It’s a warm Summer Friday evening and the full moon is rising above me.Tonight, I am part of a small community of people all over the country who aresitting on the edge of various mosquito infested swamps, listening intently forthe mating call of one of Australia’s most endangered birds.Yes, we could be at the pub.Continue reading “Swamp serenade: Berry wetland a safe haven for endangered Australasian Bittern”
Author Archives: Kathy Sharpe
Beauty and brutality co-exist on Norfolk Island
It was well into the grey days of the pandemic when I decided I needed to book some kind of holiday so I had something to look forward to. Overseas was out of the question, and there weren’t many domestic tours on offer. Those I could find seemed to be filling up quickly. So withContinue reading “Beauty and brutality co-exist on Norfolk Island”
The Real Social Media Pioneers
It’s 1933 in the NSW Snowy Mountains’ town of Berridale, and a young, newly-married woman submits a report of a cricket match to her local paper. Noticing her way with words, the editor of the Cooma Monaro Express asks her to try her hand at wedding reports, social events and obituaries. Seventy-six years later, LilyContinue reading “The Real Social Media Pioneers”
Flash fiction: Sunlight Soap
A brood of oiled and sun-shaded writers stretch out on striped beach chairs, pretending to relax after their morning workshop. Each holds a book, but their eyes wander. They are still caught in the teeth of their own stories. They peer over the top of their books, across the combed sand strip to where theContinue reading “Flash fiction: Sunlight Soap”
The night shift
Stories live here. They start off shuttered inside cabins, but make their way out, sitting down at the dinner table, exhaling along verandahs, drifting out into the night garden. We come here, propelled by our own story and drawn to the stories of others. Words are untangled, in the night over glasses of wine, inContinue reading “The night shift”
Fact
Fight for a retro icon: Don Hearn’s Cabins Link to podcast on Don Hearn’s Cabins Do you remember when summer holidays were characterised by a certain level of danger, discomfort and physical pain? I’m talking about campgrounds where the hot water had always run out, lumpy bunk beds were designed to eject sleeping children inContinue reading “Fact”
The music and tradition of Ireland’s west
One of the greatest pleasures of visiting Ireland is to grab a Guiness or two while enjoying a live music session at the local pub. The little town of Doolin in County Clare is the jumping of point for the Aran Islands and the famous Burren. Dooin has a rich tradition of music, dance andContinue reading “The music and tradition of Ireland’s west”
Suprising Sardinia
Sardinia, an island off the coast of Italy, is one of the world’s “blue zones” where people live much longer than the world average. During a week long off-season visit, I managed to complete some amazing walks, visit the famous Grotta del Bue Marino , and eat my own bodyweight in fresh seafood. The siesta tradition is aliveContinue reading “Suprising Sardinia”
A quieter corner of the Greek Islands
Choosing a Greek Island stop over from the hundreds available (talk about first world problems!) was a fun exercise. A desire to avoid the party islands and try somehwere different landed me on Paxos, a boat ride away from Corfu. Populated with three villages, all that was left to do was to wander along oliveContinue reading “A quieter corner of the Greek Islands”
The wild beauty of Ireland’s Aran Islands
Ireland is a country I have visted twice so far, and somewhere I feel immediatly at home. There is so much to experience in Ireland and the people’s warmth and humour is what really makes this destination so special. I wrote this story after spending an Easter weekend on the wild and beautiful Aran Islands.
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