travelling to destinations closer to home, like Arnhem Land, a place rich in ancient culture and diverse landscapes, which you can read about on page 64. Based in Sydney, Natasha is a regular contributor to CNN, Conde Nast Traveller, GQ, National Geographic, MiNDFOOD and more.
BEN GROUNDWATER
Ben Groundwater is an award-winning author and feature writer who writes for the likes of the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, BBC Travel and more. He is the host of the popular travel podcast Flight of Fancy, is the author of five books, and he has twice been named the Australian Society of Travel Writers’ “Travel Writer of the Year”. You can read about Ben’s adventures as he goes travelling with his three-year-old son on page 70.
SUSAN SKELLY
Susan Skelly loves a wild landscape – see her story The Kimberley: from dawn till dusk on page 38 – as much as an urban underbelly. Her writings on travel, arts and science have appeared in The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, Delicious, Signature Luxury Travel & Style, Vacations & Travel and The Saturday Paper. Susan is the former editor of Qantas Magazine and a regular contributor to Macquarie University’s website, The Lighthouse.
TESS DURACK
Tess Durack has always been drawn to the red dirt landscape of the outback and the dramatic wet seasons of the Top End, where she lived for five years. But road-tripping around Tasmania this year with her son has got her yearning for more of Lutrawita’s cold weather beauty – see her story on page 74. Her work has appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, Elle, Galah Magazine, and more.
DESIGN + EDITORIAL
Storyation
DISCLAIMER
Views expressed in Journey Beyond magazine are not necessarily those of Journey Beyond. The content of this magazine is fully protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without prior permission of the publisher. All information is correct at the time of going to press. All rights reserved.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF COUNTRY
In the spirit of reconciliation, Journey Beyond acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.