Australia
After an action-packed two decades reporting on everything from royal commissions to rock stars, Melissa Iaria left the world of the newsroom for a more flexible lifestyle incorporating her biggest love: travel. She loves writing about travel (of course!) lifestyle, culture and news and is fascinated by what makes people tick. Get in touch:[email protected]
TRAVEL
Greek locals are rallying together to kick a plague of sun loungers off their beaches.
It’s not recommended for the “sensitive”, the claustrophobic or those with heart problems.
On a ferry from Milos to Athens, I learn more about Greek democracy than I do in any museum.
A minor injury in Albania sent me into a late-night spiral of medical Googling - until a local doctor set me straight.
I visited one of the world’s greatest cities recently and returned home with the worst souvenir.
Nothing beats the freedom of travelling solo on holiday. But being a single solo traveller doesn’t always go so smoothly - sometimes it feels as though you stick out like a sore thumb.
When Melissa Iaria visited an ATM hours within arriving in Cuba, she had no idea it would turn her whole trip on its head.
After baring my body in a traditional hammam in Bodrum, it only made sense to have my future laid bare by a local fortune teller.
When Kingsley Rock is not crawling through roofs fixing air conditioners, he moonlights as a "casual" Elvis.
Surrounded by tree-clad mountains and home to an array of wildlife, Mossman River in Queensland’s Daintree region is a tranquil setting for river drift snorkelling.
LIFESTYLE
Keen to widen my social circle, I took a late-night punt on a group blind date.
In her youth, Kirsten Mulholland was charmed by the historic Mount Vic Flix picture theatre. But the romantic idea that she might one day run the iconic cinema in the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains town ...
At US$140 a pop, one cafe in Melbourne, Australia is serving up no ordinary cup of joe.
PROPERTY
Italian-built homes in the suburbs are becoming increasingly rare time capsules, preserving a unique slice of Australian housing history.
It may be the nation’s capital, but Canberra has also quietly become Australia’s accidental capital of stunning architect-designed mid-century homes.
He struck gold with a $13.9 million home lottery win, but now, a retired grandfather is reluctantly selling the ocean-view property.
After drawing other people's homes for a living, Georgia Norton Lodge has finally purchased her own. She describes them as "scribbly, wobbly and filled with joy" but it is these drawings of other people's homes that have enabled the artist to finally buy her own.
When Danny Caretti rented an eastern suburbs Sydney apartment in 1980, he had no idea the whole building would one day be his.
They are big, brash and beautiful in their own way, but the iconic 'big things' dotted across Australia's small towns can also be a bother. Whether you find them cringeworthy or clever, these giant offbeat ...